In 2023, Jalen Brooks played linebacker for the North Carolina Tar Heels, earning a tackle and recovering a fumble in a non-conference game against Campbell.
Flash forward to 2024. Brooks put on an orange and black jersey and forged an all-conference season for the Fighting Camels. The Cardinal Gibbons product from Raleigh led all of North Carolina’s FCS contingent in tackles and headlines our 2024 FCS Stat Champions list for defense.
Brooks was the runaway Stat Champion in total tackles and tackles per game. He amassed 118 stops during Campbell’s 12-game schedule, averaging a cool 9.8 tackles per contest. The next closest tackles leader was Campbell teammate Jojo Pace, who finished with 87. North Carolina A&T’s Kade Moledor earned 84.
Brooks also had the top single-game tackling performance in FCS football. He led the state with his 19-tackle performance (nine solos, 10 assists) in a week 8 conference contest at William & Mary. Moledor and Gardner-Webb’s Raquon Hartley each enjoyed games with 16 tackles.
NC A&T had a rough season overall, winning just once, but Moledor and Henry Daniel provided positive highlights. Daniel led the state in tackles-for-loss with 14.
Gardner-Webb’s Antonio Berry had the most sacks, finishing with seven. Four of those came in a single game – a monstrous week 11 performance against Eastern Illinois (a 31-28 win). No one else in North Carolina FCS football had that many tackles-for-loss or sacks in a single game.
Elon’s Cazeem Moore finished second for the season in TFLs (12.0) and sacks (6.0).
Western Carolina’s Jordy Lowry was the biggest thief in FCS, intercepting six passes. Teammate Ken Moore Jr. picked off four more.
Here is the complete list of FCS Stat Champions for 2024:
2024 FCS Stat Champions | Defense
Total Tackles | Season Leaders
TOTAL | PLAYER (SCHOOL) | GAMES | SOLO | ASSIST | T/GAME |
118 | Jalen Brooks (Campbell) | 12 | 55 | 63 | 9.8 |
87 | Jojo Pace (Campbell) | 12 | 45 | 42 | 7.3 |
84 | Kade Moledor (NC A&T) | 12 | 36 | 48 | 7.0 |
75 | Caleb Curtain (Elon) | 12 | 44 | 31 | 6.3 |
73 | Jaki Brevard (NC Central) | 11 | 26 | 47 | 6.6 |
71 | Khalil Baker (Elon) | 12 | 48 | 23 | 5.9 |
65 | Trevor Moffitt (Gardner-Webb) | 12 | 29 | 36 | 5.4 |
63 | Logan Liverman (Campbell) | 12 | 29 | 34 | 5.3 |
62 | Raquon Hartley (Gardner-Webb) | 12 | 37 | 25 | 5.2 |
61 | Antarron Turner (Western Carolina) | 12 | 26 | 35 | 5.1 |
61 | Hayward McQueen Jr (Western Carolina) | 12 | 23 | 38 | 5.1 |
60 | Malcolm Reed (NC Central) | 11 | 34 | 26 | 5.5 |
58 | John Tessman (Davidson) | 11 | 22 | 36 | 5.3 |
Tackles-For-Loss | Season Leaders
TFL | PLAYER (SCHOOL) | GAMES | YARDS |
14.0 | Henry Daniel (NC A&T) | 12 | 71 |
12.0 | Cazeem Moore (Elon) | 12 | 59 |
10.5 | Quantez Mansfield (NC Central) | 11 | 23 |
10.5 | Trevor Moffitt (Gardner-Webb) | 12 | 41 |
10.0 | Jaki Brevard (NC Central) | 11 | 30 |
9.0 | Kahmari Brown (Elon) | 11 | 51 |
8.5 | Jalen Brooks (Campbell) | 12 | 21 |
8.5 | Josh Johnson (Elon) | 12 | 33 |
8.5 | Antonio O’Berry (Gardner-Webb) | 12 | 68 |
8.0 | Blue Monroe (Western Carolina) | 11 | 24 |
8.0 | Raquon Hartley (Gardner-Webb) | 12 | 57 |
Sacks | Season Leaders
SACKS | PLAYER (SCHOOL) | GAMES | YARDS |
7.0 | Antonio O’Berry (Gardner-Webb) | 12 | 65 |
6.0 | Cazeem Moore (Elon) | 12 | 40 |
5.5 | Henry Daniel (NC A&T) | 12 | 35 |
