NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL ATHLETICS

North Carolina Central quarterback Davius Richard became only the second Eagle to pass for 2,000 yards in consecutive seasons in 2021.

North Carolina Central has some unfinished business to settle in 2022.

The Eagles return of 15 starters from last year’s squad that closed the 2021 season with three straight wins and the campaign-opening MEAC/SWAC Challenge on their way to the MEAC runner-up with a 4-1 conference record and a 6-5 record overall. Head coach Trei Oliver, who is in his fourth year at his alma mater, has eight returning starters on offense, led by junior quarterback Davius Richard.

“Davius is one of the hardest workers on the team,” Oliver said. “He’s a field general. He doesn’t say a whole lot, but when he talks, he gets everybody’s attention. He’s really done a good job of developing his body and overall strength. He’s very smart and understands exactly what the coach is trying to accomplish each play call. He does a really good job reading the defense and taking what the defense gives him.”

A second team All-MEAC pick last year, Richard completed 58% of his passes (177-for-305) and accounted for 23 total touchdowns (15 passing). After his first two seasons with the Eagles (2019, 2021), Richard is eighth on NCCU’s all-time career passing list with 4,153 passing yards, and seventh in career total offense with 4,761 yards.

In 2021, Richard was second in the conference with 2,496 yards total offense, including 2,133 passing the second Eagle in school history to do so in consecutive seasons.
Here’s a look at the rest of the offense:

Experienced line
NCCU returns every starter from 2021 and there’s depth as well with 22 linemen reporting to fall camp. That unit is paced by sophomore Torricelli Simpkins III, a 6-3, 300-pound sophomore from Charlotte who started every game as a freshman.

“Torricelli can play all five positions,” Oliver said. “He’s very physical and is one of the smartest football players I’ve been around. He’s the heartbeat of the offensive line.”
In addition to Simpkins, the Eagles are loaded with incumbents up front in Corey Bullock, Kideam Diouf, Chris Escalera, and Da’Quan Thomas.

Options at running back
The Eagles also have depth in the backfield with Latrell Collier, who led NCCU with 399 yards and six touchdowns in 2021 while averaging 5.0 yards per carry. He also caught 10 passes for 77 yards and three scores.

“[Collier] is the Swiss army knife,” Oliver said. “He is good in pass protection, he has good hands out of the backfield, he is powerful between the tackles, and all he does is score touchdowns.”

The Eagles can also turn to sophomore J’mari Taylor, a 6-0, 190-pounder from Charlotte who showed well in spring drills. They can also go bigger with redshirt sophomore Josh Pullen (6-1, 220) and redshirt freshman Arthur Rodgers (5-8, 210), a Marshall transfer.

“J’mari had a great spring,” Oliver said. “We were very impressed with him. He’s very elusive, great quickness, good vision, and he can take it the distance.”

Young and developing receivers
NCCU is relatively inexperienced on the perimeter, but Oliver believes the wideouts will be able to hold their own.

“We have playmakers both inside and outside, Oliver said. “I like the length we have on the edge. Although we’re fairly young, they gained a lot of experience last year.”

Treveyon Pratt, a 6-1, 190-pound senior “had the best spring out of the receiver group, and continued to improve from last season,” Oliver said. “He has very good speed and is a match-up problem for defensive backs.”

Over the past two seasons, Pratt has caught 25 passes for 302 yards and a pair of scores, including 13 receptions for 92 yards last year.

Devin Smith is smaller at 5-10, 180 pounds, but the sophomore came on strong after moving into the starting lineup after midseason 2021. He played in 10 of 11 games last year as a freshman (four starts) with 23 catches for 302 yards and four touchdowns. After earning a starting role midway through the year, recorded 21 catches for 290 yards and four scores in the final six games.

“Devin has all the tools to be one of the next great receivers to come through here,” Oliver said. “Unbelievable hands, great route runner, very smart, and has a knack for making big plays.”

Another sophomore with potential is Andrew Smith, who led the Eagles with 16.5 yards per catch and was second in total receiving yards with 362. His 22 receptions were second-best on the squad.

“Andrew had some huge catches for us last year as a freshman,” Oliver said. “I see him picking up where he left off. He’s a good route runner with really good top-end speed and is physical.”

Tyler Barnes 6-4, 220-pound senior from Charlotte literally is physical mismatch for defenders. He caught 13 passes for 103 yards. So are fellow Charlottean Quentin McCall (6-4, 190) and Joaquin Davis “two long guys that we see having a huge role coming into the season,” according to Oliver.

Diversity at tight end
Tight end doesn’t figure as a prominent pass-catching position in NCCU’s offense, but Kyle Morgan, a 6-2, 240-pound sophomore, has the potential to round into an overall threat.

“Kyle played a lot for us as a true freshman,” Oliver said. “He has really improved his overall strength this off-season. He’s a physical blocker in the run game and has improved as a route runner.”

Luke Bracey, a 6-6, 230-pound freshman from Rock Hill and Georgia transfer Matthew Brown (6-2, 230) are expected to push for playing time. “We expect them to make an immediate impact in their first year at NCCU,” Oliver said.

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