Johnson C. Smith captured its first CIAA football championship in more than half a century last season, but the Golden Bulls will open 2026 still needing to prove themselves.
JCSU was picked second in the CIAA preseason coaches poll, released Wednesday during the league’s annual Football Media Day in Durham. Virginia Union claimed the top spot, while Fayetteville State finished third to give North Carolina two of the top three teams in the preseason rankings.
It was a mild surprise to see Virginia Union atop the predicted order of finish. The Panthers won the 2024 CIAA championship and defeated Johnson C. Smith during the 2025 regular season before the Golden Bulls avenged that loss with a 45-21 victory in the conference championship game.
Johnson C. Smith also entered the season ranked No. 1 in a pair of national Division II HBCU preseason polls released earlier this summer. Vibes seemed to suggest the Bulls would be pegged as the team to beat in the CIAA as well. Instead, they’ll begin the season chasing Virginia Union in the eyes of the league’s coaches.
Virginia State was voted fourth, followed by Winston-Salem State in fifth, Livingstone sixth and Elizabeth City State seventh. Shaw was voted 10th out of 11 teams.
CIAA Predicted Order of Finish
1. Virginia Union
2. Johnson C. Smith
3. Fayetteville State
4. Virginia State
5. Winston-Salem State
6. Livingstone
7. Elizabeth City State
8. Bowie State
9. Bluefield State
10. Shaw
11. Lincoln
New for 2026: CIAA officially adds third-place game
For the first time, the CIAA will hold two football games during its championship weekend in Durham this November.
The league’s 56th title game, featuring the top two finishers in the regular season standings, will kick off at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 14 at Durham County Memorial Stadium.
A new third-place game called the Friday Night Blitz Game, featuring the third and fourth-place teams from the regular season standings, will be played on Friday, Nov. 13 at 6 p.m., also at Durham County Memorial Stadium. The CIAA is adding the second contest to offer two additional teams an 11th game for the season and the chance to improve playoff resumes.
Fayetteville State would have played in the third-place game a year ago under this new system.
2026 Preseason All-CIAA Team
*An asterisk denotes a returning 2025 All-CIAA First Team selection.
Quarterback
Rahsaan Matthews Jr., Virginia State University
Running Backs
Micah Robinson, Bowie State University
Bobby Smith, Johnson C. Smith University*
Wide Receivers
Brandon Wiley, Bluefield State University*
Brian Lane, Johnson C. Smith University*
Marcus Fleming, Fayetteville State University
Tight End
Joe Griffin, Elizabeth City State University
Offensive Linemen
Jamari Mason, Johnson C. Smith University*
Robert Early, Johnson C. Smith University
Malachi Jones, Fayetteville State University
Toriono Combs, Elizabeth City State University*
Marcus Andrews, Johnson C. Smith University
Defensive Line
Dalan Johnson, Bowie State University
Joseph Woodard, Fayetteville State University
Christopher Gordon, Fayetteville State University
Sir’Sean Ingram, Elizabeth City State University
Deshawn Willoughby, Bowie State University
Linebackers
Jaevon Branch, Elizabeth City State University
Vincent Hill, Johnson C. Smith University*
Jatavien Taylor, Fayetteville State University
Defensive Backs
Amari Best, Fayetteville State University
Placekicker
Jason Zapata, Livingstone College
Punter
Abdoulazim Bayor, Fayetteville State University
Kick Return Specialist
Shamar Sutton, Elizabeth City State University
Punt Return Specialist
Zyaire Tart, Virginia Union University*
Five Quick Takeaways from CIAA Media Day
🏈 Defending champs still have something to prove
Despite winning the 2025 CIAA championship and entering the season atop multiple national HBCU Division II preseason polls, Johnson C. Smith was picked second behind Virginia Union. JCSU coach Maurice Flowers didn’t address the first-place snub specifically during media day, but the poll may end up on a few bulletin boards in the team facility going forward.
💪 North Carolina dominated the trenches
The preseason All-CIAA offensive line featured five players from North Carolina schools, including three from Johnson C. Smith. Fayetteville State and Elizabeth City State also placed defensive linemen on the preseason squad. If games are won in the trenches, things are looking promising for JCSU, Fayetteville State and ECSU.
⭐ Fayetteville State and Elizabeth City State earned plenty of respect
The Broncos led all schools with seven preseason All-CIAA selections, while Elizabeth City State placed five players on the team despite being picked seventh in the preseason poll.
❓ Winston-Salem State remains a mystery
CIAA coaches showed they were high on Winston-Salem State and new coach Tory Woodbury, picking the Rams fifth out of 11 teams. Yet no WSSU players were picked for all-conference teams. If Woodbury’s first team at Winston-Salem State does finish in the top half of the conference it will be with players currently off most radars.
