Florida A&M Favored To Repeat As HBCU Football Champions In Preseason Poll
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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:
- Can Coach Colzie maintain FAMU's dominance?
- Who will rise as the Rattlers' new starting quarterback?
- Will NCCU find a suitable replacement for HBCU Offensive Player of the Year, Davius Richard?
- Are the Alcorn State Brave for real?
- How will Prairie View respond after a No. 6 ranking?
2024 Preseason HBCU FCS Coaches Poll
1. Florida A&M
158 points
2. North Carolina Central
143 points
3. Howard University
140 points
4. Alcorn State
126 points
5. Alabama State
90 points
6. Prairie View A&M
80 points
7. Jackson State
79 points
8. Tennessee State
43 points
9. Morgan State
40 points
10. Southern University
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.