North Carolina Central is reloading their Celebration Bowl roster in the post-Davius Richard era of the program, as they secured two former Duke University standouts in the transfer portal. Wide receiver Mehki Wall and Safety Isaiah Fisher-Smith are set to join the Eagles this Fall per announcements on their social media accounts.
Wall, a three-star recruit, committed to Duke in 2022. During his tenure with the Blue Devils, he made six receptions for 38 yards. His inaugural collegiate touchdown came against Virginia on November 18, where he secured five of his six career catches for 36 yards. After graduating from high school, he garnered significant attention. He received offers from universities such as UNC, Duke, North Carolina State, Wake Forest, and Syracuse, as well as several other FBS schools like ODU and Liberty. He also drew interest from HBCUs such as Florida A&M, Alabama A&M, Norfolk State, and North Carolina Central’s rival North Carolina A&T.
Wall also shares another special connection with the North Carolina Central program. Per a report by HBCU Gameday, Wall’s father played for North Carolina Central in the 1990s and was teammates with current North Carolina Central head coach Trei Oliver and Norfolk State head coach Dawson Odoms. The familiarity with North Carolina Central and HBCU life likely played a role in his commitment.
Safety Isaiah Fisher-Smith joins Wall at North Carolina Central after showing productivity at Duke with 29 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, and 1 pass breakup. Fisher received high praise for his defensive abilities, including on special teams as he proved adept at blocking punts per a 2020 article in the News & Observer. Then Duke coach David Cutcliffe spoke highly of Fisher’s talents.
“He’s a great athlete. “hat I really think he does well is he can move so quickly and is low to the ground. He can slice in. What you kind of have to do is slice on a punt block, but he’s got a great, great vision. And that was about as classic as you can get it taking a ball off a foot. There’s a knack there and he’s a fierce competitor,” Cutcliffe said in a quote obtained by News & Observer.
North Carolina Central looks to upgrade their roster after the departure of several players that were key to their success in the past few seasons. Star quarterback Davius Richard declared for the NFL draft and quarterback Walker Harris looks to continue the success of his predecessor. North Carolina Central also saw Latrell Collier depart for the NFL draft, along with wide receiver Devin Smith, Torricelli Simpkins, defensive back Jason Chambers, and edge rusher Kendrick Dujour entering the transfer portal.
North Carolina Central had an outstanding season last year, kicking off the 2023 season with wins against non-conference opponents Elon and Campbell. They seemed set to return to the Celebration Bowl but suffered a crucial loss to Howard, deciding the MEAC Champion and Celebration Bowl representative.
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