TALLHASSEE, Fla., (July 20) - Florida A&M
University had several Football players named to Phil Steele's 2011
Preseason All-MEAC Team.
A highly respected college and professional
sportswriter and analyst, Phil Steele has produced the annual Phil Steele's
College Football Preview magazine since 1995.
Earning First Team nods were Kevin Elliott, a 6-3 red
shirt senior from Orlando, Fla., and
Brandon Holdren, a 6-2 junior punter from Jacksonville, Fla.
Elliott, last season saw action as a wide receiver and
on special teams. He finished the season
with 30 catches for 381 yards with one TD to lead the Rattlers in
receptions. He recorded a season high 84
yards receiving on three catches against Norfolk State (10-23-10) and garnered
four catches for 51 yards against Delaware State (9-11-10) and Tennessee State
(9-25-10).
On special teams, Elliott recorded 11 tackles (9 UA,
2 Asst) in the 11 games he played. He
recorded a season high four tackles against Howard (9-18-10) and two tackles
against Morgan State (10-30-10).
Holdren finished the season with 2,724 yards on 68
boots for a 40.1 punting average, earning him first team All-Conference
honors. His longest punt on the season
came against Morgan State (10-30-10) as he tallied 258 yards on six punts. Holdren recorded a season high 403 yards on
nine boots against South Carolina State (10-2-10) with his longest punt being
for 51 yards.
FAMU had five Rattlers to earn Second Team honors.
Branden Curry, a 6-3 senior tackle from Hollywood,
Fla., saw action in all 11 of the Rattlers games. FAMU finished fourth in scoring offense (21.9
ppg); sixth in total offense (294.6
total offense per game); fourth in
rushing offense (152.5 rushing offense)
and sixth in passing offense (142.1 passing offensive per game). The Rattler racked up a season high 327
rushing yards on 42 carries, along with four rushing TDs against Savannah State
(10-16-10) and piled up a 251 rushing yards
on 37 carries, along with two TDs against Morgan State (10-30-10).
Nicolas Hollinghead, 6-4 senior defensive tackle
from Cocoa, Fla., saw action in all 11 of FAMU's games last season, where he
garnered 36 tackles (20 UA, 16 Asst),
5.5 tackles for a loss for 19 yards, 2.5 sacks and one quarterback hurry. Hollinghead tallied a season eight tackles
against Delaware State (9-11-10), six tackles against Tennessee State (9-25-10) and collected four tackles against Norfolk
State (10-23-10), Morgan State (10-30-10) and Hampton (11-13-10).
Jerry Willis,
a 6-4 junior defensive tackle from Chicago, Ill., saw action in 11 of
the Rattlers games last season as he finished the season with 31 tackles (18
UA, 13 Asst), 6.0 tackles for a loss for 25 yards, 4.5 sacks and two blocked
kicks. He posted a six tackle
performance against Howard (9-18-10), four tackle against South Carolina State(10-2-10),
Hampton (11-13-10), Bethune-Cookman (11-20-10).
Alvin Graham, 6-2 red shirt senior from Orlando,
Fla., finished last season with 55 tackles ( 31 UA, 24 Asst), 3.5 tackles for a
loss of 27 yards, two sacks, one forced fumble and one quarterback hurry. He tallied a season high 13 (10 UA, 3 Asst)
tackles against Tennessee State (9-25-10), recorded ten tackles against
Delaware State (9-11-10) and recorded eight total takedowns against South
Carolina State (10-2-10).
Trevor Scott, a 6-2 red shirt senior place kicker
from Jacksonville, Fla., connected on 10 field goals in the 14 attempts in the
11 games that he played in. In addition,
he connected on 25 PATs in 28 attempts, ranking him fourth in field goals and
PAT kicking percentage (89.3) in the
conference. Scott against Howard
(9-18-10) nailed a 47-yard field goal and connected on a 46-yard field goal
against Morgan State (10-30-10).
Against Bethune-Cookman (11-20-10), Scott was five-for-five in PATs and was three-for-three against North
Carolina A&T (11-6-10). On the
season, Scott tallied 3,140 kickoff yards on 49 kicks averaging 64.1 yards per
kick. He recorded a season high 563
yards on nine kicks against Howard (9-18-10) and tallied 455 yards on seven
kicks against Bethune-Cookman (11-20-10).
FAMU will hold its annual Media Day and Fan
Appreciation Day on August 13 from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Alfred Lawson, Jr.,
Multipurpose Center and Teaching Gymnasium. Fans will be allowed access to players starting at 4 p.m.
The Rattlers will kickoff the 2011 football season
as they will host Fort Valley State at Bragg Memorial Stadium in their home
opener on Sept. 3, in a 6 p.m. start.
