BALTIMORE, Md. --- The Norfolk State football team landed 10 players on the Preseason All-MEAC Teams announced at MEAC Media Day on Tuesday afternoon.
 
Five Spartans landed on the All-MEAC Preseason First Team: running back Kevon King, wide receiver Kam'Ryn Thomas, offensive lineman Vincent Byrd Jr., return specialist Jaylen White, and linebacker Daylan Long. Five Norfolk State student-athletes followed on the Preseason All-MEAC Second Team: defensive lineman Keshawn Lynch, linebacker Terique Miles, defensive back Jayden Smith, defensive back Kahleef Jimmison, and punter Noah Tracey.
 
Voters picked Norfolk State to finish fourth in the conference, while South Carolina State was picked to repeat as MEAC champions.
 
King, a senior from Chesapeake, Va., ranked third in the MEAC last season with 944 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns on 161 carries. He opened the season with a career-high 146 rushing yards and two touchdowns against Florida A&M, eventually capping the year with 144 yards and a score against South Carolina State.
 
Thomas, a senior from Bear, Del., caught 25 passes for 387 yards and two touchdowns last season. He recorded three receptions for a season high 98 yards against Florida A&M, tallying 87 yards on four catches and a touchdown against Delaware State.
 
Byrd, a senior from Stafford, Va., consistently graded above 85.0 percent, anchoring one of the MEAC's top rushing attacks. The Spartans rushed for 283 yards against Sacred Heart, 257 against Virginia State and 227 against Florida A&M.
 
White, a redshirt senior from Hampton, Va., averaged 25.7 yards per kick return on 10 attempts. He was the only MEAC player to return a kickoff for a touchdown last season, flipping momentum with a 97-yard return during Norfolk State's Homecoming win over Howard.
 
Long, a redshirt senior from Cincinnati, Ohio, ranked third on the team with 47 tackles, including 25 solo stops. He became the first Spartan player in over a decade last season to record two defensive touchdowns in a season, one off an interception and one as a fumble recovery.
 
Lynch, a redshirt senior from Newport News, Va., recorded 35 tackles, including 7.0 tackles for loss and eight solo stops. He tallied 2.5 tackles for loss against Sacred Heart, including a 17-yard sack, before forcing a fumble and a tackle for a loss against Delaware State.
 
Miles, a redshirt senior from Norfolk, Va., ranked second on the team and third in the MEAC with 83 total tackles last season, leading the Spartans with 42 solo stops. He recorded 10 tackles twice — once against Hampton and again at South Carolina State. He also posted seven tackles, a sack and a forced fumble in a win over Delaware State.
 
Smith, a graduate student from Woodbridge, Va., tied for second in the MEAC with three interceptions during the 2024 campaign – totaling 41 tackles, including 19 solo stops and 3.0 tackles for loss. He recorded a pair of interceptions against Towson, while also recording five tackles in the same game.
 
Jimmison, a graduate student from Newport News, Va., led Delaware State with 79 total tackles last season, including 47 solo stops. He produced a season high 12 tackles against Morgan State.
 
Tracey, a junior from Springwood, Australia, punted 64 times for 2,428 yards, placing six inside the 20-yard line. He tied the school record with 12 punts at East Carolina and later booted a season-long 58-yarder against North Carolina Central.
 
Norfolk State will open its highly anticipated 2025 season on Thursday, Aug. 28 against Towson at William "Dick" Price Stadium in Norfolk.
 
