ALBANY,Ga.— Golden Rams redshirt senior defensive lineman Derrick Drayton has been named to the 2026 Black College Football Player of the Year Watch List, an honor presented by the Black College Football Hall of Fame.
The award, which recognizes the most outstanding football player from a Historically Black College or University, is highlighted by the presentation of the Deacon Jones Trophy to the eventual winner. Drayton enters the 2026 season among a select group of HBCU student-athletes being considered for one of the most prestigious individual honors in Black college football.
Named in honor of Pro Football Hall of Famer David "Deacon" Jones, the award celebrates a player whose performance and impact embody the tradition of excellence associated with HBCU football.
Jones played defensive end at South Carolina State University and Mississippi Valley State University from 1958-60 before becoming one of the NFL's premier pass rushers. He earned unanimous All-NFL honors six consecutive seasons from 1965 through 1970, was selected to eight Pro Bowls and was inducted into the Black College Football Hall of Fame as part of its inaugural class in 2010. Jones was later enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Drayton's inclusion on the watch list adds another national honor to an impressive preseason for the College Park, Georgia, native. The defensive lineman was previously selected to the 2026 Preseason All-SIAC First Team after earning All-SIAC recognition following the 2025 season.
"It is an outstanding honor to have Derrick nominated for the Deacon Jones Award," Head Football Coach David Bowser said. "Well deserved, and it makes it exciting to know that he is being evaluated among some of the nation's best student-athletes."
Drayton now joins a distinguished group of HBCU football standouts who have been recognized with the Black College Football Player of the Year Award. Former North Carolina A&T and NFL running back Tarik Cohen was the inaugural recipient in 2016, while former Jackson State quarterback Shedeur Sanders earned the honor in 2022. Other past recipients include Amir Hall, Chris Rowland, Aqeel Glass, Davius Richard, Jeremy Moussa and Jada Byers.
With the 2026 season approaching, Drayton will look to build on his previous success and make his mark as one of the premier defensive players in HBCU football.
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Albany State University is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II-level intercollegiate athletic program. The university currently fields teams in 12 sports: women's volleyball, women's tennis, women's cross country, men's and women's basketball, softball, men's and women's indoor and outdoor track and field, baseball, and football, with all teams competing in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC).
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