The 2024 North Carolina A&T football team is not focused on the past. The Aggies are coming off a 1-10 season in which they went 0-8 in their first season in the CAA under head coach Vincent Brown.
The slate is now clean with fall and a new season on the horizon for the Aggies.
“It’s a new beginning. New attitude. New focus,” said Brown. “I’m super excited about the kids we have added to our program. I’m seeing growth. We see growth in the classroom. When you see growth in how they conduct themselves in practice and meetings, it translates to your performance on the field. I just know we’re not looking back; we are looking forward.”
CAA head coaches picked N.C. A&T to finish 14th in the 16-team expanded league. But the Aggies are not caught up in what is expected of them from the outside. It’s their own standard that matters, said Brown.
“It’s all about being in the moment,” said Brown.”We are going to operate in the moment, within our strengths, and I’m very confident we will put a product on the field that will make people proud.”
The Aggies hope defensive back Karon Prunty, who enters his third season with the team, will lead a program turnaround. Because of his tremendous skillset, opposing passing games rarely test him. He has pro football potential and has earned numerous accomplishments since entering college football, including accolades in three different conferences.
He earned All-Big 12 honorable mention accolades as a freshman at Kansas, and 247Sports recognized him as a freshman All-American. In 2022, he earned first-team All-Big South Conference and All-American honors from Blue Bloods and BoxToRow. Last season, he was a third-team All-CAA selection.
“Prunty is a Power Five talent,” said Brown. “He’s got length, speed, quickness, and ball skills. Plus, he can tackle. He is the complete package. Most people would rather not test him. We are excited to have him back. There were a lot of teams trying to get him to leave, and however it worked out, he’s still with us, and we’re glad to have him.”
N.C. A&T opens the season at Wake Forest on Thursday, Aug. 29 at 7 p.m.
Courtesy: N.C. A&T Athletics