FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Chancellor Henry Fernandez and Vice President Brian Hankerson announced on Tuesday that the next head coach for the Eagles Football team would be Quincy Wilson.

“I’m very pleased and excited about the hiring of Quincy,” said Fernandez. “He brings experience at the NCAA level and has been successful there, as well as experience in the NFL. He is very energetic, a strong recruiter and a talented football coach. Wilson brings great passion to the UFTL family, and we are excited to see what he can do as he gets on campus.”

Wilson takes over the helm of the UFTL football program after spending the last four seasons as the Associate Head Coach, Running Backs Coach and the Director of Football Operations at West Virginia State University.

Before WVSU, Wilson spent 2016 at Glenville State College as the Running Backs Coach.

He got his start in the college ranks at his Alma mater, West Virginia University, where he was the Assistant Director of Football Operations from 2012-15.

“I’m excited about the opportunity,” Wilson said. “I’m inspired by the challenge, and I’m grateful to be the leader of this program. My role as the head coach at the University of Fort Lauderdale is to cast the vision for t our future and drive a strong, healthy culture.”

“My family and I would like to thank the committee,” Wilson said. “I’m very humbled by the selection, and I’m excited to join the UFTL family.”

Wilson attended Weir High School in Weirton, W.V.; he would become the first football player in West Virginia history to rush for more than 3,000 yards in a single season. He finished with 3,262 yards on 351 carries (a 9.4 avg.), averaging 233 yards per game. This performance gave him third ranking amongst prep football players. Wilson set several records and led Weir High School to a 14-0 record and a Class AA State Championship where he rushed for 250 yards. He managed 47 touchdowns and 290 points that year, a state record. Over his high school career, Wilson rushed for 6,161 yards and scored 90 touchdowns.

Wilson earned Third-team AP All-American honors and was an All-Big East First team pick by ESPN, his senior year at WVU, in 2003. He amassed 1,380 yards with a 4.9 average and 12 touchdowns. His senior year, he was also named the WVU offensive MVP and he won the team’s Ira Rodgers Award for all-around excellence. His rushing yardage total was the 12th most in the NCAA on the year.

During his career, he played in 44 games at West Virginia; on 474 rushing attempts, he turned in a total of 2,608 yards and 20 touchdowns, to go with 25 receptions for 147 yards and a touchdown. His rushing attempts and yards both ranked fifth in school history at the close of his career.

Wilson is known for one of, if not the greatest play in WVU football history, “The Run,” against the No. 2 Miami Hurricanes in the 2003 season. He would catch a screen pass on third and 13, and he would go on to break three tackles, trucking and leaping over a player, to score the go-ahead score late in the game.

Wilson was selected in the seventh round (219th overall) of the 2004 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons. He would go on to play for the Cincinnati Bengals from 2004-07.

Wilson has a son, Trenton Xavier Wilson, who is currently a sophomore at Ohio Dominican University pursuing a degree in Pre-Med. His mother, Kyle Wilson, resided in Weirton, WV. He is the son of former All-Pro, Super Bowl Champion with the Chicago Bears Otis Wilson. He has two sisters, Danielle and Chlyla Wilson and a niece Lyla Wilson.

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NEW ORLEANS – Four Sun Belt teams will participate in Bowl Season following a historic 2021 campaign that saw three team accumulate double-digit wins during the regular season for the first time in conference history. 
 
Coastal Carolina (10-2, 6-2 Sun Belt) is headed to the Tailgreeter Cure Bowl for its second-ever bowl appearance and will be in search of its first-ever bowl victory. The Chanticleers will square off against MAC champion Northern Illinois (9-4, 6-2 MAC) at 5:00 p.m. CT on Friday, Dec. 17, in Orlando, Fla., with the game being nationally broadcast on ESPN2. 
 
App State (10-3, 7-1 Sun Belt) will make its seventh-straight bowl appearance and will attempt to make it seven-straight bowl victories in the RoofClaim.com

Louisiana (12-1, 8-0 Sun Belt), which defeated App State, 24-16, in Saturday’s Hercules Tires Sun Belt Football Championship Game, is bound for its fourth-straight bowl game in the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl. The Sun Belt champion Ragin’ Cajuns will face future conference foe Marshall (7-5, 5-3 Conference USA) at 8:15 p.m. CT on Saturday, Dec. 18, in New Orleans, La. 

