North Carolina Central was picked to finish second in the MEAC’s 2025 preseason poll, released during Tuesday. The Eagles, who received four first-place votes from league coaches and SIDs, led all schools with eight Preseason First Team All-MEAC selections.
Veteran quarterback Walker Harris headlines the list of honorees for NCCU, which is coming off an 8-3 season and a 4-1 MEAC mark.
MEAC Media Day was held Tuesday at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore.
🧱 North Carolina Central Preseason All-MEAC Honorees
⭐ First Team Selections (8)
Offense
- QB Walker Harris – R-Sr., Wake Forest, NC
- TE Luke Bracey – Sr., Rock Hill, SC
- C Noah McKinney – Sr., Duncan, SC
- OL Trevon Humphrey – R-Jr., Greensboro, NC
- OL AC McMoore – Jr., Rock Hill, SC
Defense/Special Teams
- LB Max U’Ren – R-Sr., Winston-Salem, NC
- DB Malcolm Reed – Sr., Raleigh, NC
- DB Jelani Vassell – R-Sr., Tampa, FL
🔁 Second Team Selections (3)
- WR Chance Peterson – R-So., Wake Forest, NC
- DL Christian Smith – R-Sr., Jacksonville, NC
- K Kaleb Robison – So., Middleburg, FL
🏆 2025 MEAC Preseason Superlatives
- Offensive Player of the Year: Jason Collins Jr., RB, Morgan State
- Defensive Player of the Year: Erick Hunter, LB, Morgan State
Collins was MEAC Rookie of the Year in 2024, rushing for 634 yards and 8 TDs. Hunter, a Buck Buchanan Award finalist in 2023, returns after missing most of last season.
📊 2025 MEAC Preseason Poll
(as voted by head coaches and SIDs)
- South Carolina State (5) – 63 pts
- North Carolina Central (4) – 61 pts
- Morgan State – 39 pts
- Norfolk State (1) – 36 pts
- Howard (1) – 33 pts
- Delaware State (1) – 20 pts
📺 Season Kicks Off Aug. 23 on ABC
North Carolina Central opens the season in the Cricket MEAC/SWAC Challenge, taking on Southern on Saturday, Aug. 23 at 7:30 p.m. The game, the first by a college football team from our state, will be played at Center Parc Stadium in Atlanta and televised nationally on ABC.
The Eagles home opener comes the following Saturday when they take on New Hampshire.
Trei Oliver begins his sixth year as head coach of the NCCU program. His teams have compiled a 16-4 record in MEAC play the past four seasons, finishing as co-champions in 2022 and 2023 and the league runner-up in 2021 and 2024. The 2022 team won the Celebration Bowl in Atlanta.
🦅 View NCCU’s full 2025 football schedule and get ready for another big season in Durham
