Florida A&M Favored To Repeat As HBCU Football Champions In Preseason Poll

The 2024 BOXTOROW Preseason Coaches Poll Announced!

James Colzie / FAMU Athletics

The HBCU football coaches believe the Florida A&M Rattlers will strike back to repeat as HBCU Division I National Champions. In the newly released BOXTOROW 2024 Preseason HBCU FCS Coaches Poll, the Rattlers received 11 of 18 first-place votes.

Five Intriguing HBCU Football Storylines:

1. Can Coach Colzie maintain FAMU's dominance?
2. Who will rise as the Rattlers' new starting quarterback?
3. Will NCCU find a suitable replacement for HBCU Offensive Player of the Year, Davius Richard?
4. Are the Alcorn State Brave for real?
5. How will Prairie View respond after a No. 6 ranking?

2024 Preseason HBCU FCS Coaches Poll

1. Florida A&M

Florida A&M / USA TODAY SPORTS

158 points

2. North Carolina Central

Sep 16, 2023; Pasadena, California, USA; North Carolina Central Eagles head coach Trei Oliver watches game action against the UCLA Bruins during the second half at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports / Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

143 points

3. Howard University

Dec. 16, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Howard wide receiver Breylin Smith intercepts the ball and runs it in for a touchdown during the Cricket Celebration Bowl game between Florida A&M University and Howard University at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. FAMU defeated Howard 30-26. Mandatory Credit: Katie Goodale-USA TODAY Network / Katie Goodale, Katie Goodale / USA TODAY

140 points

4. Alcorn State

Alcorn Braves / ASU Athletics

126 points

5. Alabama State

Quarterback Andrew Body passes during an Alabama State University football practice / scrimmage on the ASU campus in Montgomery, Ala., on Thursday March 28, 2024. / Mickey Welsh / Advertiser / USA TODAY

90 points

6. Prairie View A&M

Prairie View head coach Bubba McDowell against Alabama State during their game at Hornet Stadium on the ASU campus in Montgomery, Ala., on Saturday September 24, 2022. Asup48 / Mickey Welsh / Advertiser / USA TODAY

80 points

7. Jackson State

Jackson State Tigers' quarterback JaCobian Morgan (15) looks for his receiver during JSU's annual Blue and White played game at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium in Jackson, Miss., on Saturday, April 6, 2024. / Sarah Warnock/Special to the Clarion

79 points

8. Tennessee State

Tennessee State head coach Eddie George watches his team face against Norfolk State during the first quarter of the TSU homecoming game at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023. / Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA

43 points

9. Morgan State

Morgan State Football / MSU Athletics

40 points

10. Southern University

Terence Graves / SWAC

39 points

The Competition Heats Up in HBCU Football

Coach James Colzie must replace QB Jeremy Moussa's leadership as most of the team's offensive firepower left the program. HBCU All-American Kendall Bohler returns to lead the Florida A&M defense, bringing in several highly coveted recruits during the offseason.

Trei Oliver and the North Carolina Central Eagles begin the season at No. 2 with their own QB questions after losing the co-Black College Football Player of the Year, QB Davius Richard.

In third place are the defending MEAC champions from Howard University. DB Kenny Gallop will provide the defensive power the Bison need in hopes of returning to the Celebration Bowl.

Surprisingly, the new Alcorn State Braves head coach, Cedric Thomas, has been making believers out of his contemporaries in the HBCU coaching ranks. The Braves sit at No. 4 but No. 1 in the SWAC West preseason polls. Their main competition from the SWAC East, the Alabama State Hornets, rounds out the top five teams. Coach Eddie Robinson Jr. launched a major coup to recruit Andrew Body away from his home state to Montgomery.

While the Rattlers remain on top, the HBCU football landscape promises exciting competition as teams replace key players and navigate new leadership.

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