Atlanta, GA – The Black College Football Hall of Fame (BCFHOF) unveiled Tuesday the 2024 Watch List for the Black College Football Player of the Year Award.

The original list includes 52 outstanding players from America’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and includes players from the four HBCU conferences – the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA), the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC), the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) and the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) – and players from non-HBCU conference programs at Hampton, North Carolina A&T and Tennessee State.

The Award is presented annually to the most outstanding football player from a Historically Black College & University. The Watch List candidates have been selected based on past performance and future potential. Additions to the list will be made as the 2024 season progresses. The finalists and the winner will be chosen by a Selection Committee.

Four finalists will be unveiled after the 2024 season. The winner will be announced during halftime of the 2025 Allstate HBCU Legacy Bowl and will be presented with the Deacon Jones Trophy. The bowl takes place on Saturday, February 22, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The game will be broadcast live on NFL Network.

“The Black College Football Player of the Year Award highlights the incredible talent and dedication of today’s HBCU football players,” said former Grambling State and NFL quarterback Doug Williams, Super Bowl XXII MVP, BCFHOF Co-Founder and 2011 Inductee. “These student-athletes represent the very best of HBCU football.”

“The Deacon Jones Trophy is regarded as the most prestigious and recognized award in HBCU football,” said former Grambling and NFL quarterback James “Shack” Harris, the other BCFHOF co-founder and a 2012 inductee. “Deacon is still considered one of the greatest to play the game and is a legend in every way, shape, and form, and to this day, still represents the very best of black college football.”

Former North Carolina A&T running back Tarik Cohen was selected as the inaugural recipient of the Award in 2016. Bowie State quarterback Amir Hall was the 2017 and 2018 recipient. Former Tennessee State wide receiver Chris Rowland was the 2019 recipient. Former Alabama A&M quarterback Aqeel Glass was the recipient in the Spring 2021 and Fall 2021 seasons. Former Jackson State quarterback Shedeur Sanders was the 2022 winner of the Award. North Carolina Central quarterback Davius Richard and Florida A&M quarterback Jeremy Moussa were the co-winners in 2023.

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