MONTGOMERY, Ala. | Treqwan Thomas (DL), James Burgess (CB), Rico Dozier (LB) and Amon Scaarbrough (S) were named to the 2024 BOXTOROW.com All-American First-Team on Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024.

Additionally, center Arelious Dunn and linebacker DeMarkus Cunningham were named BOXTOROW Honorable Mention All-American. honors

Thomas is one of three names on The HBCU Superlative Awards list which will be announced on Tuesday. The awards include players of the year on offense and defense, specialist of the year, rookie of the year, coach of the year, and the impact player award.

Thomas (DL) led the SWAC and FCS in fumbles forced (.42) while ranking first in the SWAC and second in the FCS in sacks per game (1.0). Thomas topped the SWAC with 12 sacks on the year. Thomas averaged 1.4 tackles for loss per game, ranking fourth in the SWAC and 14 nationally. The Orlando, Fla., native finished with 32 tackles, 12 sacks, 16.5 tackles for loss, five forced fumbles, and three quarterback hurries.
 
Dozier (LB) led the defense with 100 tackles, ranking second in the SWAC (38th FCS) with 8.3 tackles per game, 11th with 4.5 sacks, and 15th with 9.5 tackles for loss. Dozier had 47 solo tackles, four quarterback hurries, two fumbles forced, and three pass breakups.

Burgess (CB) tied for third in the SWAC with 10 passes defended and tied for first with four interceptions (17th FCS). The Center Point, Ala., product had 53 tackles, four tackles for loss, one sack, one fumble recovered, and one fumble forced on the season. Burgess was named one of three finalists of the Aeneas Williams Award.
 
Scarbrough (S) tallied 60 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, four interceptions and five pass deflections. The Birmingham, Ala., native ranks 17th nationally and second in the SWAC with four interceptions and tied for fourth in nine passes defended.
 

Dunn (OL) is the top center in the SWAC, not allowing a sack in 610 snaps and grading 86 percent on the season. The 18 sacks allowed were the fewest allowed by an offensive line in the SWAC, while the 1.5 per game ranked second (32nd FCS). Dunn also totaled 13 knockdowns on the year.

Cunningham (LB) was second on the team with 94 tackles and 41 solo stops. He added three sacks and six tackles for loss. The Bessemer, Ala., native led the SWAC and ranked fourth nationally with three fumbles recovered, while his 7.8 tackles per game ranked fifth in the conference.

The SCSU Bulldogs led the way with six selections. The JSU Tigers and Alabama State Hornets had four selections a piece, while Alcorn State, North Carolina Central, Tennessee State, and Virginia Union had two apiece.

The Alabama State defense was the top defense in the SWAC, ranking first or second in the SWAC in nine categories and the top 10 in the FSC in 10 categories.

The Alabama State defense was the top defense in the SWAC, ranking first or second in the SWAC in nine categories and the top 10 in the FSC in 10 categories. Sacks (SWAC/FCS) 3.25/gm (1/3) | Total Defense265.0 (1/3) | Rush Defense 105.9 (1/9) | Scoring 16.7 (1/5) | Interceptions15 (1/9) | Fumbles Forced 16 (1) | Turnovers Gained 27 (1/7) |  Fewest First Downs 180 (1/6) |  Turnover Margin .75 (1/5) | Sacks39 (1) | Tackles for Loss 7.3/gm (2/8) | Passing Yards Allowed 159.1  (2/7) | Fumbles Recovered 10 (3/12).
 

The offensive line paved the way for 2,028 this season, becoming the first team to rush for 2000 yards since 2019. The Hogs paved the way for four 200-yard rushing games, including a season-high 308 at Bethune-Cookman. ASU rushed for 211 yards against Florida A&M, 203 against North Carolina Central, and 204 against Alabama A&M. Alabama State rushed for 100 yards in 10-of-12 games, missing the 100-yard mark Alcorn State and Grambling State. The Hornets out rushed 9-of-12 opponents, and the 18 sacks tied for second in fewest sacks allowed.  ASU ranks averaged 169.0 yards per game, ranking 4th in the SWAC after ranking 11th in 2023.

In total, 17 programs are represented of the 32 selections.