5.5 | Robert Holtz (Gardner-Webb) | 12 | 33 |
5.0 | Julian Rawlins (Davidson) | 11 | 34 |
5.0 | Trevor Moffitt (Gardner-Webb) | 12 | 31 |
5.0 | George Wilson (Campbell) | 12 | 15 |
4.5 | Kahmari Brown (Elon) | 11 | 39 |
4.0 | Raquon Hartley (Gardner-Webb) | 12 | 46 |
4.0 | Thomas Johnson (NC Central) | 3 | 31 |
4.0 | Javon Armstrong-Grady (NC A&T) | 12 | 22 |
4.0 | Jalen Brooks (Campbell) | 12 | 15 |
Interceptions | Season Leaders
INT | PLAYER (SCHOOL) | GAMES |
6 | Jordy Lowry (Western Carolina) | 12 |
4 | Ken Moore Jr (Western Carolina) | 12 |
3 | Wendell McClain (Gardner-Webb) | 8 |
3 | Mateo Sudipo (Western Carolina) | 12 |
Total Tackles | Single-Game Leaders
TOTAL | PLAYER (SCHOOL) | SOLO | ASST | DATE | OPPONENT | RESULT |
19 | Jalen Brooks (Campbell) | 9 | 10 | Week 8 | at William & Mary | L, 28-35 |
16 | Raquon Hartley (Gardner-Webb) | 10 | 6 | Week 12 | Tennessee State | L, 20-23 |
16 | Kade Moledor (North Carolina A&T) | 5 | 11 | Week 12 | at Towson | L, 13-31 |
15 | Dominic Njoku (Davidson) | 11 | 4 | Week 7 | at Dayton | L, 14-16 |
14 | Jojo Pace (Campbell) | 5 | 9 | Week 1 | Liberty | L, 24-41 |
13 | Mack David II (North Carolina A&T) | 10 | 3 | Week 3 | Delaware | L, 13-42 |
13 | Kade Moledor (North Carolina A&T) | 7 | 6 | Week 10 | William & Mary | L, 7-45 |
13 | Jalen Brooks (Campbell) | 6 | 7 | Week 13 | Towson | L, 23-45 |
13 | Steven Davis II (North Carolina A&T) | 6 | 7 | Week 12 | at Towson | L, 13-31 |
13 | Lakeem Rudolph (Campbell) | 5 | 8 | Week 8 | at William & Mary | L, 28-35 |
Tackles-For-Loss | Single-Game Leaders
TFL/YDS | PLAYER (SCHOOL) | DATE | OPPONENT | RESULT |
4.0/40 | Antonio O’Berry (Gardner-Webb) | Week 11 | Eastern Illinois | W, 31-28 |
3.5/25 | Thomas Johnson (NC Central) | Week 9 | Morgan State | W, 16-7 |
3.5/17 | Henry Daniel (North Carolina A&T) | Week 13 | Elon | L, 21-31 |
3.5/12 | Quantez Mansfield (NC Central) | Week 6 | at Campbell | W, 45-14 |
3.0/8 | Hayward McQueen Jr. (Western Carolina) | Week 8 | at Furman | W, 52-20 |
3.0/8 | Jaki Brevard (North Carolina Central) | Week 5 | vs. Norfolk State | W, 37-10 |
3.0/7 | Jalen Brooks (Campbell) | Week 8 | at William & Mary | L, 28-35 |
3.0/37 | Raquon Hartley (Gardner-Webb) | Week 3 | at Charlotte | L, 26-27 |
3.0/23 | Henry Daniel (North Carolina A&T) | Week 5 | at South Carolina State | L, 25-45 |
3.0/11 | Henry Daniel (North Carolina A&T) | Week 9 | at Campbell | L, 7-21 |
3.0/10 | Matthew Leavelle (NC Central) | Week 7 | Virginia-Lynchburg | W, 68-0 |
Sacks | Single-Game Leaders
SACK/YDS | PLAYER (SCHOOL) | DATE | OPPONENT | RESULT |
4.0/40 | Antonio O’Berry (Gardner-Webb) | Week 11 | Eastern Illinois | W, 31-28 |
3.0/24 | Thomas Johnson (NC Central) | Week 9 | Morgan State | W, 16-7 |
2.5/11 | Quantez Mansfield (NC Central) | Week 6 | at Campbell | W, 45-14 |
2.0/7 | Julian Rawlins (Davidson) | Week 5 | Presbyterian | W, 48-37 |
2.0/34 | Raquon Hartley (Gardner-Webb) | Week 3 | at Charlotte | L, 26-27 |
2.0/11 | Henry Daniel (North Carolina A&T) | Week 9 | at Campbell | L, 7-21 |
2.0/11 | Trevor Moffitt (Gardner-Webb) | Week 11 | Eastern Illinois | W, 31-28 |
1.5/8 | Matthew Leavelle (NC Central) | Week 7 | Virginia-Lynchburg | W, 68-0 |
1.5/11 | Henry Daniel (North Carolina A&T) | Week 13 | Elon | L, 21-31 |
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