Georgia State (7-5, 6-2 Sun Belt) will round out the Sun Belt’s postseason lineup, with its third-straight and fifth all-time bowl appearance coming in the TaxAct Camellia Bowl. The Panthers will match up against Ball State (6-6, 4-4 MAC) at 1:30 p.m. CT on Saturday, Dec. 25, in Montgomery, Ala. 

The RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl, R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl and TaxAct Camellia Bowl will each be broadcast nationwide on ESPN. 

The Sun Belt has won 69 percent of its bowl games over the past five seasons—including 4-of-5 a year ago—to lead all FBS conferences.

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LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – A total of 36 student-athletes from across the nation have been nominated for the 2021 Harlon Hill Trophy as the Division II College Football Player of the Year.

Eight nominees hail from Super Region 1, eight from Super Region 2, 13 from Super Region 3 and seven from Super Region 4.

The sports information directors at the 165 NCAA Division II football-playing institutions nominate and vote on the award. The 36 initial candidates will be placed on regional ballots and the top two players from each of the four NCAA regions will advance to the national ballot when regional voting concludes on Monday, November 29.

The winner of the 2021 award will be announced on Friday, December 17 and the winner will be honored at the Little Rock Touchdown Club awards banquet on January 13, 2022.

The sports information directors at their respective schools nominate candidates. The SIDs in those Super Regions vote for their top five candidates. The winner is then determined in a nation-wide vote of the Division II sports information directors.

The group of 36 candidates includes 13 quarterbacks, 10 running backs, six wide receivers, five linebackers and one defensive line- men and one corner back.

The list features 17 seniors, 12 juniors, six sophomores and one freshman. One nominee – Harding’s Cole Chancey – returns after advancing to the finalist stage in 2019.

The Hill Trophy is named for the late Harlon Hill – the former Uni- versity of North Alabama standout – who excelled with the Lions from 1950-53 before going on to fame in the National Football League with the Chicago Bears.

SUPER REGIONAL 1

Tyson Bagent
Cedie Dashiell II
Connor Degenhardt
Guam Lee
Henry Litwin
Jermal Martin, Jr.
Tywan Pearce
Tyler Tate

SUPER REGIONAL 2

Austin Reed
Ivory Durham
Senika McKie
Bryce Witt
Harrison Frost
Dwayne McGee
Tyriq Martin
Calil Wilkins

SUPER REGIONAL 3

Jared Bernhardt
Cooper Callis
Cole Chancey
Evan Chohon
Toriano Clinton
TJ Cole
L’liott Curry
TJ Davis
Preston Haire
Al McKeller
Cade Peterson
Cody Schrader
Drew Seers

SUPER REGIONAL 4

Brandon Alt
Danny Kittner
Michael Zeman
Dillon Sterling-Cole
Thuro Reisdorfer
Jaylin Parnell
Ali Mohamed

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) announced the 16-team field and the matchups for the first round of the NAIA Football Championship Series on Sunday. The 16-team FCS will kick-off on Saturday, Nov. 20 at eight campus host sites across the country, with the higher seed hosting each contest.

The full field features 12 automatic qualifiers and four at-large berths. In order to qualify for an automatic bid, teams must win their conference regular-season title. At-large berths were determined by the NAIA Football National Selection Committee. Teams earning an at-large berth must be ranked in the Top 20 of the final NAIA Coaches’ Top 25 poll, which can be accessed here.

The 66th Annual NAIA Football National Championship will culminate on December 18 at Durham County Memorial Stadium in Durham, N.C.

2021 NAIA Football Championship Series – First Round Schedule

Saturday, November 20 | Campus Sites

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. – After a one-year adjustment for COVID-19 safety considerations, the Florida High School Football State Championships will return to a multiple location format in both 2021 and 2022. For 2021, classes 1A-3A will return to Gene Cox Stadium in Tallahassee, December 9-11 while 4A-8A will be contested December 16-18 at the newly renovated DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale.

“The FHSAA is thrilled to partner with both the Tallahassee and Fort Lauderdale communities to host the 2021 and 2022 Florida High School Football State Championships,” said FHSAA Executive Director, George Tomyn. “Each location is sure to provide a unique and memorable football championship experience to all participating student-athletes and coaches, as well as their travelling fans.”

