BALTIMORE, Md. (August 15, 2023) — Morgan State defensive back Jae'Veyon Morton is on the official watch list for the 2023 Black College Football Player of the Year Watchlist, the Black College Football Hall of Fame announced on Tuesday.
The Award is presented annually to the most outstanding football player from a Historically Black College & University.
Ahead of his third season with the Bears after transferring over from Iowa State, Morton (aka. "Knock") returns as a key playmaker and one of the best corners in the league.
The 2022 All-MEAC selection started in every game (11) and his season totals include 34 tackles (25 solo, 9 assisted), 1.0 sack, 10 pass breakups (T-No. 24 in FCS), and one fumble recovery and one forced fumble. Morton led the Bears with three picks on the year and returned one interception for a touchdown and was named the MEAC Defensive Player of the Week for that performance.
The Detroit (Mich.) product is one of seven (7) defensive backs nationwide to make the 50-player list, and one of just 13 from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, joining Khalil Baker (N.C. Central), Jaki Brevard (N.C. Central), Brennan Brown (Howard), Darius Fox (Howard), Kenny Gallop (Howard), Marquis Gillis (Delaware State), Patrick Godbolt (S.C. State), Kasey Hawthorne (Howard), Davius Richard (N.C. Central), Torricelli Simpkins III (N.C. Central), Aaron Smith (S.C. State), Devin Smith (N.C. Central), and Aaron Smith (S.C. State).
Four finalists will be unveiled after the season. The winner of the Black College Football Player of the Year Award, which will be announced during halftime of the 2024 Allstate HBCU Legacy Bowl, will be presented with the Deacon Jones Trophy. The Allstate HBCU Legacy Bowl takes place on Saturday, February 24, 2024 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The game will be broadcast live on NFL Network.
"The Black College Football Player of the Year Award showcases the immense talent of our HBCU players today," said Doug Williams, BCFHOF Co-Founder and 2011 Inductee. "These student-athletes represent the very best of HBCU football."
The Watch List candidates have been selected based on past performance and future potential. Additions to the list will be made as the 2023 season progresses. The finalists and the winner will be chosen by a Selection Committee.
"The Deacon Jones Trophy is the most prestigious football award for HBCUs," said BCFHOF co-founder and 2012 inductee James Harris. "Deacon Jones was a pioneer and an icon, and still to this day represents the very best of Black College Football."
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ABOUT MORGAN
Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie-classified high research (R2) institution offering nearly 140 academic programs leading to degrees from the baccalaureate to the doctorate. As Maryland's Preeminent Public Urban Research University, and the only university to have its entire campus designated as a National Treasure by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, 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.
