Football | 7/25/2023 10:41:00 AM
GREENSBORO – As it prepares for its first season in the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) Football Conference, the North Carolina A&T football team has been picked to finish 10th. The Aggies also had three players named to the preseason team.
Junior cornerback Karon Prunty was the only Aggie listed on the CAA Football's preseason defensive team, and graduate offensive tackle Tairiq Stewart was the lone Aggie on the offensive team. Senior Taymon Cooke made the preseason All-CAA honorable mention team as a kick returner. A&T opens the season at 8 p.m., Eastern Standard Time, against UAB on August 31 in Birmingham, Ala.
The Aggies home opener is 7 p.m., September 9, against North Carolina Central at Truist Stadium. The Aggies first-ever CAA Football contest will occur the following week, September 16, at Elon University starting at 6 p.m.
"We must take the A&T brand, which is nationally and globally known, and build a program that can go in and compete with Richmond, William & Mary, Towson, Delaware, and Villanova because that would be a game-changer for HBCUs," said A&T head football coach Vincent Brown. "We are trying to make sure our kids understand the level of commitment it takes to succeed in this conference."
Last season, CAA Football had five teams make the NCAA Division I-FCS Playoffs. The Aggies are coming off a 7-4 season in which they went 4-1 in the Big South Conference, losing the de facto Big South championship game at Gardner-Webb in the 2022 regular-season finale.
"I'm looking forward to putting all the pieces together," said Brown about the opening of preseason camp on July 31. "We have so many new faces coming to camp. You can watch them run around the track or back and forth on the field, but until you put the pads on, you don't know how all the pieces fit. So, putting the pieces together is the most exciting part."
Prunty was new to the Aggies after transferring in from the University of Kanas last season. But now he stands as a known A&T commodity after earning All-Big South honors last season before earning preseason third-team All-America recognition from BlueBloods. Prunty finished second in the conference in interceptions with four. He made 32 tackles, including 23 unassisted. Prunty also had seven passes defended. Prunty earned Big South defensive player of the week after earning two interceptions against Bryant.
"With Prunty, we potentially have one of the best secondaries in all of FCS Football and potentially three of the best defensive backs in the CAA," said Brown.
Stewart helped the Aggies have the best rushing attack in the Big South in 2022. He is a tenacious run blocker who had 40 domination blocks in 644 snaps played. In addition, Stewart had 452 positive plays during the season.
"A part of the success of the A&T ground attack last year, I believe, started up front," said Brown. "With most of those guys back, that's a real plus. It's comforting to have that piece addressed because games are won up front on both sides of the ball. You have a strong foundation on the offensive line. It allows you to play the game you want to play."
Cooke is a vital part of the Aggies offense, but he has proven to be one of the best returners in the league. He returned 13 kicks for 345 yards and a touchdown. Cooke returned a kick 95 yards for a touchdown against Charleston Southern on Nov. 12 for the Aggies only first-half score. He ranked third in the Big South in combined returns, and Cooke ranked eighth nationally in TD kickoff returns.
