HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – Another impressive campaign for Alabama A&M football has produced significant honors once again as the program has landed 10 selections on the prestigious Phil Steele All-Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Team, headlined by graduate quarterback Aqeel Glass (St. Louis, Mo.) being named Player of the Year as announced by that organization on Tuesday, January 11.
 
In addition to that honor, Glass is one of four Bulldogs to land on the First-Team, joining senior running back Gary Quarles (Cottondale, Ala.), junior wideout Abdul-Fatai Ibrahim (Miramar, Fla.) and junior wide receiver Odieu Hilaire (Belle Glade, Fla.).
 
Senior wide receiver Dee Anderson (Dallas, Texas) was named to the Second-Team with Hilaire doubling up as a return man on the Third-Team along with redshirt-senior tight end Kendric Johnson (New Market, Ala.) and junior offensive lineman Jonathan Williams (Mobile, Ala.). Graduate linebacker Armoni Holloway (Pinson, Ala.) represented the defense on the Fourth-Team as did graduate long snapper Abram Jones (Huntsville, Ala.).
 
AQEEL GLASS - FIRST-TEAM QUARTERBACK
Glass delivered one of the most impressive seasons in program history, earning 12 separate awards, landing on four prominent watch lists and was the first ever selection to the Inaugural HBCU Legacy Bowl. Among those honors were four All-American selections and finishing ninth in the country in the Walter Payton Award voting, an award that represents the top player at the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS).
 
In the Fall 2021 campaign he recorded 3,568 passing yards, 36 touchdowns and 356.8 yards per game and 160.8 passing efficiency in 10 games. That capped a career that included more than 12,000 passing yards and 109 passing touchdowns and five games of at least 400 air yards. That included resetting the program's NCAA Division I Era record twice with 446 and four touchdowns at Grambling (10/2) and 462 with five scores at Texas Southern (11/13). Additionally, he added a pair of games of more than 300 yards passing with four TDs in each.
 
As a result of those accomplishments, and the litany of honors throughout his five-year career, Glass is also one of two Bulldogs selected to participate in the NFL HBCU Combine from January 28-29.
 
GARY QUARLES – FIRST-TEAM RUNNING BACK
Quarles was A&M's workhorse back throughout the year, leading the SWAC in rushing touchdowns (10) and yards per game (95.5) while earning BOXTOROW All-American Honorable Mention and All-SWAC First-Team.
 
On the year he racked up 955 total yards on the ground behind those 205 carries, good for second in the league, and added 21 catches for 224 yards. Altogether, he accounted for 1,179 all-purpose yards and surpassed the 100-yard rushing mark five times on the season.
 
Highlighting his Fall 2021 campaign were the first three games seeing him compile 129 yards and a touchdown against South Carolina State (9/4), 101 and a score at Bethune-Cookman (9/16) and a career-high 164 yards and a pair of TDs against Tuskegee (9/25) in Mobile, Alabama.
 
Quarles pounded out 126 yards in a 42-28 victory over rival Alabama State (10/30) in the Magic City Classic before running wild for 162 yards on a career-best 35 carries at Texas Southern (11/13). He would also score a pair of touchdowns in each game while snagging four balls for a personal best 80 yards in the latter. That would bring his total to 242 scrimmage yards in the 52-49 victory at the Tigers.
 
ODIEU HILAIRE – FIRST-TEAM WIDE RECEIVER/THIRD-TEAM SPECIALIST
Hilaire was a two-way threat all year long and was recognized for those efforts with a pair of Phil Steele All-SWAC honors.
 
As a wideout he was named a BOXTOROW All-American and All-SWAC First-Team while leading the league in receptions with 71 and catches per game at 7.1, that going with 91.8 yards per game and 918 receiving yards. The latter two were good for second and third in the SWAC, respectively.
 
In 10 games, the speedy receiver finished fifth in catches per game at the FCS level (7.1) and was 13^th in receiving yards per game (91.8), 19^th in receiving touchdowns and 22^nd in total receiving yards. With the latter, he was one of just three individuals to land in the top 22 while playing just 10 games.

Individually, Hilaire recorded at least six catches in seven games, highlighted by a career-best 12 for 122 yards and a pair of touchdowns at Texas Southern (11/13). He also hauled in 10 catches for a then career-high 161 yards and a score at Grambling (10/2) and 10 the following week for 117 yards and a TD against Jackson State (10/9).
 
He would cap the 2021 season with eight catches for a career-best 162 yards, 62 of which came on a touchdown, against Arkansas-Pine Bluff (11/20) at Louis Crews Stadium. Hilaire also added a pair of kickoff returns for 26 yards and five punt returns for 11 yards.
 
ABDUL-FATAI IBRAHIM – FIRST-TEAM WIDE RECEIVER
A seven-time All-American over the course of a three-year career that started as a tryout, walk-on receiver, Ibrahim was one of the most dangerous wideouts in the country in Fall 2021 as he was one of just 16 individuals to surpass 1,000 yards on the year.
 
He finished 15^th in the country in that category with 1,008 yards to lead the SWAC and was one of just two players to accomplish the feat in only 10 games. Named a BOXTOROW All-American, Ibrahim also led the league with an average of 100.8, good enough for fifth in the country and the league lead. Additionally, he finished second in the SWAC in receptions per game at 6.7, hauling in 67 on the year – eight of which went for scores.
 
Among his top performances were 177 yards on eight grabs against Tuskegee (9/25), 133 with a career-best 10 catches the following week at Grambling (10/2) and 104 with a TD against Alabama State (10/30) in the Magic City Classic.
 
