WASHINGTON (August 30, 2019) - As the 2019 football season gets underway, the Howard University Bison enter the season in one of the more unusual situations in college football: The Bison return five of the top skill positions in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC).
 
Junior quarterback Cailyn Newton was named the MEAC Preseason Player of the Year, senior wide receivers Jequez Ezzard and Kyle Anthony were selected first team, sophomore running back Dedrick Parson was named to the first team and junior tight end Malik Hyatt was named to the second team.
 
It is a first for Howard to hold that distinction and perhaps the first also for the MEAC.
 
"It is very unusual to have a quarterback, two wide receivers, a running back and a tight end named to the preseason all-league team," said Howard first-year coach Ron Prince. "They all have experience, talent and are students of the game. It is very gratifying."
 
It is especially gratifying for Prince, who has earned a reputation as an offensive-minded coach at the FBS, FCS and NFL level.
 
Newton is the straw that stirs the drink. The 6-0, 195-pound junior from Atlanta, Ga., was the 2017 MEAC Rookie of the Year, who threw for 2,432 yards and ran for 753 more en route to earning rookie of the year honors.
 
He followed his sophomore year throwing for 2,629 yards and 22 TDs to lead the conference in passing for the second straight year. He led the FCS in yards per completion (16.85) while finishing seventh in total offense (313.3) per game.
 
He is a force to be reckoned on the football field as he blends playmaking ability with toughness and a mental preparedness.
 
"He is effective in so many ways," explains QB Coach Ken Merchant in his second year on the staff.  "He is smart, tough as nails and has the ability to extend plays."
 
As for Newton, the younger brother of Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton, he downplays the accolades and is more concerned with team success.
 
"We put up some impressive numbers (over 470 yards per game on offense) last season, but we were 4-6," said Newton, a sport management major who has interned with Under Armour. "I think we all learned some lessons. We were sometimes looking to make the spectacular plays that it often costs us in turnovers. In this new system under Coach Prince, I have learned to value ball protection with my decision making. We have the weapons but we have to make sure that everyone is involved."
 
 
When coaches or teammates talk of Anthony, the label "special" is a recurring theme. The 6-3, 205-pound senior from Miramar, Fla. served notice from his first game as a freshman when he caught two TD passes against Maryland.
 
He went on to catch 40 passes in each of his first two seasons and registered his best season last year by leading the league in receptions with 53 last season.
 
He is regarded as the prototype wide receiver who uses his size, strength and technique to victimize defenders.
 
"Kyle is the epitome of what you are looking for in that position," said co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach Mark Bacote, in his first season. "He is big, physical, very athletic, a hard worker and above all, a leader on and off the field. He has the respect of his teammates and coaches."
 
A marketing major, Anthony has played for three different coaching staffs; however, he says that it has not distracted him from his goals.
 
"At the end of the day, you have to adjust to all types of situations, whether it be in football or in life," he explained. "I work on getting better each year. I spend time in the weight room, I work on my routes, I work on footwork and I study my opponents. I always say that it takes energy, effort and attitude to be successful."  Anthony needs 51 receptions to break the school record of 184 career receptions, held by ironically enough, Gary "Flea" Harrell, former Bison standout and the head coach who recruited him.
 
Ezzard is regarded as one of the most dangerous players at his position in college football. The senior from Atlanta, Ga. led the FCS in with an average of a whopping 26.6 yards per reception. He had 12 TD catches to lead the MEAC while setting a school-record with 223 yards vs. the University of Ohio last season that included a 94-yard TD pass, second longest in school history.
 
"He is a very unique player," says Prince, who has seen some outstanding ones during his career. "He has a compact body and he has speed and athleticism that makes him very explosive."
 
What makes Ezzard so dangerous is his dual ability to catch the short pass and turn it into a score, or to get behind the secondary with his outstanding speed.
 
"I learn a great deal from Kyle," credits Ezzard, a sport management major, of his teammate whom has played alongside for three years. "We work a lot off each other.  I worked a lot in the offseason on ball security, improving my explosiveness and increasing acceleration."
 
Parson is one of the more interesting stories on the team. The 5-11, 190-pound redshirt sophomore from Philadelphia, PA, came to Howard as a walk-on and was redshirted his first year as a wide receiver. He was tried as both a wide receiver and running back last season and was part of a back-by-committee strategy the first five games of last season. Then he emerged, and did he ever, going on to rush for 706 yards and nine TDs while being named the MEAC Rookie of the Year.
 
"The biggest thing with Dedrick is his self-motivation," says RB Coach Da'Vaun Johnson, in his second year on the staff. "I watched him go through the challenges of getting playing time and he never wavered. It is like he knew that he would eventually win the spot."
 
To watch Parson perform is a special treat. He has the ability to find the hole and explode to the second level without hesitation. But one of his biggest assets in the offense is his ability to catch the ball, adding yet another weapon to this high-octane offense.
 
"Playing wide receiver in high school and when I first got here has really helped me," says the sports medicine major, with a psychology minor. "I learned to read coverages and look for matchups against linebackers. It has really helped me elevate my game."
 
Hyatt might be considered the X-factor in the offense. The 6-2, 230-pounder from Gastonia, N.C., came on strong in the second half of the season, finishing with six catches for 127 yards and a TD. Few tight ends have been a part of the Bison passing games over the years, but that figures to change with the talented junior.
 
"He will be a big part of what we do," says Prince. "He is a good blocker in the run game but he has the ability to play vertical as a tight end and place stress on the secondary. Now the linebackers will not be able to cheat, and he will have to be accounted for."
 
The sports medicine major, with a psychology minor, likes where he is headed into this season.
 
"I learned a lot from last season, so I put in the work in the offseason on my craft by getting stronger and understanding the system and the role that I am going to play," said Hyatt. "Whether it is making a key block for the running back or making a catch on third down, I am prepared to do whatever it takes to help this team be successful."
 
While Prince is elated to have such outstanding skill players in the talented quintet, he is especially proud that they all have a 3.0 GPA or better.
 
"These are young men who not only have athletic skills, but they also have leadership off the field among their peers and in the classroom."

Derek W. Bryant, Howard University Athletics Assistant Athletic Director for Media Relations & Sports Information, and Lut Williams of the Black College Sports contributed to this story.