BALTIMORE, Md. (Dec. 12, 2023) — Morgan State senior safety Jordan Toles was named as one of three finalists for the 2nd Annual Aeneas Williams Award on Tuesday. This list includes the nation's three best defensive backs in Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Division I football based on performance on the field, athletic ability and character.
To be recognized as a finalist for this prestigious award is just another reminder of how great he's been during his second season with the team.
Toles was joined by Howard senior safety Kenny Gallop Jr. and Alabama State senior cornerback Michael Victor as finalists.
Toles, an All-MEAC First Team selection, emerged as one of the league's best impact players during the 2023 season. A standout safety from Baltimore (St. Frances HS), Toles is an aggressive and physical player who finished the season as the Bears' second leading tackler with 66 stops to go along with three interceptions (T-No. 36 in FCS) and a blocked kick. Toles, a four-time MEAC Player of the Week and Aeneas Williams Award semifinalist, had one of his best career performances when he collected a career-high 14 tackles (9 solo) when the Bears squared off against Howard in their season finale.
The award recipient is selected from the three finalists by a nationwide selection committee, boasting selective members of the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame, former Aeneas Williams Award recipients, HBCU sportswriters and HBCU college football journalists throughout the country.
The Aeneas Williams Award winner will be announced by the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame via press release on Friday, Dec. 15, while the official presentation of the Aeneas Williams Award will take place in Oklahoma City on Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024.
For more information on the Aeneas Williams Award and past award recipients, please visit oklahomasportshalloffame.org.
The Aeneas Williams Award is proudly presented by the Chickasaw Nation and awarded to the best defensive back in Historically Black Colleges and Universities Division I college football based on performance on the field, athletic ability and character. This award will serve as the first of its kind in HBCU history in honor of its namesake, Southern University walk-on and Pro Football Hall of Famer Aeneas Williams. The contribution of HBCUs to the landscape of college football and the NFL has forever left an impact on the game. HBCUs hold an incredibly rich athletic tradition, tied to the game of football, that continues to exemplify the culture of these schools for over the past century.
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Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie-classified doctoral research institution offering more than 100 academic programs leading to degrees from the baccalaureate to the doctorate. As Maryland's Preeminent Public Urban Research University, Morgan serves a multiethnic and multiracial student body and seeks to ensure that the doors of higher education are opened as wide as possible to as many as possible. For more information about Morgan State University, visit www.morgan.edu.
