Page 13 - Florida Sentinel 9-6-16 Online Edition

HBCU Football
2016 FAMU Football Preview:
Future Is Fresh For Rattlers
BY TED TAYLOR
On the highest of
the seven hills in Talla-
hassee, Florida,
Florida A & M Univer-
sity second-year coach
Alex Wood will enter
the 2016 campaign
with a freshman-laden
roster and fresh legs
among the returnees.
Due to Academic Progress Rate (APR) sanctions, the Rattlers were unable to conduct the customary Spring Practice. As a result, the walking wounded, partic- ularly among the offensive linemen, were able to heal the ailing bodies.
FAMU is coming off a one-win season, finishing 1-10, in 2015. Therefore, im- provement may be easily gauged with one more victory, but the Rattlers are looking for more.
The task may be disappointing as the season begins, opening with Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) powerhouse Uni- versity of Miami on the road. FAMU lost against Miami, 70-3 Saturday Night. The road games against Football Champi- onship Subdivision (FCS) power, Coastal Carolina, and Division II power, Tuskegee University, in Mobile, Alabama. FAMU must wait until the last Saturday in Sep- tember to play before the faithful, and it will be no easy task against perennial Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) power, South Carolina State.
At tight end, 6’3” 240 lb. redshirt Sara- sota native, Alonzo Palmer-Hicks is running ahead of 6’3” 230 redshirt junior, Desmond Noire and Carson Royal. Royal has converted to tight end after start- ing a few games at quarterback the past couple seasons.
BY TED TAYLOR
When he took
over as head coach
for the Bethune-
Cookman University
Wildcats in 2015, the
primary focus of
Terry Sims was to
continue the winning
tradition that had
been established by
former coaches Alvin Wyatt and Brian Jenkins. The 9-2 overall record and 7-1 conference mark, including a share of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Con- ference (MEAC) title, showed that Sims was primed for the mission.
In 2015, the Wildcats had ten players to receive MEAC postseason honors and the team finished in the top-25 of the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) polls. The success catapulted Sims into MEAC Coach of the Year honors. For 2016, the Wildcats are the preseason pick to finish second in the MEAC behind North Carolina A&T.
Coach Sims and his Wildcats have similar aspirations for the 2016 season. On offense, the strength will be on the offensive line and at wide receiver, with three and four returning starters, re- spectively. The defensive line has three returning starters, whereas, all of the specialists return from last season.
The quarterback
position should be se-
cure in the hands of
redshirt junior,
Larry Brihm, a spot
starter over the past
couple years, and
third-team preseason
All-MEAC pick. He
will be backed up by
redshirt fresh BRIHM man, Akevious
Williams.
The Wildcats will start 3 or 4 wide receivers in the wide-open offensive at- tack. They will come from the returning group of redshirt jun-
6’2” 361 lb. sophomore right guard Christian Hughley and 6’ 321 lb. red- shirt sophomore right tackle Troy Wilkins. The rotation will include sophomores 6’ 340 Marcel Anderson and 6’5” 308 lb.
A spirited battle is
brewing at quarter-
back with Senior
Kenny Coleman
leading the pack. He
is being pushed by
redshirt freshman
Ryan Stanley,
JUCO transfer Vin-
cent Jeffries, and
surprising newcomer,
Tahj Tolbert, a 6’5”
220 lb. true freshman from Lanier High School in Sugar Hill, Georgia.
The ground game will be built around
Moore. EMILIO
The first line of defense has return- ing starters sophomore ends 6’3” 228 lb. Todney Evans and 6’2” 295 lb. Jamal Thomas. In the middle will be return- ing starter 6’4” 305 lb. senior DeMar- cus Womack and 6’4” 230 lb. junior Kevin Thompson, a first-team All- MEAC preseason pick. Evans and Womack are All-MEAC preseason sec- ond-team selections. The backups will be juniors 6’2” 352 Anthony Meyers and 6’2 251 Taivon Butler, senior 6’ 235 end Delwaun Beard and 6’4 265 sophomore end Alex Jones.
The linebacking
contingent is com-
prised of returning
redshirt sophomore
starter Trenton
Bridges, a third-
team All-MEAC pick
in the middle, and
juniors Veion
Robinson and TRENTON Atreyu Farrior on BRIDGES the outside. The
backups are letterman Jason Smith, along with redshirt sophomore Deonte Mayo and senior Werley Placide.
The defensive backfield is led by first-team preseason
All-MEAC free safety
junior Diquan
sophomore
Bowers,
freshmen,
Supre, and junior Tevin Spells. Bow- ers broke out in the second game of the season last year with over 100 yards against Samford, and was steady the remainder.
Devin
redshirt
Richardson, paired
with redshirt senior
strong safety Jeremy
Davis. The corners
are junior Arthur
Williams, a third-
team All-MEAC, and
sophomore Elliott RICHARDSON Miller. They will be
spelled by sophomores Caleb Holmes and Donald Johnson, redshirt junior Terry Harden and redshirt sopho- more Michael Westray.
