2024 “All-North Carolina” College Football Team
(Defense)
By David Glenn
North Carolina Sports Network
Throughout the 2024 football season, the North Carolina Sports Network tracked the careers of more than 1,000 college players who were products of the North Carolina high school ranks.
This year’s all-state squad is led by college superstars such as UNC running back Omarion Hampton (Clayton Cleveland), a two-time All-American for the Tar Heels, and Georgia linebacker Jalon Walker (Salisbury High), a 2024 first-team All-American who helped the Bulldogs to the Southeastern Conference championship and a spot in this year’s College Football Playoff.
Below are NCSN’s 2024 “All-North Carolina” college football team honorees on defense, divided among our first-, second- and third-team selections, plus honorable mentions.
(For NCSN’s 2024 honorees on offense, please click HERE.)
Players from all NCAA conferences and divisions were eligible for this team, although there was a heavy focus on those competing in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) or the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), where programs offer more scholarships and, generally speaking, play against much higher-caliber competition than those in Division Two and especially Division Three (where athletic scholarships aren’t offered).
Each player is listed with his position, 2024 eligibility status (mostly seniors and juniors, with those who took a redshirt year also indicated as such), college team(s), athletic-based honors and North Carolina high school affiliation.
Reminder: Many in-state college stars attended out-of-state high schools. They are not eligible for this team, which is designed to both celebrate North Carolina’s high school football products and explore which college programs are doing the best jobs of signing and developing those in-state stars.
This 2024 “All-North Carolina” college football team was selected after consultation with college coaches, NFL scouts, media members and university media relations representatives.
NOTE: NCSN’s 2023 “All-North Carolina” college football team, led by former UNC star quarterback Drake Maye (Charlotte Myers Park) and former NC State star linebacker Payton Wilson (Hillsborough Orange), can be found HERE. Both players are now starting in the National Football League.
2024 “All-North Carolina” College Football Team*
FIRST-TEAM DEFENSE
DE: James Pearce Jr., Jr., Tennessee
2x 1st-team All-SEC, Charlotte Chambers
DT: Aeneas Peebles, r-Sr., Virginia Tech (Duke 2020-23)
2024/2023 1st/3rd-team All-ACC, Knightdale High
DT: Jahvaree Ritzie, Sr. North Carolina
2024 3rd-team All-ACC, 2-year starter, Kernersville Glenn
DE: Davin Vann, r-Sr., NC State
2024/2023 3rd-team/HM All-ACC, 3-year starter, Cary High
LB: Jalon Walker, Jr., Georgia
2024 1st-team All-American, 2nd-team All-SEC, Salisbury High
LB: Power Echols, Sr., North Carolina
2024/2023/2022 HM/3rd-team/HM All-ACC, 3-year starter, Charlotte Chambers
LB: Tre Freeman, r-Jr., Duke
2023/2024 2nd-team/HM All-ACC, 2-year starter; Northern Durham
S: Terry Moore, Jr., Duke
2024 2nd-team All-ACC, 2-year starter, Washington High
S: Brandon Johnson, Sr., Oregon (Duke 2021-23)
2024 HM All-Big Ten; 2x HM All-ACC, 3-year starter, Newton-Conover High
CB: Aydan White, r-Sr., NC State
2022/2023 1st/3rd-team All-ACC, 3-year starter, Asheville Christ School
CB: Shavon Revel Jr., r-Sr., East Carolina (Louisburg 2020-21)
2023 2nd-team All-AAC, injured 2024, Pfafftown Reagan
P: Eddie Czaplicki, Sr., Southern Cal (Arizona State 2021-22)
2024 Ray Guy Award winner/A-A, 4-year starter, Charlotte Providence
SECOND-TEAM OFFENSE
DE: Santana Hopper, r-So., Appalachian State (Tulane in 2025)
2024/2023 1st-team/HM All-Sun Belt, 2-year starter, Shelby High
DT: Payton Page, Sr., Clemson
2024 3rd-team All-ACC, Greensboro Dudley
DT: Zeek Biggers, Sr., Georgia Tech
2023/2024 HM All-ACC, 2-year starter; Mt Ulla West Rowan
DE: Justin Reed, Sr., Navy
2024 2nd-team All-AAC, 2-year starter, Apex Friendship
LB: Sean Brown, r-Jr., NC State
2024 HM All-ACC, 2-year starter at S/LB, Cornelius Hough
LB: Stefon Thompson, r-Jr., Syracuse/Nebraska (FSU in 2025)
2-year starter for Orange, Charlotte Vance
LB: Brendan Harrington, r-Sr., Appalachian State
2x HM All-Sun Belt, 3-year starter, Pittsboro Northwood
S: Caleb Curtain, r-Jr., Elon (Charlotte in 2025)
2023 FCS All-American, 2x 1st-team All-CAA, Greensboro Grimsley
S: John Saunders Jr., r-Sr., Ole Miss (Miami-Ohio 2020-22)
3-year starter, High Point Christian