2025 MEAC All-Preseason Awards
 
Preseason Player of the Year – Jason Collins Jr. – RB, Morgan State
Preseason Defensive Player of the Year – Erick Hunter – LB, Morgan State
 
First Team Offense

Position	Name	Class	School	Hometown
QB	Walker Harris	R-Sr.	NCCU	Wake Forest, N.C.
RB	Kevon King	Sr.	NSU	Chesapeake, Va.
RB	Eden James	Sr.	HU	Port St. Lucie, Fla.
WR	Kam'Ryn Thomas	Sr.	NSU	Bear, Del.
WR	NyGhee Lolley	R-Sr.	DSU	Newark, Del.
TE	Luke Bracey	Sr.	NCCU	Rock Hill, S.C.
C	Noah McKinney	Sr.	NCCU	Duncan, S.C.
OL	Trevon Humphrey	R-Jr.	NCCU	Greensboro, N.C.
OL	Vincent Byrd Jr.	Sr.	NSU	Stafford, Va.
OL	Tim Artis Jr.	R-Jr.	HU	Cornelius, N.C.
OL	AC McMoore	Jr.	NCCU	Rock Hill, S.C.

 
First Team Defense

Position	Name	Class	School	Hometown
DL	Noah Miles	Sr.	HU	Tampa, Fla.
DL	Ishaun Abdul-Ali	Jr.	HU	Charlotte, N.C.
DL	Dashawn Fields	So.	MSU	Baltimore, Md.
DL	Marquise Brunson	R-Jr.	DSU	Dover, Del.
LB	Max U'Ren	R-Sr.	NCCU	Winston-Salem, N.C.
LB	Erick Hunter	R-Sr.	MSU	Capitol Heights, Md.
LB	Daylan Long	R-Sr.	NSU	Cincinnati, Ohio
DB	Malcolm Reed	Sr.	NCCU	Raleigh, N.C.
DB	Jelani Vassell	R-Sr.	NCCU	Tampa, Fla.
DB	Jadon Carter	Sr.	MSU	Bryans Road, Md.
P	Shane Messenger	Jr.	MSU	Alexandria, Va.
PK	Sahr Gbundema	R-So.	MSU	Lanham, Md.
RS	Jaylen White	R-Sr.	NSU	Hampton, Va.
RS	Malique Leatherbury	R-So.	MSU	Salisbury, Md.

 
Second Team Offense

Position	Name	Class	School	Hometown
QB	Ja'Shawn Scroggins	R-Jr.	HU	Las Vegas, Nev.
RB	Jason Collins Jr.	R-So.	MSU	Washington, D.C.
RB	Marquis Gillis	R-Sr.	DSU	Milford, Del.
WR	Malique Leatherbury	R-So.	MSU	Salisbury, Md.
WR	Chance Peterson	R-So.	NCCU	Wake Forest, N.C.
TE	Edward Core	Gr.	DSU	Waldorf, Md.
C	Daniel Casillas	Sr.	MSU	Kissimmee, Fla.
OL	Kahari Finley	R-Jr.	MSU	Clinton, Md.
OL	Treyvon Branch	Sr.	MSU	White Planes, Md.
OL	Isaiah Cook	R-Sr.	DSU	Willingboro, N.J.
OL	Roger Smith	Sr.	SCSU	Maple Heights, Ohio

 
Second Team Defense

Position	Name	Class	School	Hometown
DL	Antohnny Johnson	So.	DSU
DL	Keshawn Lynch	Sr.	NSU	Newport News, Va.
DL	Josh Barker	Jr.	SCSU	Kennesaw, Ga.
DL	Christian Smith	R-Sr.	NCCU	Jacksonville, N.C.
LB	Terique Miles	Gr.	NSU	Norfolk, Va.
LB	Arturo Mattocks	Sr.	MSU	Montgomery Village, Md.
LB	Brian Bates	Jr.	DSU	Centreville, Va.
DB	Kahleef Jimmison	Gr.	NSU	Newport News, Va.
DB	Jayden Smith	Gr.	NSU	Woodbridge, Va.
P	Noah Tracey	Jr.	NSU	Springwood, Australia
PK	Kaleb Robison	So.	NCCU	Middleburg, Fla.
RS	Anthony Reagan Jr.	So.	HU	Woodbury, N.J.

 
Predicted Order of Finish
School (first-place votes) Points
1. South Carolina State (5) 63
2. North Carolina Central (4) 61
3. Morgan State 39
4. Norfolk State (1) 36
5. Howard (1) 33
6. Delaware State (1) 20
 
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