North Carolina Central’s football season went a bit off-script this autumn, ending not with a return trip to the Celebration Bowl as many had anticipated. Instead, the Eagles flew to new heights in the FCS national rankings and made their first-ever appearance in the FCS playoffs when the door to the Celebration Bowl closed in November.
Quarterback Davius Richard, the captain of the offense that drove NCCU to nine wins and a national ranking as high as No. 7, deservedly collects our NC Football News Most Outstanding Offensive Player for 2023. He takes the honor amid a strong stable of candidates.
Richard set new school records, retained his MEAC Offensive Player of the Year award for a second year and earned spots on FCS All-America teams this season.
NC Football News has selected one Most Outstanding Offensive Player from each NCAA division of play. Richard, representing the FCS ranks, is joined on the Most Outstanding Offense list by North Carolina running back Omarion Hampton (FBS), Barton running back Jordan Terrell (Division II) and Brevard quarterback Ethan Beamish (Division III).
- —> READ MORE: Our “Best In State” Most Outstanding Defensive Players
- —> READ MORE: Our “Best In State” Outstanding Defense Honor Roll
- —> READ MORE: Our “Best In State” Most Outstanding Special Teams Players / Special Teams Honor Roll
- —> COMING SOON: Our “Best In State Outstanding Offense Honor Roll
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Davius Richard | North Carolina Central | QB | FCS
The 6-3, 220-pound senior from Belle Glade, Fla. (Glades Central HS) led the MEAC in passing, finishing with 2,177 yards and 21 touchdowns despite missing most of a full game due to injury. He broke the school record for completion percentage (60.8, 166-of-273).
Richard threw for 386 yards and five touchdowns in the regular season finale against Delaware State, hitting 19 of 21 passes. He threw for another 352 yards and five scores in a home win over South Carolina State. Richard completed a 91-yard TD pass in the Delaware State triumph and an 86-yarder against Winston-Salem State.
Richard proved just as effective with his legs, making him a true dual-threat. He finished with 630 rushing yards and found the end zone in every game but two. He rushed for four scores against Campbell and three against both Delaware State and Elon.
In addition to ending the season atop MEAC leaderboards, Richard left his mark in the FCS national rankings — third in total offense (313.0 yards), second in scoring (18.0 points per game), sixth in rushing TDs (18), sixth in completions per game (16).
We joked on social media during the season that the MEAC should name its Offensive Player of the Week award in honor of Richard. The NCCU signal caller collected that recognition five times in 2023.
Richard’s 18 rushing touchdowns set a new school single-season record. So does his 117 career touchdowns (73 passing and 44 rushing). Richard is the second Eagle to surpass the 10,000-yard mark in total offense. After four seasons as the starter, Richard amassed 2,026 rushing yards (44 TDs) and 8,991 passing yards (73 TDs, 29 INTs) for a total of 11,017.
Not to be overlooked, Richard has a stellar classroom resume. He was one of 16 finalists for the William Campbell Trophy, given to college football’s premier student-athlete (the criteria examines a player’s academic success, football performance and exemplary leadership). Each finalist received an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship. Richard boasts a 3.59 GPA in business administration.
NC Central coach Trei Oliver called Richard “a strong yet humble leader who remains even keeled under pressure.”
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Omarion Hampton | North Carolina | RB | FBS
The Tar Heels finished with a 1,500-yard rusher this season thanks to the 6-0, 200-pound bullish back from Clayton (Cleveland HS). Hampton’s 62-yard effort in this week’s Duke’s Mayo Bowl gave him 1,504 yards for the season. He ranks fourth in the FBS in rushing yards and is tied for 10th in rushing touchdowns (15).
Hampton has picked up multiple All-America honors thus far, including Walter Camp first team, AFCA second team, Associated Press second team, CBS Sports second team and The Sporting News second team.
He was a first-team All-ACC running back — leading the conference regular season in rushing attempts (234), yards (1,442) touchdowns (15), attempts per game (19.5) and yards per game (120.7). Hampton was named a finalist for the Doak Walker Award.
For the season, Hampton enjoyed seven 100-yard games as the Heels won eight times. He went for 234 yards and three TDs in the win over Appalachian State. He earned 197 against Miami, 178 at Clemson, 169 against Duke and 153 vs. Georgia Tech.
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Jordan Terrell | Barton | RB | Division II
There were times this season when the senior from Ramseur (Eastern Randolph HS) led all divisions of NCAA football in rushing yards and yards-per-game. Terrell ended up second in the D2 ranks — and first in the state — with 1,732 rushing yards. He averaged 6.46 yards per carry, 12th best in Division II. He had more carries than anyone in the D2, 268.
Like Hampton in the FBS ranks, Terrell has appeared on multiple All-America teams in the post-season, including AFCA, D2CCA and Associated Press.
Wearing the jersey number 1, Terrell saved his No. 1 performance of the season for the finale against Erskine on Nov. 11. He was unstoppable, rushing for 403 yards — 22 yards away from the Division II single-game record — and four scores. The eye-popping numbers garnered national attention.
Per Barton’s official athletics Web site, Terrell is a three-time All-Super Region II (2021-23) and a two-time All-South Atlantic Conference (2022-23) first-team selection who has rushed for 5,487 yards and 44 touchdowns in his Bulldogs’ career.
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Ethan Beamish | Brevard | QB | Division III
The 5-11, 185-pounder from Simpsonville, S.C. (AC Flora HS) came to Brevard this season via Limestone. In his Tornado debut, Beamish set single-season school records in passing yards (2,697) and passing touchdowns (23) on his way to second-team All-USA South recognition. He ranked 34th in Division III in passing yardage.
Beamish threw for more than 200 yards in all 10 of Brevard’s games, helping the Tornados finish 5-5 and stay in the thick of the conference title chase until the final weekend. He had a 315-yard passing game against LaGrange and recorded four TD passes in three consecutive conference games.
Beamish was picked off three times in the season opener but only had six interceptions the rest of the way. He completed 30-of-39 passes against Hampden-Sydney.
- —> READ MORE: Our “Best In State” Most Outstanding Defensive Players
- —> READ MORE: Our “Best In State” Outstanding Defense Honor Roll
- —> READ MORE: Our “Best In State” Most Outstanding Special Teams Players / Special Teams Honor Roll
- —> COMING SOON: Our “Best In State Outstanding Offense Honor Roll
