Six North Carolina college football players — two each from Johnson C. Smith and Lenoir-Rhyne, plus one from Wingate and one from Winston-Salem State — have earned spots on the D2 Elite 100 preseason watch list, released Sunday night by D2Football.com.
Only one of them, Johnson C. Smith wide receiver Brevin Caldwell, returns to the same program he represented in 2024. The other five transferred to their current schools during the offseason and look to provide sparks to conference championship contenders.
North Carolina’s representatives:
- Brevin Caldwell, WR, Johnson C. Smith — Second Team Offense
- Cam Williams, DB, Johnson C. Smith — Squad List (Honorable Mention)
- LJ Turner, RB, Lenoir-Rhyne — Squad List
- Desmond Greene, DB, Lenoir-Rhyne — Squad List
- Kai Russell, DL, Wingate — Squad List
- Kha’lil Eason, AP, Winston-Salem State — Squad List
Caldwell, a senior, was an HBCU Football All-American and all-CIAA selection in 2024. He led all Division II players in North Carolina in receiving yards (1,090) and yards per game (109.0). He made the season’s ending D2 Elite 100 in 2024 as a squad player.
Turner, also a senior, made the 2024 season-ending D2 Elite 100 after rushing for 1,224 yards and 13 touchdowns at Catawba. He transferred to Lenoir-Rhyne in the offseason after spending spring football at West Virginia. His stellar 2024 at Catawba included a 329-yard, five-touchdown performance in an overtime win over Anderson.
Russell, a redshirt junior from Charlotte (Olympic HS), helped anchor one of the nation’s top defensive lines at Wingate last season. He recorded 12.5 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks in 2024, playing alongside consensus All-American Marquise Fleming, who exhausted his eligibility last season.
Greene, a redshirt senior transfer from Southwestern Oklahoma State, ranked second in Division II with seven interceptions last season and earned all-conference honors.
CIAA players on the @D2Football Elite 100 watch list
First Team
VSU OL Bruno Onwuazor
Second Team
JCSU WR Brevin Caldwell
Squad (Honorable Mention)
WSSU AP Kahlil Eason
VSU LB KJ McNeil
JCSU DB Cam Williams — Kris (@d2kferg) August 11, 2025
Williams, a redshirt junior, joined Johnson C. Smith after a standout season at Miles College, where he intercepted three passes and broke up 11 more.
Eason, an All-American return specialist and 2024 Harlon Hill Award finalist, transferred to Winston-Salem State from the University of New Haven. He returned three kickoffs for touchdowns last year and a punt for a score in 2023.
The D2 football season kicks off in North Carolina over Labor Day weekend.
- Lenoir-Rhyne will travel to national power West Florida on Friday, Aug. 29.
- Johnson C. Smith plays Morehouse on Saturday, Aug. 30 at Harvard University.
- Wingate opens the same night by hosting UNC Pembroke.
- Winston-Salem State faces Tuskegee in the Red Tails Classic in Montgomery, AL, on Sunday, Aug. 31.
