NEW ORLEANS, La. – One of the best players at the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level, Alabama A&M graduate quarterback Aqeel Glass (St. Louis, Mo.) added to the honors that come with that illustrious career as he became just the second player, and first at the NCAA Division I level, to be presented with the Deacon Jones Trophy as the Black College Football Player of the Year in its six-year history.
 
Presented since 2016, that honor was announced as part of the First Annual HBCU Legacy Bowl festivities this past week and Glass joins NCAA Division II Bowie State's Amir Hall as the only other two-time winner. Previous winners are inaugural honoree and current Chicago Bears running back Tarik Cohen as well as Atlanta Falcon's wide receiver Chris Rowland. Glass remains the only Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) player to win the award.
 
The recipient of the Deacon Jones Trophy, named for the South Carolina State and Mississippi Valley State legend and 1980 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee, is voted on by the five-member selection committee consisting of Black College Football Hall of Fame co-founders James "Shack" Harris and Grambling and National Football League great Doug Williams as well as Power News Radio Network's Ty Miller and ESPN analysts Jay Walker - the 1993 I-AA National Player of the Year – and award winning broadcaster Tiffany Greene.
 
"Aqeel had a phenomenal season under the center for the Bulldogs," said Harris. "He is a great representation of the talented players participating in Black College Football. We wish him well in the next chapter of his football career."
 
Aqeel Glass Season and Career Accomplishments and Accolades
One of the top HBCU quarterbacks in the history of the game, Glass threw for 12,136 yards and 109 touchdowns over the course of his career – marks that have him in the top 15 of the history of the FCS/I-AA level. His touchdowns tie for 11^th all-time while his yardage is 14^th and the second highest among active quarterbacks at the level. Both are fourth among Division I HBCU quarterbacks.
 
In terms of Fall 2021, Glass closed one of the most impressive careers in school and league history with a fitting final campaign, recording 3,568 passing yards, 36 touchdowns and 356.8 yards per game and 160.8 passing efficiency in 10 games.
 
Capping a career that included more than 12,000 passing yards and 100 passing touchdowns, he recorded five games of at least 400 air yards in Fall 2021, including 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.
 
A standout throughout his career, Glass earned a bevy of national and conference honors following his five seasons in Huntsville. Among those are now four National Player of the Year awards, including the Spring 2021 Deacon Jones Award and back-to-back BOXTOROW recognitions in his final two seasons.
 
He also became the first individual in 23 years to repeat as the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Offensive Player of the Year, doing so in Spring 2021 and Fall 2021, seasons that also saw him earn that honor in the league's preseason selections.
 
Glass is also a four-time All-American, earning Stats Perform FCS Third-Team honors this past season along with BOXTOROW First-Team selections in each of his last two campaigns. He was also a BOXTOROW Preseason All-American in Fall 2021. Recognized as one of the top players in the country, he was also a finalist the last two seasons for the prestigious Walter Payton Award representing the top player at the FCS level, finishing 9-of-25 this season and 16-of-25 in the spring.
 
He was the first selection to the Inaugural HBCU Legacy Bowl, was invited to the NFL HBCU Combine and played in the NLFPA Collegiate Bowl in the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California last month. He was also on the 2022 Reese's Senior Bowl Watch List.
 
The 6-5 NFL prospect also garnered major recognition at the conference level, earning back-to-back All-SWAC First-Team honors in 2021 following Second-Team selections in his first two seasons. Those were preceded by First-Team preseason honors in each of the past two years and a Second-Team recognition in 2019. At the media level he was a Spring 2021 Phil Steele All-SWAC Second-Team honoree.
 
In terms of weekly honors, Glass racked up seven from the SWAC, including six Offensive Player of the Week recognitions and one Newcomer of the Week and four national honors. Three times he was the BOXTOROW National Player of the Week and once for Stats Perform FCS.
 
On top of that, he led the Spring 2021 team to the first undefeated season since 1966, a SWAC East Division Title, the first SWAC Championship since 2006 and the first ever HBCU National Championship.
 
Up Next
Following one of the most accomplished careers not just at the HBCU level, but that of FCS itself, Glass will now look to join the ranks of former Bulldogs who have reached the National Football League, beginning with the NFL Draft from April 28-30.
 
About The Black College Football Hall of Fame
The Black College Football Hall of Fame was established in October of 2009 by African-American pioneers and quarterbacks, Pro Bowl MVP James "Shack" Harris and Super Bowl MVP Doug Williams, to preserve the history and honor the greatest football players, coaches and contributors from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). There have been 96 Inductees since inception, including Mel Blount, James Harris, Willie Lanier, Art Shell and Doug Williams, who serve as Trustees.
 
About Deacon Jones
David "Deacon" Jones played defensive end for South Carolina State University and Mississippi Valley State University from 1958 to 1960. Blessed with speed, agility and quickness, the "Deacon" became one of the finest pass rushers in the business. He won unanimous All-NFL honors six straight years from 1965 through 1970 and was selected to eight Pro Bowls. Jones is an inaugural Black College Football Hall of Fame inductee (2010) and is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.