CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Campbell's Darion Slade has been named 2021 Preseason All-Big South, leading four Camels earning preseason league honors, announced today at the Big South Conference's Football Media Day.

Additionally, quarterback Hajj-Malik Williams, tight end Julian Hill, and linebacker Justice Galloway-Velazquez all picked up honorable mention accolades, while Campbell was picked fifth in the eight-team Big South preseason poll.

Campbell is coming off an abbreviated four-game, all-FBS schedule in the fall of 2020, taking on Georgia Southern, Coastal Carolina, Appalachian State and Wake Forest. 2020 marked Campbell's 13th season since bringing football back to Buies Creek in 2008. After competing in the fall, CU didn't participate in the FCS spring season.

Monmouth, led by 15 Preseason All-Big South selections, was picked to win its third straight Big South title, earning 16 of the 18 available first place votes. Monmouth's Juwon Farri and Anthony Budd were also named preseason offensive and defensive players of the year, respectively.

Kennesaw State followed the Hawks in the poll (117 points), coming in second while collecting a first place vote. Big South newcomer North Carolina A&T was picked third (100), while Charleston Southern came in fourth (85), despite garnering a first place vote.

Campbell's 82 points came in just behind the Buccaneers for fifth, followed by Gardner-Webb (59). Hampton (35) and Robert Morris (29) rounded out the poll.

See the full list of preseason honorees, as well as the full preseason poll, below.

Slade, a two-time All-Big South performer, was named Preseason All-Big South for the second straight season. The redshirt senior posted a team-high 38 tackles, adding 1.0 stop for loss, a breakup and a QB hurry during the abbreviated 2020 season. A Winston-Salem, N.C. native, Slade combined for 23 tackles over CU's final two games of the year at Appalachian State and Wake Forest.

After being named Preseason Big South Offensive Player of the Year prior to the 2020 season, Williams, a former freshman All-American, produced 878 yards of total offense in four games, passing for 662 yards and three touchdowns, while rushing for a team-high 216 yards and four TDs. The junior from Atlanta, Ga. was named FCS Player of the Week by Stats Perform after week one, collecting 310 yards of total offense (237 passing, 73 rushing) at Georgia Southern with three touchdowns (two passing, one rushing).

Hill enjoyed a breakout campaign in the fall, hauling in six passes for 102 yards in addition to helping push the Camels' rushing attack. The Fayetteville, N.C. native picked up a career-high 65 yards on three catches, including a long of 30, in Campbell's season opener at Georgia Southern.

After missing the 2020 campaign due to injury, Galloway-Velazquez was named Preseason All-Big South for the second straight season. During his last season on the field, Galloway-Velazquez set a Campbell single season record with 111 tackles in 2019, recording 10 or more tackles six times, including a career-high 18 against Kennesaw State. He was a two-time Big South Defensive Player of the Week, also earning a FCS Defensive Player of the Week honorable mention nod.

Slade and Williams, along with ninth year head coach Mike Minter, represented Campbell at Big South Football Media Day, which returned to an in-person event this season.

The Camels will open the 2021 season at FBS-member Liberty on September 4. CU will make its home debut on September 11 at 6:00 p.m. against Elon, 665 days since last hosting a football game at Barker-Lane Stadium (vs. No. 15 Monmouth, November 16, 2019).

2021 Big South Football Preseason All-Conference Teams

PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE FIRST-TEAM
OFFENSE

QB	Tony Muskett, Monmouth
RB	Juwon Farri, Monmouth
RB	Jah-Maine Martin, North Carolina A&T
WR	Lonnie Moore IV, Monmouth
WR	Terrance Greene Jr., Monmouth
WR	Jadakis Bonds, Hampton
TE	Gene Scott, Monmouth
OL	AJ Farris, Monmouth
OL	Justin Szuba, Monmouth
OL	Jake Lassiter, Kennesaw State
OL	Mahmoud Shabana, Monmouth
OL	Manny Christian, Monmouth

 
DEFENSE

DL	Shaundre Mims, Charleston Southern
DL	Ty French, Gardner-Webb
DL	Jermaine McDaniel, North Carolina A&T
DL	Kahari Scarlett, Monmouth
LB	Da'Quan Grimes, Monmouth
LB	Aniello Buzzacco, Robert Morris
LB	Eddie Hahn IV, Monmouth
LB	Kyin Howard, North Carolina A&T
DB	Anthony Budd, Monmouth
DB	Cody Cline, Charleston Southern
DB	Darion Slade, Campbell
DB	Justin Terry, Monmouth

 
SPECIAL TEAMS

PK	Nathan Robertson, Kennesaw State
P	Joe Gurley, North Alabama
LS	Kent Vines, Monmouth
KR	Isaac Foster, Kennesaw State
PR	Isaac Foster, Kennesaw State

PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE HONORABLE MENTION

QB	Hajj-Malik Williams, Campbell
RB	Isaac Foster, Kennesaw State (tie)
RB	Narii Gaither, Gardner-Webb (tie)
WR	Korey Banks, North Carolina A&T (tie)
WR	Dexter Boykin, North Alabama (tie)
TE	Julian Hill, Campbell
OL	Clayton Frady, Gardner-Webb
DL	Erik Massey, Monmouth
LB	Justice Galloway-Velazquez, Campbell
DB	Eddie Morales III, Monmouth
P	Ryan Kost, Monmouth
LS	Ethan Ray, Charleston Southern
KR	Lonnie Moore IV, Monmouth
PR	Eddie Morales III, Monmouth

PRESEASON OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Juwon Farri, R-Jr., RB, Monmouth (Gaithersburg, Md.)

PRESEASON DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Anthony Budd, R-Sr., DB, Monmouth (Riverdale, Md.)
 

2021 Preseason Poll (first-place votes)	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	Points
1. Monmouth (16)	16	1	1	-	-	-	-	-	141
2. Kennesaw State (1)	1	9	6	2	-	-	-	-	117
3. North Carolina A&T	-	7	4	2	3	1	1	-	100
4. Charleston Southern (1)	1	-	3	5	7	2	-	-	85
5. Campbell	-	1	3	7	3	3	-	1	82
6. Gardner-Webb	-	-	1	2	4	7	2	2	59
7. Hampton	-	-	-	-	-	4	9	5	35
8. Robert Morris	-	-	-	-	1	1	6	1	29

Note: points are based on a weighted system, with first-place votes receiving 8 points, followed by 7 points for second-place, and so on.