🏆 CIAA championship weekend is getting bigger
The CIAA’s new third-place game will give two more teams meaningful football in November and potentially strengthen postseason résumés. The decision to add this game appears to be a solid win for the league.
Looking Back: What We Were Watching
We published these questions in the lead up to CIAA Football Media Day earlier in the week. Here are answers that emerged during Wednesday’s event:
❓ Will Johnson C. Smith be picked to repeat?
What we wrote: The defending champs have reloaded for another run at the CIAA title. National HBCU media have picked JCSU as the team to beat across all of D2 Black College Football. Will the coaches agree or will a recent champ like Virginia Union start on top?
What happened: The coaches gave VUU the nod and picked Johnson C. Smith second, apparently not yet sold that the Golden Bulls are ready for a repeat. But a second-place finish, like last year, would give JCSU the opportunity to play for the CIAA trophy in mid-November.
❓What will the expanded championship weekend format look like?
What we wrote: The CIAA has already announced it plans to change the format of its championship weekend. Reports suggest the league is adding a third-place game alongside the title contest to give additional teams a potential playoff-resume boost. League officials plan to officially unveil their plans at media day.
What happened: The first order of business at the start of media day was to announce a Friday Night Blitz game in Durham between the third- and fourth-place finishers in the standings. The top two teams in the standings will then meet the following afternoon to play for the CIAA championship.
❓How will coaches slot North Carolina’s other CIAA teams?
What we wrote: Fayetteville State would have been in a third-place game a year ago had that been an option then. Winston-Salem State has a new coach (alum Tory Woodbury) and renewed passion to contend again. Elizabeth City State won its last three games to finish 2025. How will that translate into preseason predictions for these schools, Livingstone and Shaw?
What happened: The preseason balloting reflected what has been the recent pecking order in the league. Johnson C. Smith and Fayetteville followed in second and third behind Virginia Union. Winston-Salem State was tabbed fifth, followed by Livingstone in sixth, Elizabeth City State in seventh and Shaw in 10th. This is roughly where things concluded for North Carolina teams a year ago.
❓Which players will start on the CIAA all-conference watch list?
What we wrote: The transfer portal and graduations have altered a lot of rosters. Which players are generating the most preseason buzz and are expected to lead the way later this fall?
What happened: The CIAA’s 25-player preseason all-conference list featured 19 North Carolina players – seven from Fayetteville State, six from Johnson C. Smith, five from Elizabeth City State and one from Shaw. The rest of the all-conference team included three players from Bowie State, one from Bluefield State, one from Virginia State and one from projected champion Virginia Union.
📬 More from CIAA Media Day
Friday’s paid edition of our Small-College Saturdays newsletter (focused exclusively on North Carolina D2, D3 and FCS football) will go beyond the poll and preseason honors with the quotes, personalities and storylines that stood out during Media Day — including Elizabeth City State’s chip on its shoulder, Tory Woodbury’s confident return to Winston-Salem State and one Shaw player’s inspiring path toward becoming the first college graduate in his family.
Subscribe to Small-College Saturdays and we’ll deliver each newsletter to your in-box
Media Day Lineups
Each school’s representative spent about 15 minutes on center stage during CIAA Media Day. Here are the coaches and players who participated from each school:
Bluefield State University
Head Coach: Davon Morgan
Student Athletes: Brandon Wiley and Kamaree Wells
Bowie State University
Head Coach: Dawson Odums
Student Athletes: Deontae Roscoe and Maximus Jones
Elizabeth City State University
Head Coach: Adrian Jones
Student Athletes: Toriono Combs and Jaevon Branch
Fayetteville State University
Head Coach: Richard Hayes
Student Athletes: Joseph Woodard and Malachi Jones
Johnson C. Smith University
Head Coach: Maurice Flowers
Student Athletes: Jamari Mason and Vince Hill
Lincoln University (Pa.)
Head Coach: Frank Turner
Student Athletes: Seth Ulett and Charles Thompson
Livingstone College
Head Coach: Sean Gilbert
Student Athletes: Brandon “Manny” Moss and Davyn Reid
Shaw University
Head Coach: Lamar Manigo
Student Athletes: Alexander Marsh and Keyshaun Powell
Virginia State University
Head Coach: Dr. Henry Frazier, III
Student Athletes: Tyleek McCoy and KJ McNeil
Virginia Union University
Head Coach: Alvin Parker
Student Athletes: Christian Myles Solomon and Ahmad Ross
Winston Salem State University
Head Coach: Tory Woodbury
Student Athletes: Chancellor Smith and Jayden Grimes
Related Content
📅 2026 Division II Football Schedules
🏆 North Carolina Small-College Football Awards
📰 Subscribe to our newsletter, Small-College Saturdays
