HBCU Offensive Player of the Week, Week 9: Morgan State RB Alfonzo Graham Named One of the Shrine Bowl HBCU Players of the Week

After running wild over the South Carolina State Bulldogs, Morgan State Bears running back Alfonzo Graham has been named one of the Shrine Bowl HBCU Players of the Week. With his third 100+ yard performance and first multi-touchdown game of the year, Graham is putting himself in the FCS shop window ahead of the 2023 NFL Draft.

Week 9 HBCU Offensive Player of the Week: Morgan State RB Alfonzo Graham

South Carolina State entered college football Week 9 with a MEAC-high 11-game conference winning streak. Meanwhile, they hadn’t lost to Morgan State since 2014. By the close of business, the Bears had ended both of their streaks. While a defensive effort that included three turnovers limited the Bulldogs to 14 points, it was the performance of running back Graham that proved the difference in a 41-14 victory.

Graham was named one of the Shrine Bowl HBCU Players of the Week after tallying 123 rushing yards and two touchdowns in a Morgan State win that has the potential to cause chaos in the MEAC. While recording a 35-yard long rush in the dominant victory, Graham ran the rock 18 times, averaging 6.8 yards per carry.

While teammate Duce Taylor opened the scoring with a 2-yard run (the only score in the first quarter), Graham’s 8-yard touchdown run in the second extended Morgan State’s advantage to 17 points. Although the Bulldogs fought back to within three at the half, defensive touchdowns and a field goal sandwiched another Morgan touchdown run that ensured the Bears were out of sight in the fourth quarter.

Graham’s 35-yard fourth-quarter touchdown run showcased many of the attributes that could earn him attention in the 2023 NFL Draft. Taking the handoff around the South Carolina State 39-yard line, the Shrine Bowl HBCU Offensive Player of the Week used his burst and acceleration to escape outside the right tackle and off to the races.

An excellent open-field block sprang a running lane, and Graham used his vision to follow the freshly sprung space before using a killer juke to leave a South Carolina State defensive back in the dirt. From there, he evaded multiple tackles, shifting trajectory to find the end zone for the 35-yard score, his seventh of the season.

The leading rusher in the MEAC in yards per carry (6.21 YPC), yards per game (98.6 YPG), and total rushing yards (789 yards), Graham is one of the most productive running backs in the FCS. While pure statistics aren’t the basis for NFL Draft evaluation, being named as one of the Shrine Bowl HBCU Players of the Week demonstrates that he has the requisite skill set to garner attention at the next level.

“Graham is a great blend of speed, vision, and power,” Draft HBCU Evaluator Maliik Obee told Pro Football Network. As part of their partnership with the Shrine Bowl, Draft HBCU is helping identify and elevate NFL Draft prospects from Historically Black Colleges and Universities. With initiatives including the Shrine Bowl HBCU Players of the Week, they aim to shine a light on the prospects and the programs they represent.

“Graham has a low center of gravity with the ball in his hand,” continues Obee in his assessment of the Morgan State running back. “He’s shifty and keeps his feet churning through contact. Not only one of the better backs in the MEAC but one of the better backs in FCS football.”

Graham has showcased the latter point multiple times this season. He obliterated fellow HBCU program Norfolk State to the tune of 224 total yards and a touchdown. The Morgan State back also made the most of an FBS opportunity, tallying 106 rushing yards, 29 receiving yards, and 42 kick return yards as an all-purpose weapon against Georgia Southern. That game was one of just two this season where he failed to find the end zone.

More than just an impactful playmaker on the football field, Graham has become an off-field influence for many in the local area. A Baltimore native who attracted no FBS offers and wasn’t ranked by the major recruiting sites, his ascension into national attention as one of the Shrine Bowl HBCU Players of the Week helps demonstrate that hard work can breed success, wherever you may be.

“I’ve had the privilege of watching Alfonzo Graham a bit since his last year at Dunbar High School in Baltimore,” Obee reflects on the Morgan State running back. “So to see him blossom into really the face of the city at Morgan is very cool. Graham embodies Baltimore — he’s a tough, undersized back that truly plays bigger than his measurements.”

If he continues to churn out performances like in the college football Week 9 win that earned him recognition as one of the Shrine Bowl HBCU Players of the Week, Graham could be representing the city and making plays at a level bigger than anyone ever imagined he could.