Alabama State's Andrew Body had a phenomenal season opener versus the University of Alabama Birmingham, and is getting high recognition. Body was named the Stats Perform HBCU National Player for Week 1. Honorable mentions for the honor were Joshua Iseah, LB, North Carolina A\&T; Quincy Ivory, DE, Jackson State; Chris Mosley, RB, North Carolina Central; and Kendric Rhymes, RB, Tennessee State.
Body put on an impressive performance that nearly led the Hornets to an upset victory. He completed 18 of 24 passes for 312 yards and four touchdowns, while also rushing for 119 yards and another touchdown on 16 carries. Even when UAB seemed to have the game in hand, Body kept fighting, giving the Hornets one last chance.
In HBCU sports, Body is known as one of the top quarterbacks in the game. Standing at 6-foot-1 and hailing from Corpus Christi, Texas, he first made waves playing for the Texas Southern Tigers before transferring to Alabama State. During his three seasons at Texas Southern, he threw for 2,839 yards and 15 touchdowns, completing 222 of 383 passes with a 57.9% accuracy. He also proved his versatility as a dual-threat quarterback, rushing for 867 yards and scoring five touchdowns on the ground.
In 2022, Body earned a spot on the Preseason All-SWAC Second Team, following an impressive 2021 season where he set a single-season total offense record, averaging 265.9 yards per game. That year, he ranked second in the SWAC and fourth in TSU history for single-season passing yards with 2,017 yards. Despite his achievements, injuries have frequently impacted his career.
During the 2022 season, Body injured his shoulder, which caused him to miss most of the 2023 season after playing in Texas Southern's Labor Day Classic. He decided to take a medical redshirt year to recover and later transferred to Alabama State. Unfortunately, injuries continued to plague him, including one sustained in Alabama State's opener against North Carolina Central during last year's Orange Blossom Classic, cutting short another strong performance.
