Morgan State Opens 2025 Fall Camp Drills - Morgan State University Athletics

BALTIMORE, Md. (August 1, 2025) – The Morgan State Bears officially opened fall camp Thursday evening—shifting indoors to Hurt Gymnasium due to thunderstorms and lightning in the area— for their much-anticipated first practice of the season. The team got to work on conditioning, sharpening plays, and building chemistry as preparations ramp up for the season ahead.

The camp started with 116 Bears on the active roster. Morgan State's team includes six quarterbacks, 11 running backs, and six tight ends/fullbacks on offense. There are 16 wide receivers and 17 offensive linemen. On defense, Morgan State has 21 defensive backs, 11 linebackers, and 22 defensive linemen. The roster also features six special teamers.

There are 48 players will be playing their first fall season in Baltimore, including 12 scholarship freshmen from the 2025 recruiting class and 10 Division I transfers via the portal: DL DeMarion McCoy (Lafayette Univ.), DL Chris King (Monmouth), WR David Okoi (Gardner Webb), RB Randall Nauden (Army), DB Hiroshi Carr (Air Force), LB Nasir Smith (Kennesaw State), OL Adorian Favors (Univ. of Tennessee Chattanooga), OL Jerrod Burrell (Akron), OL Evan Cooke (Kent State), QB John Griffith (Maryland).

2024 Recap
Morgan was picked to finish third (3^rd) in the MEAC preseason head football coaches and sports information directors, and with a 3-2 record in league play, the Bears firmly secured their spot in third place—just as predicted. Morgan wrapped up the 2024 season in style, finishing with a 6-6 record—marking the most wins for the program since their 7-6 season in 2014, during which they earned the title of MEAC Co-Champions.

Season No. 4 for Damon Wilson
The 2025 football season marks Damon Wilson's fourth year as head coach. A tough schedule, especially with many away games, will certainly make this season difficult. Morgan State begins on the road at University of South Alabama and later faces big away games at Toledo, Georgetown, and will compete in the Circle City Classic in Indianapolis, Indiana, against Miles College. The Bears will kick off their season at home with a showdown under the lights against Towson in the "Battle for Greater Baltimore."

2025 Morgan State Football Schedule

Aug. 30	at Univ. of South Alabama	7 p.m.
Sept. 6	Towson	7 p.m.
Sep 13	at Univ. of Toledo	3:30 p.m.
Sept. 20	Central State	12 p.m.
*Sept. 27*	vs. *Miles College*	*2 p.m.*
Oct. 4	at Georgetown	1 p.m.
Oct. 11	Virginia University of Lynchburg	1 p.m.
Oct. 25	at Howard	TBA
Nov. 1	at South Carolina State	2 p.m.
Nov. 8	Delaware State	3:30 p.m.
Nov. 15	at Norfolk State	3:30 p.m.
Nov. 22	North Carolina Central	Noon

Two All-MEAC Honorees Return
Morgan State's 2025 team will include two players who earned All-MEAC first-team honors last season: RB Jason Collins Jr. (MEAC Rookie of the Year, 634 yards, 5.6 avg.) and return specialist Malique Leatherbury (17.9 yards per punt return – No. 2 in FCS).

11 Preseason All-MEAC Honorees
The Bears made a clean sweep of the conference's top individual honors, with standout linebacker Erick Hunter earning the prestigious title of Preseason MEAC Defensive Player of the Year, and dynamic running back Jason Collins Jr. securing the Preseason Offensive Player of the Year nod. This impressive individual recognition was further underscored by a total of eleven Morgan State football players being named to the 2025 MEAC's preseason team: First Team – DL Dashawn Fields, LB Erick Hunter, DB Jadon Carter, P Shane Messenger, PK Sahr Gbundema, RS Malique Leatherbury; Second Team – RB Jason Collins Jr., WR Malique Leatherbury, C Daniel Casillas, OL Kahari Finley, OL Treyvon Branch, LB Arturo Mattocks.

Staff Updates
The Bears' coaching staff returns this fall under head coach Damon Wilson, with a few shifts in roles across the board.
Assistant head coach and defensive coordinator Antone' Sewell will now also oversee the safeties.
Tyrae Reid transitions from coaching wide receivers to quarterbacks.
Melvin Coleman moves from coaching safeties to working with the nickelbacks.
Jimmie Johnson shifts from assistant offensive line coach to wide receivers coach.

Numbers & Notes

6 – Number of 30-or-more point games in 2024

12 – Starters not returning from 2024

20 – Returning starters from 2024

68 – Number of tackles recorded by LB Arturo Mattocks in 2024

103 – Number of career wins (103-64) by Coach Damon Wilson

196 – Number of career tackles by LB Erick Hunter

634 – Number of rushing yards by RB Jason Collins Jr. in 2024

Season tickets for the 2025 campaign are now available. Click here to purchase.

FOLLOW MORGAN STATE ATHLETICS IN CYBERSPACE
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• Visit www.morganstatebears.com, the official website of Bears athletics, for news, schedules, stats, bios, and more.
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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.

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