After most recently hosting in 2019, both Visit Tallahassee and Leon County Schools will welcome the 1A-3A classifications back to the friendly confines of Gene Cox Stadium. With a spectator seating capacity of 6,500, the Tallahassee community stadium underwent significant renovations in 2018 that featured the installation of a new turf field, along with a pair of HD video boards.

“Visit Tallahassee is honored to once again partner with FHSAA to host the class 1A-3A Football State Championships in Florida’s Capital Region,” said Kerri L. Post, Director of Visit Tallahassee/Leon County Division of Tourism. “We look forward to continuing FHSAA’s tradition of providing exceptional championship experiences for their student-athletes, coaches and spectators and welcoming everyone back to Tallahassee in December.”

Game times in Tallahassee will be 7 p.m. each night on Thursday (Dec. 9), Friday (Dec. 10), and Saturday (Dec. 11), with specific classifications to be determined later.

In partnership with Visit Lauderdale, football state championship qualifiers in Classes 4A-8A will be heading to South Florida and the newly renovated DRV PNK Stadium. Set on the site of Fort Lauderdale’s old Lockhart Stadium, DRV PNK Stadium is currently home to Major League Soccer’s Inter Miami CF and its developmental teams. Opened in 2020, DRV PNK Stadium boasts a seating capacity of 18,000 that will offer fans an intimate football viewing experience for the championship event.

The last time the city of Fort Lauderdale and Lockhart Stadium hosted a Florida High School State Championship matchup was in 1973, when Hollywood Hills defeated Raines (Jacksonville) for the Class 4A title. This year, the South Florida community will be hosting a championship matchup for the first time since 2006, when the entire event was held at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens (formerly known as Dolphin Stadium).

“High school football has been a huge part of the Broward County community for decades and it continues to bring people together,” said Stacy Ritter, President/CEO of Visit Lauderdale. “As a proud graduate of Piper High School in Sunrise, Florida, I couldn’t be more thrilled to have the road to the Florida High School Football State Championships end in Fort Lauderdale.”

While specific classification timeslots are yet to be determined, game times in Fort Lauderdale are scheduled for 7 p.m. on Thursday (Dec. 16), and then 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. on both Friday (Dec. 17) and Saturday (Dec. 18).

Tickets in both locations will be available for $12 if purchased in advance, and $15 if purchased the day of the game. All matchups will be streamed live via Spectrum Sports. For specific event information regarding each location, as well as information about the FHSAA’s annual Drive to December, please visit the football sport page at FHSAA.com.

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NEW ORLEANS – No. 16/18 Coastal Carolina and South Alabama remained unbeaten, while ULM snapped a 12-game skid in Week Three action. The Chanticleers are off to a 3-0 start for the second-straight season, while the Jaguars are 3-0 for the first time since joining the FBS in 2012. 

Louisiana moved to 6-0 in non-conference home games under head coach Billy Napier with a 49-14 rout of Ohio Thursday night, in front of a primetime audience on ESPN. The Ragin’ Cajuns rushed for 310 yards in the contest, led by an 84-yard, four-touchdown effort from freshman running back Montrell Johnson. 

No. 16/18 Coastal Carolina proved victorious in its first road test of the 2021 season—defeating Buffalo, 28-25, to run its winning streak in true road contests to six games and earn its first win in the state of New York in the process. The Chanticleers are off to a 3-0 start for the fourth time in program history (2014, 2015, 2020 & 2021). 

In front of a sellout crowd of 30,224—the eighth-largest crowd in the history of Kidd Brewer Stadium—App State bested Elon, 44-10. Senior linebacker T.D. Roof’s 90-yard interception return and fellow senior linebacker D’Marco Jackson’s 4.5 tackles for loss and three sacks highlighted the defensive effort for the Mountaineers. 

Offensively, graduate student quarterback Chase Brice was 19-of-25 for 293 yards and a touchdown, while adding another touchdown on the ground. Two Mountaineer wide receivers eclipsed the 100-yard mark, super seniors Corey Sutton (128 yards) and Malik Williams (123 yards, 1 touchdown). 

A career-long 76-yard touchdown scamper for redshirt junior quarterback Justin Tomlin headlined the Georgia Southern offensive production in a 45-10 loss at No. 20/24 Arkansas. 

Arkansas State fell, 52-3, to Washington in the first-ever meeting of the two programs. 

