The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association announced its 2026 All-CIAA football teams Friday, and two North Carolina players earned top individual awards.
Johnson C. Smith running back Fabian Duncan was named Offensive Player of the Year, while Fayetteville State defensive back Zyking Patillo earned Rookie of the Year honors.
Virginia Union collected three major awards, with Dr. Alvin Parker named Coach of the Year, Ahmad Ross selected Defensive Player of the Year and Zyaire Tart recognized as Special Teams Player of the Year.
Virginia State offensive lineman Tyleek McCoy earned Lineman of the Year.
The announcement comes ahead of Saturday’s CIAA championship game between Virginia Union and Johnson C. Smith at Durham County Memorial Stadium in Durham. Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m.
2026 CIAA Individual Award Winners
- Coach of the Year: Dr. Alvin Parker, Virginia Union
- Offensive Player of the Year: Fabian Duncan, Johnson C. Smith
- Defensive Player of the Year: Ahmad Ross, Virginia Union
- Lineman of the Year: Tyleek McCoy, Virginia State
- Special Teams Player of the Year: Zyaire Tart, Virginia Union
- Rookie of the Year: Zyking Patillo, Fayetteville State
Duncan, a redshirt junior from Charlotte and a transfer from Allen University, rushed for 1,564 yards during the regular season – tops among any running back in the state at any level. He scored 13 touchdowns and enjoyed nine 100-yard games. He crossed the 200-yard plateau twice (224 at Bluefield State and 203 against Virginia State).
Patillo, a freshman from Havelock, picked off six passes this season, including two against UNC Pembroke and two more against Elizabeth City State. He had a career-high 12 tackles in Friday’s game against Virginia State, a 31-29 Fayetteville State triumph.
North Carolina Schools Earn All-CIAA Recognition
Six North Carolina CIAA programs placed players on the first or second All-Conference teams.
Johnson C. Smith: Fabian Duncan, Brian Lane, Jamari Mason, Anthony Binyard, Vincent Hill and Marque Vereen earned first-team honors. Damien Mazil, Robert Early, Marcus Andrews, Sedecka Griffin, D’Andre Martin and Alexis Rosario-Beltran were named to the second team.
Fayetteville State: Marcus Fleming, Osirus Rhodes and Zyking Patillo earned first-team recognition. Malachi Jones, Ryan Debow, Terrell Ford, Abdoulazim Bayor and De’Kan Williams were second-team selections.
Shaw: Trey Thorpe and Ashton Williams made the first team. Reggie King Jr., Keyshaun Powell and Quadir Mceachin earned second-team honors.
Winston-Salem State: Christopher “CJ” Brown was selected to the first team.
Elizabeth City State: Javon Smith, John Earley and Terrance Holland earned second-team honors.
Livingstone: Ca’Lique Cunningham was selected as the second-team punt return specialist.
2026 First Team All-CIAA
Quarterback: Rahsaan Matthews Jr. (Virginia State)
Running backs: Fabian Duncan (Johnson C. Smith), Trey Thorpe (Shaw)
Wide receivers: Jaylen Pretlow (Virginia State), Brian Lane (Johnson C. Smith), Marcus Fleming (Fayetteville State)
Tight end: Ben Haulmark (Virginia Union)
Offensive linemen: Savion Moore (Virginia Union), Trai’von Callis (Virginia Union), Jamari Mason (Johnson C. Smith), Tyleek McCoy (Virginia State), Ashton Williams (Shaw)
Defensive linemen: Elijah Candia (Virginia Union), Anthony Binyard (Johnson C. Smith), Osirus Rhodes (Fayetteville State), Christopher “CJ” Brown (Winston-Salem State)
Linebackers: Christian Aiken (Virginia Union), Ahmad Ross (Virginia Union), Vincent Hill (Johnson C. Smith)
Defensive backs: Marque Vereen (Johnson C. Smith), Raja’ee Jones (Virginia State), Zyking Patillo (Fayetteville State), Jessiah Gildersleeve (Virginia Union)
Placekicker: Gage Miller (Virginia Union)
Punter: Joshua Mitchell (Virginia Union)
Long snapper: Jaydon Matthews (Virginia Union)
Kick return specialist: Zyaire Tart (Virginia Union)
Punt return specialist: Zyaire Tart (Virginia Union)
2026 Second Team All-CIAA
Quarterback: Damien Mazil (Johnson C. Smith)
Running backs: Maximus Jones (Bowie State), Ramon Brown (Virginia Union)
Wide receivers: Kyrie Tyson (Lincoln, PA), Montrell Wright (Virginia Union), Reggie King Jr. (Shaw)
Tight end: Keyshaun Powell (Shaw)
Offensive linemen: Christian “Myles” Solomon (Virginia Union), Robert Early (Johnson C. Smith), Marcus Andrews (Johnson C. Smith), Malachi Jones (Fayetteville State), Sedecka Griffin (Johnson C. Smith)
Defensive linemen: Mustapha Coly (Virginia State), Javon Smith (Elizabeth City State), D’Andre Martin (Johnson C. Smith), Jason Parrilla (Virginia State)
Linebackers: Quadir Mceachin (Shaw), John Earley (Elizabeth City State), KJ McNeil (Virginia State)
Defensive backs: Brosnan Dukes (Lincoln, PA), Amir Mateo (Virginia State), Ryan Debow (Fayetteville State), Terrell Ford (Fayetteville State)
Placekicker: Alexis Rosario-Beltran (Johnson C. Smith)
Punter: Abdoulazim Bayor (Fayetteville State)
Long snapper: De’Kan Williams (Fayetteville State)
Kick return specialist: Terrance Holland (Elizabeth City State)
Punt return specialist: Ca’Lique Cunningham (Livingstone)
2026 CIAA All-Rookie Team
- Bluefield State: Jason Robinson
- Bowie State: Deal Tyrell
- Elizabeth City State: John Earley, Terrence Lamb, Alex Williams
- Fayetteville State: Christopher Bentley, Malik Fuller, Christian Oats, Zyking Patillo, Lorenzo Southern
- Johnson C. Smith: Taurus Damon Jr., Tremaine Davis, Divine Ohiaeri
- Livingstone: Maurice McArthur
- Shaw: Kristopher Young
- Virginia State: Taivon Douglas, Justin Lane, Tristan Mccall
- Virginia Union: Josiah Johnson, Gage Miller
- Winston-Salem State: Maddox Creason, Brayden Jeffries
CIAA Championship Weekend
The conference’s championship weekend continues Saturday, Nov. 14, when Virginia Union faces Johnson C. Smith for the CIAA title at Durham County Memorial Stadium.
👉 Fayetteville State won a thriller in the CIAA Friday Night Blitz game in Durham on Nov. 13, rallying from 21-0 down to beat Virginia State 31-29. John Hernandez-Vargas hit the game-winning field goal in the final minutes.
