Winston Salem State, Miles and Tuskegee Among the Preseason Best in Division II HBCU Football in 2013

By ADD SEYMOUR JR.

ADD'S HBCU SPORTS REPORT 2013 PRESEASON DIVISION II HBCU TOP TEN

1) Winston Salem State

2) Miles

3) Tuskegee

4) Fort Valley State

5) Chowan

6) Albany State

7) Elizabeth City State

8) Johnson C. Smith

9) Stillman

10) Morehouse

 

Division II HBCU football teams around the country will kick off their seasons this weekend.  Here is our rundown of what the Division II black college football landscape looks like:

Winston Salem State could do little wrong in 2012 as they blasted through the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference to win their second consecutive conference championship and make it to the Division II title game.  They finished undefeated in the conference and 14-1 overall after falling in the NCAA Division II title game.

They lose a number of offensive stars, but the Rams return a number of players who got huge amounts of playing time because, well, the Rams were blowing people out so badly last season.  Leading the offense will be running back Maurice Lewis,who rushed for 1,027 yards and 13 touchdowns.  Stepping in at quarterback will be Anthony Carothers, a former Grambling transfer who played more than capably when spelling graduated all-everything quarterback Kameron Smith. 

The Rams also have back the 2012 CIAA Defensive Player of the Year Carlos Fields, a ball-hawking linebacker who had 117 tackles for the conference’s top defense, and Donnie Owens, a defensive lineman who added 7.5 sacks and 62 tackles in 2012.

Capping off a dream season, Miles College made the program’s first Division II playoff appearance in 2012 after going 8-2 and winning the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference crown.  They return All-SIAC quarterback David Thomas, who threw for 2,059 yards and 13 touchdowns last season, as well as All-Conference running back Floyd Graves.  They lost some big names on defense, but the Golden Bears have seven starters back for 2013.  Reginald Virges had 82 tackles and three interceptions last season while James Gaines III four sacks along with 52 stops.

Chowan, who could be the surprise team in the CIAA, is ranked fourth. The rest of the Division II Top Ten is Albany State, Elizabeth City State, Johnson C. Smith, Stillman and Morehouse. 

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