Georgia State picked up its first victory of the 2021 campaign with a 20-9 win over previously unbeaten Charlotte. 

With five tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks, redshirt freshman bandit Javon Solomon led a Troy defensive unit that combined for 16 tackles for loss and nine sacks. The Trojans overcame a 3-0 halftime deficit to best Southern Miss, 21-9. 

Texas State failed to recover an onside kick in a one-possession game with 56 seconds to play, falling victim to Incarnate Word, 42-34. 

Behind four field goals from senior kicker Calum Sutherland, ULM snapped a 12-game skid and earned the first win of the Terry Bowden era with a 12-7 victory over Jackson State. Sutherland connected from 29, 45, 42 and 49 yards out to produce all of the scoring for the Warhawks.

In its first season under head coach Kane Wommack, South Alabama is off to its first 3-0 start since joining the FBS in 2012. A 150-yard, three-touchdown performance from senior running back Kareem Walker propelled the Jaguars to a 28-21 victory over Alcorn State. 

For exclusive Sun Belt football content on game days and throughout the 2021 season, follow @SunBeltFB on Twitter. 

SUN BELT FOOTBALL – WEEK 3 RESULTS
Louisiana def. Ohio, 49-14
No. 16/18 Coastal Carolina def. Buffalo, 28-25
App State def. Elon, 44-10
No. 20/24 Arkansas def. Georgia Southern, 45-10
Washington def. Arkansas State, 52-3
Georgia State def. Charlotte, 20-9
Incarnate Word def. Texas State, 42-34
Troy def. Southern Miss, 21-9
ULM def. Jackson State, 12-7
South Alabama def. Alcorn State, 28-21

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COMMERCE, Texas – Top-ranked UWF scored 21 unanswered points and held No. 21/13 Texas A&M Commerce to 67 yards of total offense after halftime in a 35-17 win at Memorial Stadium on Saturday.
 
UWF (3-0) had 434 yards of total offense with a 6.5 yards per play average. A&M Commerce (1-2) finished with 231 yards of offense.
 
Austin Reed threw for 274 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while leading the Argonauts to scoring drives on five of their eight possessions before ending the game in victory formation inside the Lions’ 10-yard line.
 
Shomari Mason powered an aggressive rushing attack with 94 yards on 17 carries and a touchdown. Jervon Newton and Anthony Johnson, Jr. each ran for a score as the trio combined for 169 yards on the ground and 4.6 yards per rush. Seven of UWF’s 12 live ball first downs in the second half were on the ground.
 
The UWF defense was stout all game long but put on a clinic in the second half. In addition to limiting A&M Commerce to 231 yards of total offense on the night, they sacked Jaiave Magalei five times and forced two turnovers in the fourth quarter. Trent Archie had eight tackles and two sacks, while Stephon Williams had eight stops and a sack as well.
 
The Lions played deliberate, ball control offense in the first half, using 17:53 of time of possession to build a 17-14 lead, including taking advantage of a muffed punt in the final minute of the half that led to a field goal. But UWF’s defense forced A&M Commerce to punt after drives of six and three plays, allowing the explosive Argo offense to get going.
 
Reed led scoring drives of eight plays, five plays and five plays while building the big lead. Newton and Mason each got to the end zone and David Durden was untouched as he caught a 19-yard crossing route in the end zone.
 
The win extended the UWF winning streak to a record nine games, while establishing new benchmarks for consecutive road wins and consecutive wins over ranked opponents, both of which are now at six games apiece. It was also the team’s fifth-straight road win over a ranked team as they improved to 10-5 all-time on the road against top-25 opponents.
 
UWF returns home next week for its first game at Blue Wahoos Stadium in 2021. The Argos will play host to the University of Fort Lauderdale (0-2) at 6 p.m. Tailgate lots at Community Maritime Park open at 2 p.m. and stadium gates open at 5 p.m.

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NAIAFBALL Top 25

1 – Lindsey Wilson
2 – Morningside
3 – Northwestern (Iowa)
4 – Grand View
5 – Reinhardt
6 – Concordia (Mich.)
T7 – Marian
T7 – Olivet Nazarene
9 – Keiser
10 – Bethel (Kan.)
11 – Georgetown (Ky.)
12 – Baker
13 – St. Francis (Ind.)
T14 – Eastern Oregon
T14 – Kansas Wesleyan
16 – Dordt
17 – OUAZ
18 – Avila
19 – Indiana Wesleyan
20 – Roosevelt
21 – College of Idaho
22 – Dickinson State
23 – St. Xavier
24 – Faulkner
T25 – Midland
T25 – St. Thomas

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BIRMINGHAM, Ala.- The Southwestern Athletic Conference has named Jackson State’s Shedeur Sanders, James Houston, and Warren Newman along with Florida A&M’s Deonte Williams its SWAC Football Players of the Week for their outstanding performances during games played this past week of competition.