The punting duties will be handled by returning senior Jonathan Cagle, a first-team preseason All-MEAC. The long snapper is Murphy Allen, who also is a returning letterman.
The Wildcats dominate the presea- son MEAC honors placing 15 players on All-MEAC teams. With the tough sched- ule, the team will have to be at its best.
The season kicked off on Sunday, September 4, against Southwestern Ath- letic Conference champion Alcorn State. The next weekend the Wildcats travel to Denton, Texas, to take on North Texas State, returning to Municipal Stadium on September 17, for the home opener against Tennessee State. The confer- ence schedule follows, with a home date on October 15, against North Carolina A&T, a game that may decide the confer- ence champion.
Hans
iors, Frank Brown
and Jawill Davis, a
preseason All-MEAC
first-teamer, redshirt
sophomore, Keavon
Mitchell and red-
shirt senior, Jaime
Wilson. Brown is a
preseason All-MECA third-teamer. BROWN
The tight end posi-
tion will be manned by 6’4” 225 lb. red- shirt junior Ja-Quan Lumas, a preseason All-MEAC first-team pick. He will be pushed by 6’7” 263 lb. Nicholas Roos, a redshirt freshman.
The offensive line is usually always talent-laden and 2016 will be no differ- ent. Leading the charge will be presea- son All-MEAC
The receiving corps
is heavy on experience with returning starters Brandon Norwood, Kareem Smith and Montavi-
ous Williams. The
group will be ably sup-
ported by freshmen
Marcus Williams,
Ricky Henrilus and
Chad Hunter.
Vuckovich, Terry Jefferson and Tyler Woodley.
BROWN
With the leg in-
juries healed, the of-
fensive line is ready to
lead the charge. The
starting tackles should
be 6’5,” 295 lb. senior, Timothy Jones on the left and 6’3,” 275 lb. redshirt soph- omore right tackle, Loubens Polinice. The guards are 6’1” 290 senior left guard, Keonte Cash and 6’4” 295 junior, Osman Aguilera at right guard. The man in the middle at center will be 6’2” 240 lb. redshirt sophomore, Khalil Har- ris.
The punting duties will be performed by four-year punter Colby Blanton. The snapper will be Antonio Miller.
The best chance to improve on the woeful finish of 2015 will be once confer- ence play begins. However, it is not a given as FAMU is reminded of the loss to Savannah State for the first time in the history of the series. Also, FAMU must outdo the likes of North Carolina Central, North Carolina A&T, Hampton, Morgan State and Bethune- Cookman in the Florida Classic finale.
In preseason standings, FAMU is picked to finish in eighth place. Their pre- season All-MEAC first-team performers are Alexander and Bryant. On the sec- ond team are Montavious Williams, Cash and Blanton.
first-team left tackle
redshirt senior, 6‘4”
270 lb. Trevin
Huff. Next to Huff
at left guard will be
senior 6’2” 260 lb.
Dazzie Morris. On
the opposite side
from second-team
All-MEAC center 6’4”
318 lb. redshirt jun-
ior, Phillip Norman will be massive
COACH ALEX WOOD
TIMOTHY JONES
COACH TERRY SIMS
Chris Hudson, and junior 6’7” 336 lb. David Bryant.
The placekicker will be sophomore Uriel Hernandez. The returners will be Frank Brown on punts and Jamaruz Thompkins for kick- offs.
KENNY COLEMAN
The linebacking
contingent features
JUCO transfer, Elijah
Richardson and Jakaris Wilson on the outside, and local product senior Luke Helms of North Florida Christian in the middle. They will be relieved by a group including Ronald Harris, Justin Bennett and Quenteze Gallon.
LARRY
DEVIN BOWERS
FRANK
BRANDON NORWOOD
The kicking game is entrusted to true freshman, Khalil Clark from Tallahas- see Lincoln. The kick return’s duties will be placed in the hands of Montavious Williams, and Kareem Smith will handle punt returns.
The defensive line will feature senior bookends 6’2” 245 lb.
Curtis Alexander
on the left side and
6’5” 255 lb. Calvin
Darville on the right.
When they need a
breather, 6’2” 235 lb.
junior, Adarius
Smith and 6’3” 225
lb. junior, Elijah CURTIS Price are ready to step ALEXANDER up. They all may be
pushed by Raashed Kennion, a trans- fer from Auburn.
The interior defensive line will have sophomore 6’1” 245 lb.
Emilio Gibbs and
freshman starter 6’4”
285 lb. David Richardson. Both backups are freshman in 6’ 275 Javon Hunt and 6’3 290 Albert
GIBBS
The last line of defense will have let- termen Braxton Brown and Orlando McKinley on the cor-
ners and Rashad
Guyton and Jacques
Bryant at the safety
positions. The back-
ups are a mix of expe-
rience with seniors
Jules Dornevil and
Michael Perceval BRAXTON and freshmen Elijah
JAMARUZ THOMPKINS
2016 B-CU Football Preview:
Wildcats March On
TREVIN HUFF
DIQUAN
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2013 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 13