Morgan State junior defensive back Kenny Ridley was included on a very short list of Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference players selected to the College Football Performance Awards (CFPA) preseason watch list, the university announced.
The CFPA released its watch list June 11. Ridley was only one of three defensive backs from the MEAC to make the cut.
A native of Hillside, N.J., Ridley ranked second in the MEAC last season with four interceptions, while also deflecting six other passes. He also recorded a career-best 42 tackles, including three tackles for losses, in 11 games played during the 2011 season.
Other defensive players that didn’t make the CFPA watch list, but should still be watched by the fans this coming season, include two newcomers in Virgina natives Deshaun Summer and Taquan Jackson. Summer plays defensive back, while Jackson plays linebacker.
“This is one of the classes that I’ll remember because I get a chance to coach two second generations of kids. I coached Jackson’s father at Hampton, where he was an all-conference running back; and I coached Summer’s father, who also played running back for me,” said Morgan State head coach Don Hill-Eley.
“It just says a lot about the profession, and to be in a profession long enough to be able to coach a father and a son will be something I will always remember,” he added. “It’s a blessing.”
All of the players will get a chance to show off their talents on national television as three different Morgan State games will be televised in 2012. Morgan State’s Sept. 27 matchup vs. North Carolina A&T will air on ESPNU, they will appear on Time Warner Cable SportsNet when they face Buffalo University Sept. 8, followed by a home contest against Delaware State on Oct. 25, also to air on ESPNU.