VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – The Hampton University football team placed four players in the 2008 Football All-MEAC First Team on Monday, as announced by the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) and voted on by the league’s head coaches and sports information directors. The Pirates placed two players each on the Offense and Defense teams.

 

Wide Receiver Justin Brown (Dover, N.J.) led the Pirates (6-5) in receiving this season, catching 56 balls for 887 yards – and average of 15.8 per catch – and nine touchdowns. Brown led the MEAC in receiving yards, averaging 80.6 per game, and was second in the conference in catches per game with 5.1.

 

Offensive lineman Dennis Conley (Suffolk, Va.) was the other Pirate named to the offensive First Team.

 

Defensive lineman Chris Baker (Windson, Conn.) earned First Team honors on defense after leading the Pirates and the MEAC with 8.5 sacks on the season and 13 quarterback hurries, to go along with 69 tackles – the third-highest total on the team. Baker also recorded 16.5 tackles for loss, forcing opponents to lose 78 yards – the best total on the team.

 

Punter Jahmal Blanchard (Lauderdale Lakes, Fla.) earned First Team honors for the second straight year, leading the MEAC with an average of 43.1 yards per punt. Blanchard had 12 punts of over 50 yards, including a career-high 79-yarder. The junior also compiled 55 kickoffs, only recording one touchback on the season.

 

Quarterback Herbert Bynes (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) earned Second Team All-MEAC honors after completing his first full season as a starter. Bynes threw for a school-record 2,713 yards and 19 touchdown passes, and had a pair of 400-yard passing games: 403 against Southern Illinois and 401 against Florida A&M.

 

Wide receiver Jeremy Gilchrist (Virginia Beach, Va.) earned Second Team honors at the position, a year after earning First Team accolades both at wide receiver and a kick returner. Gilchrist was second on the team in receiving this season, catching 40 balls for 544 yards and two touchdowns. The senior also returned 28 punts for 437 yards and three scores.

 

Center Ryan Cave (Beaufort, S.C.) was also named to the MEAC Second Team – Offense.

 

Kendrick Ellis, Wakeem Goode and Jonathan Wade were all named to the defensive Second Team. Ellis (West Palm Beach, Fla.) had 39 tackles in 11 games for the Pirates and 3.5 sacks on the season, while Goode (Cleveland, Ohio) led the Pirates in tackles with 111, including 38 solo efforts, and three sacks. Wade (Richmond, Va.) had 63 total tackles on the season and broke up three passes.

 

Carlo Turavani (Ontario, Canada) earned Second Team honors after making 12 of 21 field goal attempts on the season, including a season-long of 43 yards. Turavani was named MEAC Special Teams Player of the Week after kicking a career-high three field goals in a 17-14 win over Delaware State. Kevin Teel (Bowie, Md.) was named All-MEAC Second Team as a kick returner, running back 15 kicks for 553 yards (a MEAC-high 36.9 avg.) and two touchdowns, both of which came in a 31-28 win over Howard.

 

Teel also caught 33 passes as a wide receiver for 365 yards and a touchdown.

 

South Carolina State, the 2008 MEAC champion, and Morgan State each earned a conference-high six first-team selections, with the Bulldogs also boasting Offensive Player of the Year Will Ford and Offensive Lineman of the Year Raymond Harrison. Bulldogs coach Buddy Pough was named MEAC Coach of the Year. Morgan State linebacker Jarrell Guyton was named Defensive Player of the Year, while Howard wide receiver Willie Carter was named MEAC Rookie of the Year.

 

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.

 

 

 

Offensive Player of the Year: Will Ford (South Carolina State)

Defensive Player of the Year: Jarrell Guyton (Morgan State)

Rookie of the Year: Willie Carter (Howard)

Offensive Lineman of the Year: Raymond Harrison (South Carolina State)

Coach of the Year: Buddy Pough (South Carolina State)

 

QB – Curtis Pulley (Florida A&M)

RB – Will Ford (South Carolina State)

RB – Devan James (Morgan State)

TE – Octavius Darby (South Carolina State)

WR – Kevin Elliott (Florida A&M)

OL – Robert Okeafor (Florida A&M)

OL – Dwayne Delaney (Morgan State)

OL – Johnny Culbreath (South Carolina State)

C – Raymond Harrison (South Carolina State)

 

DL – Justin Lawrence (Morgan State)

DL – Cedric Lloyd (South Carolina State)

DL – Dennis Marsh (Norfolk State)

LB – Jarrell Guyton (Morgan State)

LB – Travis Roland (Bethune-Cookman)

LB – Endor Cooper (Howard)

DB – Terrell Whitehead (Norfolk State)

DB – Makee Hamlin (South Carolina State)

DB – Chris Williams (Morgan State)

DB – Darren McKhan (Morgan State)

P/K – Justin Castellat (Norfolk State)

Ret – LeRoy Vann (Florida A&M)

 

RB – DeAngelo Branch (Norfolk State)

RB – Brian Sulmer (Bethune-Cookman)*

RB – Philip Sylvester (Florida A&M)*

TE – Taj Jenkines (Florida A&M)

WR – Oliver “Tre” Young (South Carolina State)

WR – Willie Carter (Howard)*

OL – Ruebin Mordecai III (Bethune-Cookman)

OL – Nygel Pearson (South Carolina State)

OL – Adrian Brown (Delaware State)*

OL – Anthony Collins (Florida A&M)*

OL – Robert Norris (Morgan State)*

 

DL – Cameron Houston (Florida A&M)

DL – Keyon Brooks (South Carolina State)

DL – Dexter Jackson (Bethune-Cookman)

LB – Tony White (South Carolina State)

LB – Marshall McFadden (South Carolina State)

DB – Curtis Holcomb (Florida A&M)

DB – Antonio Cox (Bethune-Cookman)*

DB – Antwane Cox (Bethune-Cookman)*

DB – Don Carey (Norfolk State)*

P – Justin Keable (Bethune-Cookman)