Offensive – It was a record-breaking performance for Jackson State freshman quarterback Sanders at the Southern Heritage Classic. The Canton, Texas product completed 30-of-40 passes for 362 yards and three touchdowns. Sanders’ 30 completions set a new Southern Heritage Classic record as he distributed the ball to a total of nine different JSU receivers.

Defensive- Houston led the Jackson State defensive effort on Saturday in the Tigers’ win over Tennessee State. The rush specialist totaled 10 tackles to go along with 4.5 sacks for negative 33 yards. Houston also added five total tackles for loss during Jackson State’s 38-16 win.

Specialist– Newman’s 81-yard punt return in the fourth quarter proved to be a key score in Jackson State’s 38-16 win over Tennessee State at the Southern Heritage Classic. The punt return was the longest in the history of the Southern Heritage Classic. Newman also tallied a game-high seven receptions for 26 yards.

Newcomer – Williams found his way into the backfield often as he recorded three tackles for loss, two sacks and forced a fumble during Florida A&M’s 34-7 win over Fort Valley State at Bragg Memorial Stadium on Saturday. He was a key contributor for a Rattlers defense that held FVSU to 35 total rushing yards for the game.

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CLINTON, S.C. – The University of Fort Lauderdale football team started off the 2021 campaign by dropping a 68-3 decision to Presbyterian on Saturday, Sept. 11, at Bailey Memorial Stadium.

The Eagles fall to 0-1, while Presbyterian improves 2-0. UFTL will look to bounce back next week against Mississippi College in Clinton, Miss., on Sept. 18.

Qmac Quiteh led the Eagles ground attack rushing for a team-high 35 yards on eight carries, while Craig Cooper had 24 yards on eight attempts. Davon Burgelin hauled in a team-best four catches for 31 yards, while Franco De Luca and Kyle Kaplan combined to go 14-42, as the duo recorded 101 and 47 passing yards, respectively. Hector Molero scored the Eagles’ first three points, making a 25-yard field goal in the first quarter.

Damien Richardson recorded three catches for 14 yards, Zach Hall and Omari Stewart had two receptions for 42 and 41 yards. James Ashley IV made one catch for 14 yards and Nick Holmes had one catch for six yards.

Jamar Wells led UFTL’s defensive efforts recording a team-high nine tackles, including two solo tackles and one tackle for loss. Sayquan Anthony and Elijah Volitore collected eight tackles, while Jordan Alexander, Ramone Daley, David Bryant, Marvinsky Brunelus and Ritchard Antoine had seven, six, six, six and five tackles, respectively. Anthony and Bryant snagged an interception, while Antoine, Chris Jones II, and Wells had a tackle for loss, while Brunelus and Saron Byes had 0.5 TFL.

The Blue Host grabbed the lead early, scoring on their first three possessions and converting two two-point attempts to build a 22-0 lead with 9:19 to play in the first quarter.

UFTL would put together an eight-play 34-yard drive over five minutes and 24 seconds, capping the drive with a Molero field goal, cutting into the Presbyterian lead 22-3.

The two teams would stop each other in three alternating drives. The Eagles would stop the Blue Hose from scoring, turning the ball over on the UFTL two-yard line, Presbyterian would capitalize on defense forcing a safety, then after the free-kick, they would score another touchdown to extend their lead to 31-3.

Both teams would stall on drives ending with an interception before Presbyterian would close out the half by forcing the second safety of the game for the Eagles and then scoring a touchdown on a 75-yard drive to take a 40-3 lead into the break.

UFTL would start with the ball in the second half, driving into the red zone before De Luca is picked off at the goal line and returned for a 98-yard touchdown, giving the Blue Hose a 47-3 lead. That score would be the only change on the scoreboard as both team’s defenses stiffened up.

Presbyterian would score three touchdowns in the final frame to close out the 68-3 win for the Blue Hose.

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