Football | 11/25/2025 3:11:00 PM
GREENSBORO – The Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) Football Conference released its postseason accolades on Tuesday with six North Carolina A&T players occupying seven different positions on the all-conference teams.
For A&T, junior punt returner Elijah Kenndy headlines the selections made by the 14 CAA head coaches throughout the league. Kennedy secured first-team All-CAA honors as a punt returner and third-team all-conference recognition as a kickoff returner.
The Aggies' second-team selections include graduate placekicker Andrew "Money" Brown and junior defensive tackle Marquis Hood. Graduate offensive lineman Korion Sharpe leads a trio of A&T veteran standouts, which also includes graduate cornerback Aaron Harris and Kennedy. Graduate defensive Tim Alderman earned honorable mention recognition.
Six players are the most the Aggies have ever had on the All-CAA team.
Kennedy added his name to the list of outstanding punt returners who wore the A&T Blue and Gold, including Khris Gardin, Curtis Deloatch, Chris Caldwell, and others. Kennedy returned 18 punts for 294 yards and two touchdowns. He averaged 16.3 yards per return and leads the conference and ranks second in the nation in punt returns for touchdowns. Kennedy also ranks third nationally and second in the league in average yards per punt return.
In addition, Kennedy returned 36 kickoffs for 705 yards and a touchdown, averaging 19.58 yards per return. He leads the nation in combined return yards (999). Thanks to his wide receiver duties, Kennedy ranks seventh in the conference in all-purpose yards per game (107.92).
On September 27 at Maine, Kennedy returned a punt 85 yards for a touchdown to help in the Aggies' comeback efforts that fell short 37-30. Four weeks later, the Aggies' comeback against the Campbell Fighting Camels was successful thanks to Kennedy. Kennedy started his historic fourth quarter with a 96-yard punt return for a touchdown that tied the game at 21-21.
His 96-yard return tied the program record for longest punt return for a touchdown. After Campbell kicked a field goal to reclaim the lead, Kennedy returned the ensuing kickoff 85 yards for the game-winning touchdown. Kennedy earned CAA Special Teams Player of the Week on October 27 for his performance against the Camels. It was not a bad season for the former walk-on who was coming off a severe injury he sustained during A&T's 2024 August training camp.
"He has a great story. I wish the country knew his story and his journey and all the stuff he has been through to get to this point," said A&T head coach Shawn Gibbs during one of A&T's weekly football shows. "But I'm just so happy for him to get the notoriety he deserves."
Another special teams player who had an impactful and historic season for the Aggies is Brown. Brown's season was highlighted by him connecting on three field goals of 50-plus yards in a loss to Monmouth at Truist Stadium on November 15. Those three kicks were historic for A&T, the CAA and the NCAA. He became the first Aggie to make multiple 50-plus-yard field goals in a game.
He also became the first CAA player to make three field goals of 53 yards or more. In addition, he tied the NCAA record for most 50-plus-yard field goals in a game. On October 11 against South Carolina State University (SCSU), Brown booted a 55-yard field goal to break A&T's record for longest field goal made in a game. Three weeks later, he broke that record by making a 56-yard field goal at home against Towson.
Brown went 5-for-5 in field goals of 50 yards or more. He will leave A&T as its all-time leader in field goals made (51) and attempted (71). Brown won CAA Special Teams Player of the Week three times during the season.
"Andrew was definitely a luxury," said Gibbs. "There are not many teams in the country that can say they feel comfortable if they get in range of a 50-yard field goal, they feel like they have points on the board."
Hood is the other second-teamer for A&T. Hood earns second-team honors after transferring from Division II Fort Valley State. Hood's first season as a Division I-FCS player proved successful, as he totaled 44 tackles, including 29 unassisted, 13 for loss, and 8 ½ sacks. He also broke up two passes, recorded three quarterback hurries and forced a fumble. Hood ranks fifth in the CAA in sacks per game (0.71) and seventh in tackles for loss per game (1.08).
Meanwhile, Sharpe added another accolade to his outstanding career. It is a career where he has played more than 2,300 snaps over five seasons. He earned All-Big South Conference in 2022 before earning honorable mention All-CAA in 2024. Sharpe is also an HBCU All-American.
Harris is another five-year player for the Aggies. Harris leads the conference and ranks eighth nationally in passes defended per game (1.44). He had 13 breakups during the season and helped the Aggies as a kickoff return specialist. Harris is an Aeneas Williams Award semifinalist. The award goes to the best defensive back in HBCU football.
Alderman landed at A&T via Fort Valley State and Austin Peay. Alderman closed out the season with 36 tackles, including 16 unassisted, nine for loss, and six sacks. He led the team in QB hurries with 11 in addition to totaling three pass breakups and recovering two fumbles.
