HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – Alabama A&M offense has been feared throughout the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) for years and continues to be recognized as senior running back Gary Quarles (Tuscaloosa, Ala.) and senior wide receiver Abdul-Fatai Ibrahim (Miramar, Fla.) have each been named to the BOXTOROW HBCU Preseason All-America Team as announced by that organization on Thursday, August 4.
 
Now in its 16^th season, BOXTOROW has named its top 29 players on offense, defense and special teams for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU).
 
Gary Quarles, Running Back
Pound-for-pound, one of the best tailbacks at the FCS level, Quarles earns his first BOXTOROW Preseason All-American honor after a Fall 2021 season that saw him hammer Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) defenses.
 
He led the league in yards per game (95.5) and rushing touchdowns (10) while finishing third in yards (955), the latter coming in just 10 outings. A staple on the field, the 5-6 running back almost never left the field while carrying 205 times and adding 21 catches for 224 yards. All together he would finish with 1,179 all-purpose yards and notch five rushing touchdowns.
 
Among his tremendous performances was 101 yards and a score in a 30-27 victory at Bethune-Cookman (9/16). That would be a game that aired on ESPNU, was played in a driving rainstorm and earned him SWAC Offensive Player of the Week (9/20), the first of his career.
 
He also delivered a career-high 164 yards and a pair of TDs against Tuskegee (9/25) in Mobile, Alabama and exploded for 162 yards on a career-best 35 carries at Texas Southern (11/13). The latter would see him score a pair of touchdowns and he also caught four balls for a personal best 80 yards to account for 242 scrimmage yards in a thrilling 52-49 victory.
 
Quarles has already been named a First-Team All-SWAC selection entering the year and has previously been named a BOXTOROW Postseason All-American Honorable Mention.
 
Abdul-Fatai Ibrahim, Wide Receiver
The legend of Ibrahim continues to grow as he has gone from former tryout participant and freshman walk-on to a now nine-time All-American.
 
In order, those All-American honors come from Hero Sports (2019 FCS Freshman), BOXTOROW (Spring 2021 Preseason, Spring 2021 First-Team), American Football Coaches Association (Spring 2021 Second-Team), Hero Sports (Spring 2021 Sophomore) and BOXTOROW (Fall 2021 Preseason, Fall 2021 First-Team), Stats Perform FCS (2022 Preseason Third-Team).
 
Each has been well deserved and this one is no different. Ibrahim delivered a special Fall 2021 season as he was one of just 16 players at the FCS level to hit the 1,000-yard plateau (1,008), ranking No. 15 in the nation. Additionally, he led the SWAC in yards receiving by nearly 100 and also topped the conference with a mark of 100.8 per game as the only player to average triple digits.
 
His 6.7 catches per game and 67 receptions were second and his eight touchdowns were sixth. Nationally, his receiving yards per game ranked fifth with his receptions per game and total receiving yards ranking eighth and 15^th respectively.
 
Ibrahim would be a human-highlight reel throughout the year, 177 yards on eight snags against Tuskegee (9/25), 133 with a career-high 10 catches the following week at Grambling (10/2) and 104 with a score against Alabama State (10/30) in the Magic City Classic. In the final two games of the season he snagged 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 catches, two of which he would take all the way, against Arkansas-Pine Bluff (11/20).
 
Coming into 2022 he has also been named an All-SWAC Preseason First-Team selection along with his Stats Perform FCS Preseason All-American Third-Team honor.
 
UP NEXT
A&M and Ibrahim return to action as they kick off the season under the lights at Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) member Alabama-Birmingham (UAB) on Thursday, September 1. Stay tuned to www.AAMUSports.com, the official online home of Bulldogs Athletics, for complete coverage of the 2022 season.
 
2022 BOXTOROW HBCU PRESEASON ALL-AMERICAS
OFFENSE
QB: Shedeur Sanders, Jackson State, So., Canton, Texas
RB: Gary Quarles, Alabama A&M, Sr., Tuscaloosa, Ala.
RB: Caleb Johnson, Mississippi Valley St., R-Jr., Memphis, Tenn.
RB: J.J. Davis, Norfolk State, R-So., Cincinnati, Ohio
OL: Quindonte Bobo, Bowie State, Sr., White Plains, Md.
OL: Robert Lacey, Tennessee State, Sr., Mobile, Ala.
OL: Dallas Black, Southern,  R-Jr., New Orleans, La.
OL: Mark Evans, II, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Sr., Houston, Texas
OL: Tony Gray, Jackson State, R-Sr., Loganville, Ga.
TE: Kemari Averett, Bethune-Cookman, Sr., Atlanta, Ga.
WR: Abdul-Fatai Ibrahim, Alabama A&M, Sr., Miramar, Fla.
WR: Shaquan Davis, South Carolina State, R-Jr., Summerville, S.C.
 
DEFENSE
DL: Jason Dumas, Southern, Sr., Vacherie, La.
DL: Jeblonski Green, South Carolina State, R-Jr., Lamar, S.C.
DL: Jordan Lewis, Southern, Jr., Ocala, Fla.
DL: Sundiata Anderson, Grambling State, Jr., College Park, Ga.
LB: Isaiah Land, Florida A&M, R-Sr., Buffalo, N.Y.
LB: Aubrey Miller, Jr., Jackson State, Sr., Memphis, Tenn.
LB: Jacob Roberts, North Carolina A&T, Sr., Charlotte, N.C.
DB: BJ Bohler, Florida A&M, R-Sr., Ocoee, Fla.
DB: Shilo Sanders, Jackson State, R-So., Canton, Texas
DB: Brandon Barnes-Brown, Fayetteville State, Gr., Charlotte, N.C.
DB: Omari Hill-Robinson, Bethune-Cookman, Sr., Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
DB: Irshaad Davis, Alabama State, Jr., Carol City, Fla.
 
SPECIALISTS
P: Matt Noll, Delaware State, So., Robesonia, Pa.
PK: Jose Romo-Martinez, Florida A&M, Gr., Banning, Calif.
PR: Brandon Codrington, North Carolina Central, Jr., Raleigh, N.C.
KR: Isaiah Bolden, Jackson State, Sr., Tampa, Fla.
RS: Brandon Codrington, North Carolina Central, Jr., Raleigh, N.C.
RS: Dayron Johnson, Tennessee State, Jr., Springfield, Tenn.