NORFOLK, Va. – Hampton University redshirt-junior linebacker Matthew Davis was named to the 2012 Preseason All-MEAC First Team, the conference announced during Friday's Football Press Luncheon at the Sheraton Waterside Hotel.

Davis (Chesapeake, Va.) started six games for the Pirates last season, recording 26 total tackles – including 11 solo stops on the year. He also tied for the team lead with 4.0 sacks last season, including 2.0 sacks against Alabama A&M in the Chicago Football Classic.

Davis' season (and career) high in tackles came against Howard on Nov. 5, when he recorded five stops. He also had 6.5 tackles for a loss of 30 yards on the season, to go along with three quarterback hurries.

Seven Pirates were also named Preseason Second Team All-MEAC – including five on defense and special teams.

Junior running back Antwon Chisholm (Belle Glade, Fla.), the 2010 MEAC Rookie of the Year, was named Second Team on offense, along with junior offensive lineman Vincent Harper (Belle Glade, Fla.).

Chisholm was fifth in the MEAC in rushing last season, averaging 72.4 rushing yards per game. He totaled 796 yards on 192 carries, averaging 4.1 yards per carry, and had eight rushing touchdowns in 2011. He had two 100-yard rushing games last season, including a season-high 141 yards against Alabama A&M.

Harper was a three-time MEAC Offensive Lineman of the Week last season, and he was part of a Pirates offensive line that helped Hampton rush for 147.9 yards per game (fifth-best in the MEAC).

Junior linebacker Delbert Tyler (Monroeville, Pa.) led the Pirates on the Second Team defensive squad, coming off a 2011 season that saw him earn Second Team All-MEAC honors after leading the team with 110 tackles. He also had 7.5 tackles for loss and two interceptions.

He had a career-high 18 tackles against Howard on Nov. 5.

Fellow linebacker Lyndell Gibson (Virginia Beach, Va.), a senior, also earned Second Team preseason honors. Gibson, a Virginia Tech transfer, was second on the team in tackles with 108 last season, including a season-high 14 at Norfolk State on Oct. 15. He also led the team with 14.0 tackles for a loss of 49 yards on the season.

Senior defensive back Justin Blake (Piscataway, N.J.) was also named Second Team, coming off a 2011 season that saw him third on the team with 81 tackles.

Seniors Jordan Stovall (Elgin, S.C.) and Taurean Durham (Uniondale, N.Y.) swept the Second Team kicking honors. Stovall, who was a Second Team All-MEAC selection last season, was second in the MEAC in punting last season, averaging 39.4 yards over 69 punts, and he downed 19 punts inside opponents' 20-yard line.

Durham was a two-time MEAC Special Team Player of the Week last season, and he made 10 of his 17 field goal attempts – including a season-long 37-yard kick at Old Dominion on Sept. 17. He was also 36-for-37 in PATs.

North Carolina A&T running back Mike Mayhew was named the MEAC Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, while Howard linebacker Keith Pough was named Preseason Defensive Player of the Year.

The Pirates, under fourth-year head coach Donovan Rose, were picked to finish fifth in the MEAC this season, tallying 268 points and earning one first-place vote. Hampton went 7-4 overall last season, finishing 5-3 in the conference.

Defending MEAC champion Norfolk State was picked to repeat, receiving 11 first-place votes and tallying 454 points. South Carolina State, with four first-place votes and 432 points, was picked to finish second in the MEAC.

Bethune-Cookman (417 points) and Florida A&M (354 points) were picked to finish third and fourth, respectively.

The Pirates will open the 2012 season on the road, traveling to Cookeville, Tenn. to take on Tennessee Tech on Aug. 30 at 8 p.m. For more information on Hampton University football, please call the Office of Sports Information at (757) 727-5811, or visit the official Pirates website at www.hamptonpirates.com.