November 21st, 2025 1:00am
Its playoff season!
The conference took a major step forward when it came to playoffs, as both teams who made the playoffs have home games. I know that has not happened in recent years. VUU went into the championship game at a projected two seed and that isn’t unheard of, but JCSU going into that game as a project seed was very notable. That distinction is overshadowed by Johnson C. Smith winning their first title in over 50 years. The job that HC Maurice Flowers has done has been nothing short of remarkable in taking big steps every year since he took the helm. VUU stands on their own despite last weekend’s loss as they are one of a handful of teams across the country that made it to playoffs for the fourth straight season. The result of the championship game was merely flipping positions and wasn’t a significant penalty for VUU.
Fayetteville State ended up being the first team out of the playoffs, a remarkable feat for a team that started 0-3 (including a loss to FCS NC Central). The Broncos got bumped largely because of the Northeast-10’s Bentley taking a slot via their win against At-Large participant and conference foe Assumption.
Transfer Portal
The transfer portal is alive and well, and notable big names in the conference have entered the portal seeking to consider their options elsewhere. Last year, there was a roughly 50 percent conversion rate on players finding new programs, many of them transferring to other Division II Schools. Many of them didnt find a new home and it didnt appear that they returned to their old school to play either. Be guided by this number however it helps. A new tracker for this year can be found here: 2025 CIAA Transfer Portal - D2 Message Board
All-Snub Team
Last Friday, the CIAA released their all-conference first and second team. Some selections were rather predictable, like VUU’s Curtis Allen winning the Offensive Player of the Year and Livingstone DL Kenyon Garner winning the Defensive Player of the Year. Other selections were a little more of a head scratcher. As such, it is with much fanfare that I bring out my annual “All Snub Team”, or players who had notable seasons that were all conference performers but did not make the teams.
9th Annual All Snub Team
QB – Daylin Lee, WSSU (23 TD passes led all passers, 28 total TDs)
RB – Traquan Johnson, ECSU (853 yards of total offense)
WR – Kyrie Tyson, Lincoln (43 receptions, 639 yards, 4 TDs)
WR – Davontay Deloatch – WSSU (36 reception, 445 yards in 8 games, slowed by an injury)
LB – Darry Felix, Shaw 82 tackles (led conference) 8.2 tackles a game, 2 sacks
DL Lester McCoy, Lincoln PA – 12.5 tackles for loss, 6 sacks
DL Kobe Pringle, Livingstone – 11.5 tackles for loss, 2 forced fumcles
DL Kaydin Thomas, Fayetteville State – 6 sacks
LB Charles Thompson, Lincoln – 69 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, 2 Interceptions
DB Rontay Dunbar – 8 pass breakups, 2 interceptions (including a pick six)
K John Hernandes-Vargas, FSU (6.4 points per game, 10/13 on FGs was most made in conference, with long of 49)
CIAA Playoffs
In case you missed it, we took a close look at all eight teams in the SR1 bracket on this week's playoff podcast
A brief reminder on the playoffs is that the officiating crew will be from a conference that’s unaffiliated with the two teams. One would think that VUU/Cal’s officiating crew may be from the Mountain East while JCSU/Frostburg would be from the SAC or PSAC. We shall see.
#3 Virginia Union hosting California (PA) Vulcans
VUU hosts Cal PA in a game with relatively similar styles. These two teams that don’t pass the ball a ton, and really lean on the run unless the opponent does not defend the pass game well. The teams have combined for three games with over 300 yards of passing yards. VUU is the most productive rushing team by far, led by RB Curtis Allen. Both teams have good defenses though VUU’s defense has been rather stout. The matchup to watch will be if Cal revives its passing game against VUU’s secondary, a perceived weakness that JCSU exploited last week. Of course, all that could be moot if VUU sidelines the Vulcan’s offense with its stout running game and controls the clock. Advantage: VUU
#2 Johnson C. Smith hosting Frostburg State Bobcats
JCSU and Frostburg State, the Mountain East Champions, are first time entrants into playoff field. The Bobcats are stout on offense – QB Jordan Brooks completed 65 percent of his passes for 1724 yards, and there are four receivers with at least 400 receiving yards. Owen Doyle and KJ Smothers have rushed for at least 700 yards apiece. That’s potent. The defense is just as strong, nabbing 13 interceptions and only permitting 5 yards per reception. One notable concern for Frostburg is that they accrue alot of penalties, 80 yards worth on average per game.
At this point, how far JCSU will go will depend on QB Kelvin Durham’s ability to keep the Bobcat defense honest through the air, enough for the Golden Bulls to spring Bobby T. Smith free. One matchup to watch is JCSU’s defense in the redzone, as opponents only score 72 percent of the time. Frostburg’s redzone offense isn’t the strongest in this part of the field, 65 percent conversion rate, with settling for field goals 8 of those times. JCSU’s kicker, Lukasz Smolen, may be an X factor in this game too, and he has a much higher completion rate that Frostburg’s kicking crew.
In the end, my thought is that you will have some initial jitters from both teams, but I do like how JCSU has won games in various ways, including playing from behind. That gives me confidence in them moving to the next round. Advantage: JCSU