CB: Tamarcus Cooley, r-Fr., NC State (Maryland 2023/in portal)
2024 starter, Rolesville High
CB: Isaiah Brown-Murray, r-So., ECU (Virginia Tech in 2025)
2-year starter, Cornelius Hough
P: Palmer Williams, So., Baylor
2024 1st-team All-Big 12, 2-year starter, Mocksville Davie County
THIRD-TEAM DEFENSE
DE: Marquise Fleming, r-Sr., Wingate
2024 Gene Upshaw Award winner, 2x D2 A-A, 3-year starter, Charlotte Olympic
DT: Aaron Hall, r-Sr., Duke
2024 HM All-ACC, Durham Southern
DT: Elijah Morris, r-Sr., East Carolina
4-year starter, Fayetteville Sanford
DE: Brayden Manley, So., Mercer (Georgia Tech in 2025)
2024 2nd-team FCS All-American; SoCon DPOY, Vanceboro West Craven
LB: Benari Black, Sr., Johnson C Smith (UNC Pembroke 2021)
2024 D2 1st-team All-American, CIAA DPOY, 3-year starter, West Charlotte
LB: Jaki Brevard, r-Sr., NC Central
2024 D2 A-A, 2024/2022 1st-/2nd-team All-MEAC, 3-year starter, Durham Southern
LB: William McRainey, r-Sr., ETSU (Gardner-Webb 2020-23)
2x 1st-team All-Big South, 4-year starter, Shallotte West Brunswick
S: Malcolm Reed, Jr., NC Central
2024 HBCU HM A-A, 1st-team All-MEAC, 2-year starter, Raleigh Cardinal Gibbons
S: Mateo Sudipo, r-Sr., Western Carolina (Coastal Carolina 2019-21)
2024 2nd-team All-SoCon, 2-year starter, Wake Forest High
CB: Jaidyn Denis, r-Sr., Memphis (Elon 2020-23)
2023 FCS All-American, 2-year starter, Charlotte Mallard Creek
CB: Ethan Johnson, Jr., Appalachian State
2023 2nd-team All-Sun Belt, 2-year starter, Cornelius Hough
P: Jeff Yurk, r-Jr., Elon
2024 1st-team FCS A-A; 2x All-CAA, 3-year starter, Southern Pines Pinecrest
*—must have played majority of prep career for North Carolina-based high school(s) to be eligible
HONORABLE MENTION
Defensive Linemen: Vincent Anthony Jr., Jr., Duke (2-year starter), Durham Jordan; Curt Neal, r-So., Wisconsin/Illinois (2024 starter for Badgers), Cornelius Hough; Bryce Young, Fr., Notre Dame (prominent 2024 backup), Charlotte Christian; JD Lampley, Jr., East Carolina (2024 HM All-AAC), Rockingham Richmond; Chad Stephens, r-Sr., East Carolina (2023 HM All-AAC, 3-year starter), Greensboro Southeast Guilford; Isaac Walker, r-Jr., Georgia Southern (2023 3rd-team All-Sun Belt, 2-year starter, left team midseason 2024), Cornelius Hough; Desmond Evans, r-Sr., North Carolina (3-year starter), Sanford Lee County; CJ Clark, r-Sr., NC State/Miami (2-year starter), New London North Stanly; Keeshawn Silver, r-.Jr., UNC/Kentucky/Southern Cal (2024 starter for Wildcats), Rocky Mount High; Cazeem Moore, Jr., Elon/Virginia (2024 2nd-team All-CAA, 2-year starter for Phoenix), Vanceboro West Craven; Arias Nash, Jr., Mercer/Virginia Tech (2024 2nd-team All-SoCon for Bears), Cramerton Cramer; DeAndre Dingle-Prince, r-Sr., Appalachian State/NC A&T (2-year starter; DNP 2024), Sanford Lee County; Jaden Taylor, r-Sr., Mercer/NC Central (2023/2024 1st-/2nd-team All-MEAC, 4x All-MEAC, 4-year starter), Northern Durham; Jamae Blank, r-Sr., UNC Pembroke/Chowan (2023 D2 All-American, 3-year starter), Southern Durham; Julian Rawlins, Sr., Davidson (2024 1st-team All-Pioneer, 2-year starter), Cornelius Hough.
Linebackers: Jaylon Sharpe, r-Sr., Charlotte/UT Martin (2024/2023 1st-/2nd-team All-Big South/OVC, 2-year starter), Mint Hill Rocky River; Jalen Brooks, r-Jr., UNC/Campbell (2024 2nd-team All-CAA for Camels), Raleigh Cardinal Gibbons; Ben Cutter, So., West Virginia (2023 Big 12 Defensive FOY), Denver East Lincoln; CJ Tillman, Sr., Campbell (injured 2024, 2023 3rd-team All-CAA, 2022 2nd-team All-Big South), Rockingham Richmond; Zach West, r-Sr., ETSU (2024 2nd-team All-SoCon), Boone Watauga; Hamilton Moore, Sr., Yale/Lamar (2x All-Ivy, 3-year starter), Raleigh Enloe; AJ Richardson, r-So., Norfolk State/NC State (2024/2023 1st-/2nd-team All-MEAC, 2-year starter for Spartans), Kings Mountain High.
Safeties: Gavin Gibson, Jr., Maryland/ECU/UNC (2024 starter for Pirates), Cornelius Hough; Devan Boykin, r-Jr., NC State/portal (2023 HM All-ACC, injured 2024), Jamestown Ragsdale; Jacquez Warren, r-Sr., Miami-Ohio/Robert Morris (4-year starter), Southern Durham.
Cornerbacks: Jason Chambers, Jr., NC Central/App State/portal (2023 1st-team All-MEAC for Eagles, 3-year starter), Matthews Butler; Kendren Smith, r-Sr. Penn/Virginia (2x All-Ivy, 4-year starter), Charlotte Mallard Creek; Donovan Platt, r-So., Army (2024 starter), Jamestown Ragsdale.
Punters: Bryce McFerson, r-So., Notre Dame/Maryland (2024 HM All-Big Ten, 2-year starter), Indian Trail Metrolina Christian; Caden Noonkester, r-Sr., NC State (2-year starter), Waxhaw Marvin Ridge.
