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
- Adrian Jones Aims to Wake the Echoes at Elizabeth City StateVikings, seeking first winning season since 2012, bring in CIAA veteran to lead football program
- 2024 Statewide Standings: Lenoir-Rhyne leads NC in wins; Wingate has best winning percentage15 NC college football teams finish above .500
- Shaw Football: Ruffin Declines Head Coaching Job Due To Health ConcernsRuffin was set to replace Adrian Jones as leader of the D2 Shaw Bears of the CIAA
- Rushing Kings of 2024: A Look at Every 100-Yard Game in North CarolinaLJ Turner’s 329-yard masterpiece for Catawba headlines a bullish year for the ground game
- D2 Stat Champions: UNC Pembroke’s Seth Bowen Takes Season Punting Crown Winston-Salem State’s Devin Versteegen had best single-game punting average
Eric Lusk
Publisher & Editor
Eric Lusk started NC Football News in 2023. He's an old newspaper guy with a fondness for underdogs, redemption stories and the triple-option offense. He's a proud graduate of Jesse O. Sanderson High School and UNC's School of Journalism. He's thankful for God's mercy, family and second chances.
In this article:BARTON BULLDOGS, CATAWBA INDIANS, CHOWAN HAWKS, CIAA, D2 Football, ELIZABETH CITY STATE VIKINGS, FAYETTEVILLE STATE BRONCOS, Featured, Gulf South Conference, Johnson C. Smith Golden Bulls, LENOIR-RHYNE BEARS, LIVINGSTONE BLUE BEARS, MARS HILL LIONS, Mountain East Conference, SHAW BEARS, South Atlantic Conference, ST. AUGUSTINE'S FALCONS, UNC Pembroke, Wingate Bulldogs, Winston-Salem State Rams