BEST IN STATE: Football talent abounds at NC’s Division II schools

With the college football season now on the doorstep, NC Football News presents its final Best In State all-state team.

Today we unveil our Division II top players list. North Carolina has 14 schools that play at the D2 level, the most of any division. Talent abounds across this division.

Earlier, we announced our MVPs for Division II:

• MVP Offense: RB Jordan Terrell (Barton)
• MVP Defense: DL Andre Jefferson (Lenoir-Rhyne)
• MVP Special Teams: KR Kujuan Pryor (Catawba)

Here is the rest of our Best In State Division II first-team offense, defense and special teams, as well as our preseason watch list. Preseason all-conference voting guided our first-team selections as well as surveying past stats and awards, and multiple media outlets that cover our state’s teams.

First-Team Offense

• QB – Jacquan Lynch (Barton)
• QB – Rashad McKee (Chowan)
• RB – Sidney Gibbs (Shaw)
• RB – Dwayne McGee (Lenoir-Rhyne)
• RB – Jordan Terrell (Barton)
• WR – Brevin Caldwell (Johnson C. Smith)
• WR – Malik Laurent (Mars Hill)
• WR – Kelin Parsons (Lenoir-Rhyne)
• TE – Malik Simmons (Lenoir-Rhyne)
• OL – Tyler Fleming (Fayetteville State)
• OL – Michael Todd (Fayetteville State)
• OL – Queonte Hilliard (Shaw)
• OL – Leondre Andreas (Mars Hill)
• OL – Justin Bullock (Mars Hill)
• OL – Blake Jefferson (Lenoir-Rhyne)
• OL – Xavier Jennings (Lenoir-Rhyne)
• OL – Alex Buschow (Barton)
• OL – Jacob Perry (UNC Pembroke)

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First-Team Defense

• DL – Marquise Fleming (Wingate)
• DL – Andre Jefferson (Lenoir-Rhyne)
• DL – Cameron Merrell (Fayetteville State)
• DL – Branden Spencer (UNC Pembroke)
• DL – Boris Lewis (Mars Hill)
• DL – Damipi Lamboni (Mars Hill)
• DL – Tyreke King (UNC Pembroke)
• LB – Jaquan Edwards (Wingate)
• LB – Shane Perry (Barton)
• LB – Jon Ross Maye (Lenoir-Rhyne)
• LB – Landon Honeycutt (Mars Hill)
• LB – Kentrell Caldwell (Fayetteville State)
• LB – Lee Sales (St. Augustine’s)
• DB – Tre Morrison (Wingate)
• DB – C’Darius Kelley (Lenoir-Rhyne)
• DB – Monroe Sanderson (Mars Hill)
• DB – Jay Boyd (Shaw)
• DB – Tristan Rankin (Mars Hill)
• DB – Jaheim Mullen (Wingate)

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First-Team Special Teams

• P/K – Devin Versteegen (Shaw)
• PR – Dennis Jones (St. Augustine’s)
• RS – Kujuan Pryor (Catawba)

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D2 Preseason Watch List – Offense

• QB – Demari Daniels (Fayetteville State)
• QB – Bryce Jackson (Winston-Salem State)
• QB – Tyrell Jackson (Johnson C. Smith)
• QB – Caleb Pierce (UNC Pembroke)
• QB – Chase Williams (Elizabeth City State)
• RB – Jacob Newman (Johnson C. Smith)
• RB – JahTwan Stafford (Winston-Salem State)
• RB – JyMikaah Wells (Livingstone)
• RB – Alexander Wilson (Wingate)
• WR – Barry Elliott (Fayetteville State)
• WR – Kameron Johnson (Barton)
• WR – Trevor Grant (Wingate)
• WR – RJ Mobley (Winston-Salem State)
• WR – Anton Popov (Catawba)
• WR – Deandre Proctor (St. Augustine’s)
• WR – Malik Tobias (UNC Pembroke)
• WR – Trey Dixon (UNC Pembroke)
• TE – Austin Cain (Wingate)
• OL – Daniel Horne (Chowan)

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D2 Preseason Watch List – Defense

• DL – Jamae Blank (UNC Pembroke)
• DL – Traevon Mitchell (Chowan)
• DL – Daniel Morrison (Wingate)
• DL – Chase Rogers (Catawba)
• DL – Raydarius Freeman (UNC Pembroke)
• LB – Jaden Echols (Livingstone)
• LB – Terrance McPherson (Livingstone)
• LB – Matt Smith (Barton)
• LB – Dexter Fitzpatrick (Mars Hill)
• LB – Tracey White (Elizabeth City State)
• DB – Aaron Beverly (Elizabeth City State)
• DB – Kmare Carey (Chowan)
• DB – Justin Fleming (Winston-Salem State)
• DB – Quayon Gilbert (Barton)
• DB – Ty’quereon Hines (St. Augustine’s)
• DB – Dequan Mosley (Wingate)
• DB – Nic Wilson (Chowan)

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D2 Preseason Watch List – Special Teams

• PK – India Pulphus (Shaw)
• KR – Zion Riddick (Elizabeth City State)

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More Division II Headlines From NC Football News

• 
  Chowan, Lees-McRae and Mount Olive to add women’s flag footballJuly 2, 2024
  Conference Carolinas will debut the fast-growing sport at the NCAA Division II level in 2025-26
• 
  Circle your calendars: Composite 2024 college football schedule for North CarolinaJune 19, 2024
  34 programs. 303 total games. 186 contests played within our state’s borders. Let’s go!
• 
  CIAA drops divisions in football; title game returning to Durham in ’25June 18, 2024
  Can a North Carolina team make the 2024 championship in the new set-up?
• 
  Top returning QBs to watch in North Carolina this seasonJune 17, 2024
  Twelve signal callers who could put up big numbers across all four NCAA divisions in 2024
• 
  Elizabeth City State finalizes 2024 football scheduleJune 12, 2024
  Vikings will open in ‘Week 0’ at Shaw