For Southern University’s Ckelby Givens, the accolades are nice, but wins are better

Southern University defensive end Ckelby Givens has been a standout player for the Jaguars since his freshman season in 2022, and expectations are high for him to be a powerhouse on the Jaguars’ defense as a senior this season.

Givens, the 2024 Southwestern Athletic Conference Co-Defensive Player of the Year, was a key factor in helping Southern win the SWAC West title and reach the conference championship game last season.

He led the nation in total tackles for loss (27.5) and tied for third in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) in sacks (12). In July, Givens was named to the preseason watch list for the Buck Buchanan Award, given to the defensive player of the year in the Division I FCS, after being a finalist for the honor last season.

The Jaguars will kick off the 2025 season on Saturday, when they face North Carolina Central in the MEAC/SWAC Challenge in Atlanta, and Givens said he’s been practicing every day during the offseason to prepare for it. He also has spent considerable time watching film to see how teams attack him and identify what he needs to improve to better himself and the team.

“First game of the year, [I’m] very excited but understanding that you have to execute to be able to win the football game,” said Givens, who is 6-foot-2 and 245 pounds.

Southern head coach Terrence Graves has been good friends with both of Givens’ uncles for more than 20 years, and Givens said he has been fortunate to have a coach who has known him most of his life and appreciates his work ethic.

Graves said he has known Givens would be special since his freshman year, and he has watched him grow physically, mentally and spiritually.

“Student-athletes who’ve received these types of accolades and awards that he’s received, they’ll tend to allow the pressure or pressures of the expectations to take some of the fun out of the game,” Graves said. “Although he has dreams, goals and aspirations … while he’s working toward those things, [he will] still have fun because it’s football.”

Givens’ stats have improved each season. During his freshman season in 2022, he recorded 37 tackles. He nearly doubled his number of total tackles in 2023, accruing 61, and forced four fumbles. Last season, he recorded 73 tackles, three forced fumbles and a career-high 13 quarterback hits.

Defensive ends coach Everett Todd, who joined Southern for the 2024 season, said he instantly recognized Givens’ prowess. Todd said there wasn’t much for him to do except polish Givens’ skills and help him become more productive.

“When I got here, Ckelby was already a good player – I inherited him,” Todd said. “It was just getting to know him and understanding what I could do to assist him in getting him where he wanted to go goal-wise.

“The thing that most impresses me is that he understands that he wants to have really good players around him in order for us to be a successful team, because it can’t be a one-man show.”

Graves called Givens “a natural leader by example.” Elevating his teammates is important, Givens said, as he wants the players around him to be excited and ready to compete.

“I feel like the biggest thing is keeping them encouraged, just letting my teammates know that every rep you do, you’re just not going to be successful,” he said. “That’s why you have to take multiple reps to be better.”

Givens stands out because he possesses traits of great players, Graves said. Coaches describe Givens as hardworking, dedicated, disciplined and – most importantly, Todd said – a man of faith. A vocal leader both on and off the field, Givens helped to revive Southern’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes group and is active in the team’s community service initiatives.

“I think sometimes we get caught up in just the football side of it, but he’s also a great student. They go hand and hand,” Graves said. “Once you get that combination of a true student-athlete who’s great in the classroom, who’s great on the field, who’s great in the community, that’s what separates him from other players.”

Givens said leaning on his family and his faith have helped him become the person and player he is today.

“The biggest thing is my relationship with God, always just coming to him in the time of need and also just having people that I can talk to when times feel like they’re a little bit overbearing,” Givens said. “I’ve learned to not get too high and not get too low, just stay even-keeled just as far as that when it comes to football terms and life terms.”

As Givens enters his senior year, he said he wants fans to remember him as an unselfish player who loves Southern and hopes he has grown into the leader and athlete his coaches have worked to mold him into being.

“I look for him to be successful, period,” Graves said. “And that’s kudos to his parents, his family, and ultimately it’s kudos to him. God is really shining in his life, and it’s exciting to see.”