The 2024 HBCU college football All-America team

OFFENSE
QB: Eric Phoenix, South Carolina State Gr. Savannah, Ga.
RB: Jada Byers, Virginia Union, Sr., Hammonton, N.J. #
RB: Irv Mulligan, Jackson State Gr. Beaufort, S.C.
OL: Eric Brown, Jr. South Carolina State Sr. Hartsville, S.C.
OL: D'Andre Townes-Blue, Jackson State Jr. Willow Grove, Pa.
OL: Trevon Humphrey, North Carolina Central r-Soph. Greensboro, N.C.
OL: Nick Taiste, South Carolina State Sr. West Columbia, S.C.
OL: Cam Johnson, South Carolina State r-Sr. Irmo, S.C.
TE: Tavarious Griffin, Alcorn State, Sr., Tallassee, Ala.$
WR: JaVonnie Gibson, Arkansas-Pine Bluff r-Jr. Opelousas, La.
WR: Reginald Vick Jr., Virginia Union r-Soph. Wendell, N.C.

DEFENSE
DL: Ckelby Givens, Southern, Jr., Shreveport, La.$
DL: Treqwan Thomas, Alabama State r-Jr. Orlando, Fla.
DL: Ashad Hall, South Carolina State Jr. St. Petersburg, Fla.
DL: Malachi Bailey, Alcorn State Sr. Atlanta, Ga.*
DL: Elijah Williams, Morgan State Sr. Jersey City, N.J.*
LB: Andrew Jones, Grambling r-Jr. Marrero, La.
LB: Benari Black, Johnson C. Smith Sr. Charlotte, N.C.
LB: Rico Dozier, Alabama State, Jr., Abbeville, La.$
DB: Lashon Young, Miles Soph. Sweetwater, Ala.
DB: Kenny Gallop, Howard, Sr., Portsmouth, Va.#
DB: Nick Blake, West Virginia State Jr. New York, N.Y.
DB: James Burgess, Alabama State Sr. Center Point, Ala. *
DB: Amon Scarbrough, Alabama State Sr. Birmingham, Ala.*
DB: Boogie Trotter, Tennessee State Jr. Nashville, Tenn.*
DB: Jarod Washington, South Carolina State Sr. Fredericksburg, Va.*
DB: Ke' Vric Wiggins Jr., Jackson State Sr. Houston, Texas*

SPECIALISTS
P: Juan Velarde North Carolina Central Sr. Anderson, S.C.
PK: Guillermo Garcia Rodriguez Prairie View A&M Gr. Dickison, Texas
PR: DeJuan Bell Fort Valley State Gr. North Augusta, S.C.
KR: CJ Evans Tennessee State r-Sr. Mobile, Ala.
RS: Travis Terrell Jackson State Fr. Atlanta, Ga.

Honorable Mention
QB: Daniel Richardson, Florida A&M; David Wright III, Clark Atlanta
RB: Ike Brown, Lane; Jaden Sutton, Delaware State; J'Mari Taylor, North Carolina Central
OL: Arelious Dunn, Alabama State; Darius Fox, Howard; Ashton Grable, Florida A&M; Larry Jones, Jr., Virginia Union; Connor
Meadows, Tennessee State; Bruno Onwuazor, Virginia State; Jason Stovall, Miles; Christian Twymon, Miles, Carson Vinson Alabama A&M
TE: Kameron King, Fayetteville State; Keshawn Toney, South Carolina State
WR: Brevin Caldwell, Johnson C. Smith; Caden High, South Carolina State; Nathan Rembert, Mississippi Valley State; Justin Smith-Brown, South Carolina State
DL: Jayden Broughton, South Carolina State; Roc Dowdell, Miles; Joshua Nobles, Jackson State;
LB: Jaki Brevard, North Carolina Central; DeMarkus Cunningham, Alabama State; Aaron Smith, South Carolina State
DB: Malcolm Reed North Carolina Central
P: Anthony Frederique, Bethune-Cookman
KR: Jaxon Williams,Benedict
RS: DeJuan Bell, Fort Valley State

*Tie
#2022 and 2023 HBCU All-American
$2023 HBCU All-American