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\nKEVIN L. DORSEY | NORTH CAROLINA A&T ATHLETICS
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\nNorth Carolina A&T center Andrew Dorsey, who earned honorable mention preseason All-CAA, started 11 of 12 games for the Aggies in 2025.
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\nKEVIN L. DORSEY | NORTH CAROLINA A&T ATHLETICS
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\nNorth Carolina A&T center Andrew Dorsey, who earned honorable mention preseason All-CAA, started 11 of 12 games for the Aggies in 2025.
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North Carolina A&T football is no longer concerned about proving whether they belong in the Coastal Athletic Association.<\/p>\n
A&T opened practice on July 29.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first step is changing our mentality,\u201d coach Shawn Gibbs said. \u201cFor too long we\u2019ve been trying to prove that we belong and that we can play in this conference. That\u2019s no longer our approach. Our approach isn\u2019t to prove anything to anybody. Our approach is to honor and glorify who we\u2019ve always been. We\u2019re a championship football program. We\u2019re going to start carrying ourselves and conducting ourselves like that.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Aggies have two CAA wins over their first three seasons in the league, with both coming last season. But Gibbs and his staff transformed the roster during the offseason. They announced 38 signings on Signing Day in February, and there are 20 transfers on the roster.<\/p>\n
What hasn\u2019t changed much is the Aggies\u2019 quarterback room. The Aggies will go into camp with a battle at quarterback with five players vying for the job: junior Kevin White, sophomore Braxton Thomas, junior Champ Long, redshirt freshman Jy Walls, and graduate Alston Hooker.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, receiver Elijah Kennedy is one of the Aggies\u2019 most high-profile players. CAA head coaches voted Kennedy preseason first-team all-conference as a punt returner. He secured preseason honorable mention all-conference accolades as a kickoff returner. Senior center Andrew Dorsey also earned preseason honorable mention all-conference.<\/p>\n
The Aggies were picked to finish 12th among the CAA\u2019s 13 teams. Rhode Island, who will visit Truist Stadium on Sept. 26, is the favorite, earning 12 first-place votes and 144 total points. Monmouth (119), Elon (115), New Hampshire (106), and Stony Brook (105) round out the top five. Four of the top five teams in the preseason poll are on A&T\u2019s schedule.<\/p>\n
Kennedy has accumulated numerous preseason honors ahead of the Aggies\u2019 debut against Morgan State on Aug. 29. Kennedy also earned preseason All-American honors from FCS Stats Perform, as well as second-team All-American recognition from FCS Football Central.<\/p>\n
Dorsey started 11 of 12 games for the Aggies last season after transferring from Fort Valley State, where he played for Gibbs.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve made a lot of progress in a number of ways,\u201d Gibbs said. \u201cWe brought in a lot more talent. The guys that we had here last year have developed and have become better players, so we\u2019re excited about where we are going.\u201d<\/p>\n
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