North Carolina College Football Awards: 2026 Season

🏆 Celebrating the best players, teams and performances across North Carolina’s small-college football landscape

NC Football News created a series of Small-College Football Awards in 2025 to recognize the players, teams and moments that define each season across our state’s FCS, Division II and Division III landscape.

Throughout the 2026 campaign, we’ll again honor outstanding performers, culminating with a new Small-College Player of the Year award, plus divisional honors and All-State teams following the season.

Our goal is simple: recognize the players, teams and moments that make North Carolina’s small-college football one of the Old North State’s great sports stories.

Jump to Section:

Awards Calendar
Small-College Player of the Year
Weekly Player Awards
Team of the Week
2025 Award Winners
Become our Presenting Sponsor

📅 2026 Awards Calendar

July

Awards Hub launches
Presenting sponsor opportunity

August

Preseason watch lists
Week 0 awards begin

Every Monday/Tuesday (August-November)

🏆 Offensive Player of the Week
🛡️ Defensive Player of the Week
⚡ Special Teams Player of the Week
👑 Team of the Week

December

Final Player of the Year evaluation

January 2027

⭐ Small-College Player of the Year
🏆 FCS Awards
🏆 Division II Awards
🏆 Division III Awards
📋 All-State Teams

⭐ North Carolina Small-College Player of the Year

Our newest player award will honor the one player who had the most impact and best defined the 2026 small-college football season in our state. Offense, defense and special teams all will be eligible.

The award will celebrate the one North Carolina player whose performance, leadership, consistency and impact most influenced his team while creating unforgettable moments throughout the season.

📋 How Winners Are Selected

NC Football News evaluates candidates throughout the season based on several factors, including:

✓ Individual performance
✓ Consistency throughout the season
✓ Impact on team success
✓ Strength of competition
✓ Historic accomplishments
✓ Leadership and defining moments

🏆 2026 Award: To be announced in January 2027.

🏆 Small-College Players of the Week

While building toward our North Carolina Small-College Player of the Year, we’ll recognize the top performers from the state on a week-by-week basis. Every week during the season, we’ll announce the following North Carolina small-college football awards:

🔥 Offensive Player of the Week
🛡 Defensive Player of the Week
⚡ Special Teams Player of the Week

We’ll pick one player in each category and include an honor roll of other players who were under consideration.

Players of the Week

Week 0: Will be announced following games on Aug. 27-29, 2026

👑 Small-College Team of the Week

Each week during the 2026 season, NC Football News will recognize one program whose performance stood above the rest across North Carolina’s FCS, Division II and Division III football landscape.

This award isn’t necessarily presented to the highest-ranked team or the biggest favorite. Instead, it honors the team that delivered the weekend’s most memorable performance – whether through a major upset, championship-clinching victory, record-setting performance or unforgettable moment.

Every week, we’ll search for the one team that rules North Carolina’s small-college football conversation.

That’s our Team of the Week.

2026 Team of the Week

Week 0: Will be announced after games on Aug. 27-29, 2026

The NC Football News Small-College Football Awards celebrate the players, teams and moments that define each football season across North Carolina’s 25 FCS, Division II and Division III programs.

We’re seeking one exclusive presenting sponsor to partner with us throughout the 2026 season as we recognize the state’s top performers each week and crown our annual Small-College Player of the Year.

Your partnership includes:

🏆 Recognition on the Awards Hub

⭐ Branding on weekly Players of the Week graphics and stories

👑 Recognition on Team of the Week coverage

📋 Branding on year-end awards and All-State teams

📧 Mentions in the NC Football News newsletter (Small-College Saturdays)

📱 Exposure across NC Football News social media

📚 Permanent recognition in the 2026 Awards archive

Investment: $750 (exclusive presenting sponsorship)

Interested in partnering with us?

📧 Eric Lusk
eric@ncfootballnews.com

🏆 2025 Rewind: Small-College Season Award Winners

Here are the players who earned our 2025 Small-College Football end-of-season awards:

North Carolina FCS Awards

🏆 Offensive Player of the Year: Taron Dickens (Western Carolina)
🛡️ Defensive Player of the Year: Kahmari Brown (Elon)
🏟️ Special Teams Player of the Year: Andrew Brown (North Carolina A&T)

FCS All-State Team: Read the full story, including our complete FCS “All-State” honors list

North Carolina D2 Awards

🏆 Offensive Player of the Year: Jaylen Himes (Wingate)
🛡️ Defensive Player of the Year: Kenyon Garner (Livingstone)
🏟️ Special Teams Player of the Year: Tye Roberson (Lenoir-Rhyne)

D2 All-State Team: Read the full story, including our complete D2 “All-State” honors list

North Carolina D3 Awards

🏆 Offensive Player of the Year: Nahjiir Seagraves (North Carolina Wesleyan)
🛡️ Defensive Player of the Year: Travis Burton (Guilford)
🏟️ Special Teams Player of the Year: Jeremyah Lane (Brevard)

D3 All-State Team: Read the full story, including our complete D3 “All-State” honors list