He saved his best performances for the final two games of the campaign, however, snagging eight balls for 176 yards and a pair of scores - including one from 81 yards out - at Texas Southern (11/13) and 115 yards on seven grabs, two of which he would take to the house, against Arkansas-Pine Bluff (11/20) in the season finale.
 
On the year he was also named College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-District and All-SWAC First-Team.
 
DEE ANDERSON – SECOND-TEAM WIDE RECEIVER
A huge 6-6 target, Anderson delivered in his only season in the Maroon and White, hauling in an impressive 12 touchdowns to go with 493 yards on just 33 catches.
 
At one point late in the season he tied for the national lead in touchdown catches before finishing eighth overall, accomplishing that in just nine games. His total was just three behind the leaders who played in 12 and 15 games, respectively. He also ranked No. 22 in scoring and No. 26 in total touchdowns nationally while leading the SWAC in both of those categories as well as receiving TDs.
 
Individually, Anderson delivered three games with three touchdowns, including against Tuskegee (9/25), at Grambling (10/2) and vs. Mississippi Valley State (11/6). The latter would see him snag a career-high seven catches for a personal best 122 yards and he would earn SWAC Co-Offensive Player of the Week on November 8 following that game.
 
He has since been selected to participate in the NFL HBCU Combine, one of just 40 individuals nationwide to have that opportunity. Additionally, he is the only player to be slotted as a tight end for that two-day event that will feature decision makers from all 32 National Football League (NFL) teams.
 
KENDRIC JOHNSON – THIRD-TEAM TIGHT END
Another big target, Johnson earned Third-Team honors following a season that saw him see action in nine games while helping A&M to a 7-3 overall record.
 
On the year he hauled in 14 catches for 208 yards, including a pair of scores. One of his best performances came in a 42-41 season-opening victory over South Carolina State (9/4) where he snagged three balls for 55 yards and a key touchdown.
 
Johnson would top that in the biggest game of the year as he finished with three catches, 63-yards and a score in a 42-28 victory over rival Alabama State (10/30) in the Magic City Classic.
 
JONATHAN WILLIAMS – THIRD-TEAM OFFENSIVE LINE
A staple on the Bulldogs offensive line, Williams helped anchor one of the top offenses in the country.
 
Over the course of a 10-game season, Alabama A&M notched six marks within the Top-15 in the NCAA National Stats, with four of those coming in the Top-10. Leading the way is a No. 3 ranking in Fourth Down Conversion (.727) followed by the No. 4 Passing Offense (367.2) and No. 7 Scoring Offense (37.9).
 
They are also No. 5 in Passing Efficiency (159.42), No. 12 in Passing Yards Per Completion (13.86), No. 23 in First Down Offense (252) and No. 18 in Red Zone Offense (.875). Every single one of those categories also leads the SWAC and starts with the offensive line clearing a path and providing enough time to get the job done.
 
For good measure, A&M is also No. 21 in Completion Percentage (.624), good for second in the league, and No. 19 in Time of Possession (32:17) which is third in the SWAC.
 
On top of that, they have blocked for the league's only finalist for the prestigious Walter Payton Award as the top offensive player at the FCS level in Aqeel Glass, the league's leading scorer in wide receiver Anderson and the SWAC's leading rusher in Quarles.
 
ARMONI HOLLOWAY – FOURTH TEAM LINEBACKER
Holloway led Alabama A&M with 43 tackles, 26 of them solo to tie for the team lead. Additionally, he recorded a sack for 11 yards, two tackles for loss and recovered a fumble.
 
A thumper in the middle of the Bulldogs' lineup, Holloway recorded at least five tackles in seven of the nine games he played in, including eight tackles against Alabama State (10/30), earning him Defensive MVP honors in the Magic City Classic. He also registered eight stops, four solo, at Texas Southern (11/13) and had six tackles and a sack at Grambling (10/2).
 
Prior to the season he was named All-SWAC Preseason Second-Team at linebacker.
 
ABRAM JONES – FOURTH-TEAM LONG SNAPPER
One of the more unique positions on the field, Abram Jones did his job by looking at the world upside down while firing the ball back to a kicker or punter – and he did it well.
 
Not only a part of the success of the offensive line, and by association the offense as a whole, Jones was a key member of the Bulldog's successful special team's unit. That would see him credited with appearances in five games where he snapped for 23 punts, two of which landed inside the 20-yardline and three that cleared at least 50 yards.
 
He was also responsible for snaps that led to a perfect 20-of-20 on extra points and 4-of-4 on field goals, including three key ones in a driving rainstorm that fueled a 30-27 victory at Bethune-Cookman (9/16).
 
ABOUT PHIL STEELE
Since 2001, Phil Steele and the staff at www.DraftScout.com have been the gold standard when it comes to database building and compiling and charting college football prospects. This includes releasing both pre- and postseason All-Conference teams across the college football landscape.
 
Alabama A&M Fall 2021 Phil Steele All-SWAC Football Selections
First-Team (4)
Aqeel Glass, QB
Gary Quarles, RB
Abdul-Fatai Ibrahim, WR
Odieu Hilaire, WR
 
Second-Team (1)
Dee Anderson, WR
 
Third-Team (3)
Odieu Hilaire, RET
Kendric Johnson, TE
Jonathan Williams, OL
 
Fourth-Team (2)
Armoni Holloway, LB
Abram Jones, LS

Fall 2021 Phil Steele All-SWAC Football Teams