Football | 7/25/2024 9:16:00 AM
GREENSBORO – The past normally dictates preseason predictions; therefore, the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) released its preseason football predictions, with North Carolina A&T slated to finish 14th in the 16-team league. The Aggies had one player make the preseason all-conference team, defensive back Karon Prunty.
But while preseason predictions are predicated on past performance, the 2024 North Carolina A&T football team is not focused on the past. The Aggies are coming off a 1-10 season in which they went 0-8 in their first season in the conference and head coach Vincent Brown's first season in Aggieland.
"It's a new beginning. New attitude. New focus," said Brown. "I'm super excited about the kids we have added to our program. I'm seeing growth. We see growth in the classroom. When you see growth in how they conduct themselves in practice and meetings, it translates to your performance on the field. I just know we're not looking back; we are looking forward."
CAA head coaches predicted Villanova will win the super-sized league. The Wildcats received nine first-place votes and 217 total points. Richmond was picked second with one first-place vote and 189 points. The University of Albany (179 points, three first-place votes) follows in third place, followed by William & Mary (175 points) and Delaware (163 points, three first-place votes) to round out the top-5. A&T received 49 points.
"It's all about being in the moment," said Brown. "We are going to operate in the moment. We are going to operate within our strengths, and I'm very confident we will put a product on the field that will make people proud."
Prunty enters his third season with the Aggies. Because of his tremendous skillset, opposing passing games rarely test him. He has pro football potential and has earned numerous accomplishments since entering college football, including accolades in three different conferences.
He earned All-Big 12 honorable mention accolades as a freshman at Kansas, and 247Sports recognized him as a freshman All-American. In 2022, he earned first-team All-Big South Conference and All-American honors from Blue Bloods and BoxToRow. Last season, he was a third-team All-CAA selection.
"Prunty is a Power Five talent," said Brown. "He's got length, speed, quickness and ball skills. Plus, he can tackle. He is the complete package. Most people would rather not test him. We are excited to have him back. There were a lot of teams trying to get him to leave, and however it worked out, he's still with us, and we're glad to have him."
A&T opens the season at Wake Forest on Thursday, Aug. 29 at 7 p.m. from Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium. The game will air live on the ACC Network Extra. The Aggies home opener is against another Winston-Salem, N.C. school in Winston-Salem State. The Aggies will face the Rams on Saturday, Sept. 7 at 7 p.m. from Truist Stadium.
For tickets, log on to ncataggies.com.
