Photo by: Katie Gilmore
11.10.26 | Football
HAMPTON, Va. (November 10, 2026) … Hampton University football standout Anthony Hightower III was the Aeneas Williams Award HBCU Defensive Back of the Week honoree for his performance at Elon University on November 7.
The native of Youngstown, Ohio, intercepted two passes and totaled four tackles in the contest against Elon. His first pick came in the second quarter where he intercepted a pass at the Hampton 12-yard line. His second interception was in the third quarter after Elon had driven to the Hampton five-yard line. Hightower intercepted the pass in the end zone and returned it 45 yards to thwart an Elon drive into the red zone.
Hightower is Hampton's third-leading tackler in 2026 with 54 total tackles including 34 solo and 20 assisted stops. The interceptions were the first of his career.
The award was established in 2022 in honor of Pro Football Hall of Fame cornerback Aeneas Williams, who began his collegiate career as a walk-on at Southern University. Williams tied the NCAA Division I-AA single-season interception record before being selected by the Phoenix Cardinals in the third round of the 1991 NFL Draft.
During his 14-year professional career with the Cardinals and St. Louis Rams, Williams earned eight Pro Bowl selections and four first-team All-Pro honors and appeared in Super Bowl XXXVI. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2014.
The three finalists for the award will be selected later this season, and the winner will be announced Thursday, Dec. 10, at noon ET. The winner will be honored at the Aeneas Williams Award Banquet on Feb. 9, 2027, in Oklahoma City in conjunction with the annual Paycom Jim Thorpe Award Banquet.
The Pirates host longtime rival North Carolina A&T on November 14 at Armstrong Stadium in a key Coastal Athletic Association contest.
The native of Youngstown, Ohio, intercepted two passes and totaled four tackles in the contest against Elon. His first pick came in the second quarter where he intercepted a pass at the Hampton 12-yard line. His second interception was in the third quarter after Elon had driven to the Hampton five-yard line. Hightower intercepted the pass in the end zone and returned it 45 yards to thwart an Elon drive into the red zone.
Hightower is Hampton's third-leading tackler in 2026 with 54 total tackles including 34 solo and 20 assisted stops. The interceptions were the first of his career.
The award was established in 2022 in honor of Pro Football Hall of Fame cornerback Aeneas Williams, who began his collegiate career as a walk-on at Southern University. Williams tied the NCAA Division I-AA single-season interception record before being selected by the Phoenix Cardinals in the third round of the 1991 NFL Draft.
During his 14-year professional career with the Cardinals and St. Louis Rams, Williams earned eight Pro Bowl selections and four first-team All-Pro honors and appeared in Super Bowl XXXVI. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2014.
The three finalists for the award will be selected later this season, and the winner will be announced Thursday, Dec. 10, at noon ET. The winner will be honored at the Aeneas Williams Award Banquet on Feb. 9, 2027, in Oklahoma City in conjunction with the annual Paycom Jim Thorpe Award Banquet.
The Pirates host longtime rival North Carolina A&T on November 14 at Armstrong Stadium in a key Coastal Athletic Association contest.
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