50 players on initial HBCU Football Player of The Year Award list

The Black College Football Hall of Fame is set to give out the second annual Deacon Jones Trophy in Feburary, and has announced its initial list of 50 candidates.

The list is composed of 15 players each from the MEAC and SWAC, 10 from the SIAC, eight from the CIAA and two from non-HBCU conferences. Former North Carolina A&T star and current Chicago Bears running back Tarik Cohen was named the inaugural winner last winter.

The winner of the 2017 Black College Football Player of the Year Award will be honored with the Deacon Jones Trophy during the Black College Football Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, which takes place on February 10, 2018 in Atlanta. Four finalists will be unveiled on December 12.

“This is a way to recognize the tremendous talent in HBCU football today,” said Super Bowl MVP quarterback Doug Williams, a BCFHOF co-founder and 2011 inductee. “Through this Award, the Black College Football Hall of Fame is proud to showcase outstanding student-athletes.”

“The Deacon Jones Trophy has become the most prestigious football award for HBCUs,” said BCFHOF co-founder and 2012 inductee James Harris. “Deacon Jones was a pioneer and an icon, and still to this day represents the very best of Black College Football.”

The Watch List candidates have been selected based on past performance and future potential. Additions to the list may be made as the 2017 season progresses. The finalists and the winner will be chosen by a Selection Committee.

First Name	Last Name	School	Position	Class
Keontre	Anderson	Jackson State	DL	Senior
Kyle	Anthony	Howard	WR	Sophomore
Sam	Baptiste	Alabama State	OL	Senior
Jason	Baxter	South Carolina State	DB	Senior
Dillon	Beard	Southern University	TE	Senior
Elijah	Bell	North Carolina A&T	WR	Sophomore
Jordan	Bentley	Alabama A&M	RB	Sophomore
Jarell	Bright	Winston-Salem State	DL	Sophomore
Michael	Brooks	Alcorn State	DL	Senior
Antonio	Brown	North Carolina Central	DL	Senior
Trenton	Cannon	Virginia State	RB	Senior
Martez	Carter	Grambling State	RB	Senior
Tedrick	Cofield	Albany State	OL	Senior
Lenorris	Footman	Alcorn State	QB	Senior
Khris	Gardin	North Carolina A&T	WR/KR	Senior
Timothy	Gardner	Alcorn State	OL	Senior
Amir	Hall	Bowie State	QB	Sophomore
Leroy	Hill	North Carolina A&T	TE	Junior
Marcus	Holliday	Lane	RB	Junior
Austin	Howard	Southern University	QB	Senior
Daris	Johnson	Bowie State	OL	Senior
Yahkee	Johnson	Hampton	RB	Senior
Danny	Johnson	Southern University	DB	Senior
Rodriquez	Jones	Kentucky State	DL	Senior
Lavatiae	Kelly	Virginia Union	WR	Junior
DeVante	Kincade	Grambling State	QB	Senior
Edward	Kirkland	Benedict	DB	Senior
Darius	Leonard	South Carolina State	LB	Senior
Brandon	Lynch	Virginia State	LB	Senior
Alden	McClellon	North Carolina Central	DB	Junior
Johnathon	McCrary	Clark Atlanta	QB	Senior
Jonah	McCutcheon	Tuskegee	DB	Senior
Okechi	Ntiasagwe	Benedict	WR	Junior
Ebenezer	Ogundeko	Tennessee State	DL	Senior
Brandon	Parker	North Carolina A&T	OL	Senior
Anthony	Philyaw	Howard	RB	Senior
Lamar	Raynard	North Carolina A&T	QB	Junior
Diquan	Richardson	Bethune-Cookman	DB	Senior
Trent	Scott	Grambling State	OL	Senior
Patrick	Smith	Tennessee State	WR	Senior
David	Smith	Morehouse	LB	Senior
Victor	Tamba, Junior	Bowie State	OL	Senior
Dayshawn	Taylor	South Carolina State	LB	Senior
Carlo	Thomas	Johnson C. Smith	DB	Senior
Osband	Thompson	Tuskegee	LB	Senior
Aaron	Tiller	Southern University	DL	Senior
Brandon	Varner	Grambling State	DL	Junior
Herb	Walker, Jr.	Morgan State	RB	Senior
Donovan	Wheaton	Prairie View A&M	OL	Senior
Charles	Williams	Benedict	DL	Senior