South Carolina State’s Will Ford and Endor Cooper of Howard earned the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference’s (MEAC) top football preseason awards, as announced by the league on Friday afternoon at the Sheraton Norfolk Waterside Hotel.  Ford was selected as the preseason Offensive Player of the Year and Cooper was named the Defensive Player of the Year by the MEAC head football coaches and sports information directors.

For the second year in a row the South Carolina State Bulldogs were the consensus pick to win the MEAC title in 2008.  The defending MEAC Champion Delaware State Hornets finished second in the preseason poll.

Ford led the Bulldogs in total rushing yards with 1,389 yards on 210 attempts and four touchdowns.  He finished second in the MEAC in rushing yards per game with an average of 126.3.  Ford earned the MEAC’s Rookie of the Year honor his freshman season and was selected to the All-MEAC First Team as a sophomore. 

Cooper earned the defensive player of the year honor after leading the Bison with 50 solo and 87 total tackles in 2007.  He finished fifth in the league in tackles and tallied three forced fumbles, fourth best in the MEAC. 

Hampton led all teams with six players on the preseason All-MEAC first team.  The Pirates also had three second team selections for a total of 11.  South Carolina State had 12 total selections on both teams; five were recognized on the first team.  Delaware State, Morgan State and Norfolk State had six total selections each.

The 2008 Preseason Predictions and All-Conference teams are listed below.

  2008 MEAC Football Preseason Predicated Order of Finish (First Place Votes)

2008 All-MEAC FIRST TEAM
Offense
Pos Name   CL  School    Hometown 
QB - TJ Mitchell,  r-Jr., Hampton, Virginia Beach, Va.
RB - William Ford,  Jr.,  South Carolina State, Travelers Rest, SC
RB - Philip Sylvester, So., Florida A&M,  Marianna, Fla.
TE - Taj Jenkines,  Jr., Florida A&M,  Jacksonville, Fla.
WR - Jeremy Gilchrist, r-Sr., Hampton,   Virginia Beach, Va.
WR - Jamar Johnson,  r-Sr., Norfolk State,  Norfolk, Va.
OL - Dennis Conley, Sr., Hampton, Suffolk, Va.
OL - Jamien Banks,  r-Sr., Norfolk State, Tappahannock, Va.
OL-  Devon Dawson, Jr., South Carolina State, Greer, SC
OL - Dwayne Delaney,  Sr., Morgan State,  Amelia, Va.
C - Raymond Harrison, r-Sr., South Carolina State, Columbia, SC

Defense
DL - Clarence McPherson, Sr., Morgan State,  Miami, Fla.
DL - Ronn Spinner,  Sr., Delaware State, Lofton, Va.
DL - Dexter Jackson,  Jr., Bethune-Cookman,  Jacksonville, Fla.
DL - Cedric Lloyd,  Sr., South Carolina State, Manning, SC
LB - Endor Cooper,  Sr., Howard,   Woodbridge, Va.
LB - Josh Pope,  r-Jr., Delaware State,  Philadelphia, Pa.
LB - Jarrell Guyton*,  Sr., Morgan State,  Miami, Fla.
LB - Vernon Wilder*,  r-Sr., Florida A&M,  Miami, Fla.
DB - Terrell Whitehead, Jr., Norfolk State,  Virginia Beach, Va.
DB - Markee Hamlin,  Jr., South Carolina State, Lamar, SC
DB - Sam Pope,  Sr., Hampton, St. Helena Island, SC
DB - Chris Williams,  Sr., Morgan State,  Miami, Fla.
P - Jahmal Blanchard, Jr., Hampton, Lauderdale Lake, Fla.
P/K - James Meade,  Sr., Morgan State,  Upper Marlboro, Md.
Ret - Jeremy Gilchrist, r-Sr., Hampton, Virginia Beach, Va.

2008 All-MEAC SECOND TEAM
Offense
QB - Vashon Winton, Sr., Delaware State,  Chicago, Ill.  
RB - Michael Ferguson, Sr., North Carolina A&T, Norfolk, Va.
RB - Kareem Jones, Sr., Delaware State, Lansinburg, NY
TE - Octavius Darby, Sr., South Carolina State, Hollywood, Fla.
WR - Kevin Teel, Sr., Hampton, Bowie, Md.
WR - Oliver Young*,  Jr., South Carolina State, Charleston, SC
WR - Jeremy Wicker*, r-So., Norfolk State, Quantico, Va.
OL - Anthony Collins,  r-Jr., Florida A&M,  Miami, Fla.
OL - Reubin Mordecai,  r-Sr., Bethune-Cookman, Daytona Beach, Fla.
OL - Robert Norris, Sr., Morgan State,  Houston, Texas
OL - Michael Ola*,  r-So., Hampton, Riverdale, Ga.
OL - Adrian Brown*,  Sr., Delaware State, Baltimore, Md.
C - Nick Richmond, r-Jr., Delaware State,  Lampeter, Pa.

Defense
DL- Tyre Glasper, Sr., North Carolina A&T, Detroit, Mich.
DL - James Simmons, Sr., South Carolina State, Greenville, SC
DL - Keyon Brooks, Sr., South Carolina State, Miami, Fla.
DL - Dennis Marsh, r-Sr., Norfolk State, Greensboro, NC
LB - Andre Thornton, Jr., North Carolina A&T, Charlotte, NC
LB - Tony White, Sr., South Carolina State, Seneca, SC
LB - Charles Robinson, r-Sr., Hampton,  Hampton, Va.
DB - Curtis Holcomb, So., Florida A&M,  Miami, Fla. 
DB - Antwane Cox,  Jr., Bethune-Cookman,  Miami, Fla.
DB - Don Carey,  Sr., Norfolk State,  Norfolk, Va.
DB - Brandon Colbert,  Sr., North Carolina A&T, Fayetteville, NC
P - Aaron Haire, Jr., South Carolina State, Orangeburg, SC
P/K - Carlo Turavani,  So., Hampton, Ontario, Canada
Ret - Corey Council,  Sr., Bethune-Cookman,  Valdosta, Ga