Record-setting RB Fabian Duncan transfers to JC Smith

ALLEN ATHLETICS

North Mecklenburg High graduate Fabian Duncan (center), the SIAC’s 2025 player of the year, has transferred to Johnson C. Smith after rushing for a school record 1,301 yards at Allen.

Fabian Duncan is coming home to Johnson C. Smith.

The North Mecklenburg High graduate is returning to the Golden Bulls after a record-breaking run at Allen, where he earned SIAC player of the year as a sophomore. Duncan has two years of eligibility remaining.

Duncan, a 5-10, 210-pound running back, originally signed with JCSU out of high school, but transferred to Allen, where he led the SIAC with 1,301 rushing yards in 2025 (ninth in Division II) and 15 rushing touchdowns (tied for 14th). Duncan became the first player in Allen history to rush for over 1,000 yards in a season and tallied more than 100 yards in six games. 

His career best was a school record 229 yards on 46 carries against Clark Atlanta, which included a program-tying three touchdowns on the ground. Duncan averaged 118.2 yards rushing per game for the Yellow Jackets, who went 6-5 last season.

Duncan joins a Golden Bulls squad that finished a program best 10-2, won its first CIAA title since 1969 and earned the school’s first NCAA Division II playoff berth. JCSU ranked second in the CIAA in scoring average at 33.6 points per game, including 40 points or more in five games.

As the roster stands now, Duncan will compete for carries along with All-CIAA pick Bobby Smith, a 1,000-yard rusher as a redshirt freshman in 2025, as well as Antonio Crim, Kamarro Edmonds and Avante George, who all missed stretches of the 2025 campaign with injuries.

Bowser takes over as Albany State coach

David Bowser, JCSU’s linebackers coach from 2023-25, is Albany State’s new head coach. 

Bowser, a Charlotte native and former St. Augustine’s head coach, succeeds Quinn Gray, who was hired by Florida A&M to the same position. Gray led the Rams to the program’s best season with a 12-2 record, the SIAC title and a pair of wins in the Division II playoffs.

“As the landscape of college athletics continues to evolve, it was important for us to identify a leader prepared to operate as a true CEO of the program in today’s college athletics environment,” said ASU athletics director Kristene Kelly, who worked with Bowser at St. Augustine’s before the school shut down athletics sponsorship after losing accreditation. “Coach Bowser has demonstrated success operating within that change, navigating Division II football through roster management, multiple recruiting pathways, academic accountability and the realities of the transfer portal.”

In addition to coaching duties, Bowser was special assistant to JCSU coach Maurice Flowers and director of player personnel. Before St. Aug’s, Bowser was associate head coach at Fayetteville State for two decades.

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