FIVE PIRATES EARN MEAC PRESEASON FIRST TEAM HONORS
NORFOLK, Va. – Five Hampton University football players were named to the MEAC 2008 Preseason First Team Friday at the MEAC Football Press Luncheon at the Sheraton Norfolk Waterside Hotel. The Pirates were also chosen to finish fourth in the conference in its preseason poll.
“This is a tough football conference to play in day in and day and to be picked to finish fourth after a 6-5 season last year is not that bad and it may be something to we can use to get the player motivated,” first-year Pirates head coach Jerry Holmes said.
Redshirt junior quarterback TJ Mitchell (Virginia Beach, Va.) leads the First Team on offense, joined by senior wideout Jeremy Gilchrist and senior offensive lineman Dennis Conley (Suffolk, Va.). Mitchell threw for 2,309 yards and 17 touchdowns, while Gilchrist (Virginia Beach, Va.) became the first Pirate to pull in 1,000 receiving yards in a season – to the tune of 1,043 yards and seven scores.
Gilchrist also earned preseason First Team honors as a kick returner, averaging 19 yards per punt return. Out of 20 punt returns, Gilchrist returned three for touchdowns.
Senior Sam Pope (St. Helena Island, S.C.) was the lone Pirate named to the preseason First Team on defense, coming off a 2007 in which Pope recorded 41 total tackles – including 32 solo efforts. Pope also intercepted five passes and broke up another six.
Punter Jahmal Blanchard (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) was the fifth Pirate named to the MEAC Preseason First Team.
“Whenever one school gets nine athletes on the preseason team it is always big deal and all of these athletics worked hard the year before and they deserve this honor,” Holmes said.
Hampton landed four more players on the Preseason Second Team, highlighted by senior wide receiver Kevin Teel (Bowie, Md.) and offensive lineman Michael Ola (Riverdale, Ga.). Linebacker Charles Robinson (Hampton, Va.) and place kicker Carlo Turavani (Ontario, Canada) also earned Second Team honors.
Hampton earned one first-place vote en route to picking up 214 points in the MEAC preseason poll. The Pirates were predicted to finish fourth, a season after going 6-5.
South Carolina State was the preseason favorite to win the MEAC, earning six first-place votes among the conference’s head coaches and sports information directors. Defending MEAC champion Delaware State was predicted to finish second.
“Now that the preseason picks and conference teams have been decided we can go back and get ready for the up coming season,” Holmes said. “I think that the players will be motivated and ready to go once they return to school starting two a days and we will see what happens.”
For more information on Hampton University football, please call the Office of Sports Information at (757) 727-5811 or visit the official Pirates website at www.hamptonpirates.com.
MEAC 2008 Preseason Poll (first-place votes in parentheses)
1. South Carolina State (6) 272
2, Delaware State (6) 252
3. Norfolk State (2) 216
4. Hampton (2) 214
5. Morgan State 170
6. Florida A&M 120
7. Bethune-Cookman (1) 91
8. Howard 85
9. North Carolina A&T 35
2008 Preseason All-MEAC Team
First Team
Offense
QB – T.J. Mitchell (r-Jr.) Hampton
RB – William Ford (Jr.) SC State
RB – Phillip Sylvester (So.) Florida A&M
TE – Taj Jenkines (Jr.) Florida A&M
WR- Jeremy Gilchrist (r-Sr.) Hampton
WR – Jamar Johnson (r-Sr.) Norfolk State
OL – Dennis Conley (Sr.) Hampton
OL – Jamien Banks (r-Sr.) Norfolk State
OL – Devon Dawson (Jr.) SC State
OL – Dwayne Delaney (Sr.) Morgan State
C- Raymond Harrison SC State
Defense
DL-Clarence McPherson (Sr.) Morgan State
DL- Ronn Spinner (Sr.) Delaware State
DL- Dexter Jackson (Jr.) Bethune-Cookman
DL- Cedric Lloyd (Sr.) SC State
LB- Endor Cooper (Sr.) Howard
LB- Josh Pope (r-Jr.) Delaware State
LB – Jarrell Guyton (Sr.) Morgan State
LB – Vernon Wilder (r-Sr.) Florida A&M
DB – Terrell Whitehead (Jr.) Norfolk State
DB- Markee Hamlin (Jr.) SC State
DB – Sam Pope (Sr.) Hampton
DB – Chris Williams (Sr.) Morgan State
Special Teams
P – Jahmal Blanchard (Jr.) Hampton
P/K – James Meade (Sr.) Morgan State
Ret.- Jeremy Gilchrist (r-Sr.) Hampton
Preseason Offensive Player of the Year
Will Ford, SC State
Preseason Defensive Player of the Year
Endor Cooper, Howard
Second Team
Offense
QB – Vashon Winton (r-Sr.) Delaware State
RB- Michael Ferguson (Sr.) North Carolina A&T
RB- Kareem Jones (Sr.) Delaware State
TE- Octavius Darby (Sr.) SC State
WR-Kevin Teel (Sr.) Hampton
WR-Oliver Young (Jr.) SC State
WR-Jeremy Wicker (r-So.) Norfolk State
OL –Anthony Collins (r-Jr.) Florida A&M
OL-Reubin Mordecai (r-Sr.) Bethune-Cookman
OL- Robert Norris (Sr.) Morgan State
OL- Michael Ola (r-So.) Hampton
OL-Adrian Brown (Sr.) Delaware State
C-Nick Richmond (r-Jr.) Delaware State
Defense
DL-Tyre Glasper (Sr.) North Carolina A&T
DL-James Simmons (Sr.) SC State
DL-Keyon Brooks (Sr.) SC State
DL-Dennis Marsh (r-Sr.) Norfolk State
LB-Andre Thornton (Jr.) North Carolina A&T
LB-Tony White (Sr.) SC State
LB-Charles Robinson (r-Sr.) Hampton
DB-Curtis Holcomb (So.) Florida A&M
DB-Antoine Cox (Jr.) Bethune-Cookman
DB-Don Carey (Sr.) Norfolk State
DB-Brandon Colbert (Sr.) North Carolina A&T
Special Teams
P-Andre Haire (Jr.) SC State
P/K-Carlo Turavani (So.) Hampton
Ret.-Corey Council (Sr.) Bethune-Cookman
The original story was published here: http://www.hamptonpirates.com/News/football/2008/7/25/HAMFTB%20(7-25-08).asp?path=football
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