Mocs QB Jacob Huesman Wins SoCon Offensive Player of the Year For Record Third Time

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Southern Conference co-champion Chattanooga claimed a league-high 14 all-conference first- and second-team selections and senior quarterback Jacob Huesman became the first player in league history to be named SoCon Offensive Player of the Year three times in voting by the SoCon’s head coaches, as announced by the league office Tuesday.

Defensive lineman Mitchell Jeter of The Citadel was named the SoCon Defensive Player of the Year, while the Bulldogs’ Mike Houston was named coach of the year. Samford wide receiver Kelvin McKnight was named freshman of the year and Chattanooga’s Corey Levin earned the Jacobs Blocking Award for the second straight year.

The coaches named first and second teams on offense, defense and special teams. Because of ties in the voting, the first team included two return specialists and the second team included an additional defensive back, bringing the total honored to 26 student-athletes on both the first and second teams. The eight league coaches, who could not vote for their own players or themselves, also selected a 25-man all-freshman team, with 11 offensive players, 11 defensive players and three specialists, with no regard for position.

All told, each SoCon team had at least two all-conference selections and one all-freshman pick. Chattanooga put seven players each on the first and second teams and added three all-freshman selections. Samford and Western Carolina followed with nine all-conference picks each, with the Bulldogs putting six on the first team and the Catamounts four. The Citadel put four each on the first and second teams for a total of eight selections. Mercer and Western Carolina paced the league with five all-freshman team picks each.

Ten student-athletes who earned first-team honors last year repeated this season, while two more earned second-team honors this year. Six second-team picks from 2014 earned first-team honors this year, all on the defensive side of the ball, while another five repeated on the second team.

Huesman, who was named offensive player of the year for the third straight season and is one of just six players in league history to earn the award more than once, led the Mocs to a share of their third straight SoCon title and a second straight FCS playoff berth. The Chattanooga, Tenn., native is the only player in the Southern Conference with more than 1,000 yards passing and rushing this year, as he has thrown for 1,745 and run for 1,018, finding the end zone seven times through the air and 11 times on the ground. Huesman, who is second in the league in rushing at 92.5 yards per game, is fifth in passing yards per game (158.6) and fourth in passing efficiency (131.8) and this season became just the fourth player in FCS history to reach 40 touchdowns rushing and 40 passing for his career. Huesman ranks third in SoCon history in career total offense (11,650 yards), rushing yards by a quarterback (3,825) and touchdown passes (59). The senior, who was four-time offensive player of the week and the September player of the month this season, is on the STATS Offensive Player of the Year watch list.

Chattanooga’s Levin, who last year became just the second Moc to earn the Jacobs Blocking Award and the first in 31 years, is now the 11^th player in league history to earn the honor in consecutive years and the first since Appalachian State’s Kerry Brown did so in 2006 and 2007. Levin, a junior from Dacula, Ga., anchored an offensive line that paved the way for a pair of 1,000-yard rushers in Huesman and first-team All-SoCon running back Derrick Craine. UTC, the only team in the league with a pair of runners over the century mark, ranks third in the league with 232.0 rushing yards per game. Levin is also a first-team all-conference selection for the second straight season.

The Citadel’s Jeter is the Bulldogs’ first-ever SoCon Defensive Player of the Year. The senior defensive lineman has 40 tackles on the year, 22 of which were solo stops. Jeter, the active leader in the SoCon with 19.5 career sacks, produced 8.0 of them this season, good for second in the league and 59 lost yards. The Rock Hill, S.C., native is third in the league with 11.0 tackles for loss, which went for 66 yards, and helped the Bulldogs to their first national ranking since 2012.

Houston, in his second season at the helm for The Citadel, has guided the Bulldogs to an 8-3 mark and a share of the SoCon title for the first time since 1992 with a 6-1 league mark. Houston’s squad picked up a 23-22 win over South Carolina on Saturday for the program’s first win over an FBS program since 1992 and has directed his team to the FCS playoffs for the first time since then, as well, ending a 23-year postseason drought. The Citadel’s SoCon title is just its third all-time, while Houston’s 13 wins in his first two seasons at the school are a school record. Houston has his team atop several SoCon statistical categories, including rushing offense (344.7 yards per game), interceptions (17), scoring margin (+122), turnovers forced (25) and rushing touchdowns (37). He becomes the second Citadel coach to be honored by his peers, joining Kevin Higgins, who shared the award in 2012.

Samford wide receiver McKnight becomes the Bulldogs’ second freshman of the year and first since quarterback Dustin Taliaferro took the honor in 2008, Samford’s first season in the league. McKnight is second on the squad this season with 57 receptions and third with 616 yards and has scored a pair of touchdowns, including a 66-yard strike in his career debut, against Central Arkansas in the season-opener. McKnight also took 13 carries for 88 yards, including a 37-yard scoring run against then-No. 10 Chattanooga. The rookie from Bradenton, Fla., was also the Bulldogs’ primary punt-returner this season, as he led the team with 189 yards on 15 tries and took a 77-yard return for a touchdown in Samford’s season finale against Mercer. McKnight is just the fourth wide receiver to ever earn freshman of the year honors from the coaches.

2015 Coaches All-Southern Conference Football Team

 

Offensive Player of the Year – Jacob Huesman, Sr., QB, Chattanooga

Defensive Player of the Year – Mitchell Jeter, Sr., DL, The Citadel

Freshman of the Year – Kelvin McKnight, WR, Samford

Jacobs Blocking Award – Corey Levin, Jr., OL, Chattanooga

Coach of the Year – Mike Houston, The Citadel

 

First Team Offense

QB             Jacob Huesman, Sr., Chattanooga

RB              Derrick Craine, Jr., Chattanooga

RB              Detrez Newsome, So., Western Carolina

OL              Sam Frye, Sr., The Citadel

OL              Joe Turner, Sr., Furman

OL              Armando Bonheur, Jr., Samford

OL              Corey Levin, Jr., Chattanooga

OL              Anton Wahrby, Jr., Wofford

TE              Tyler Sexton, Jr., Western Carolina

WR             Karel Hamilton, Jr., Samford

WR             Aaron Sanders, Jr., VMI

 

First Team Defense

DL              Mitchell Jeter, Sr., The Citadel

DL              Michael Pierce, Sr., Samford

DL              Keionta Davis, Jr., Chattanooga

DL              Caleb Hawkins, Sr., Western Carolina

LB              Cory Magwood, Sr., Furman

LB              Justin Cooper, Sr., Samford

LB              Nakevion Leslie, Jr., Chattanooga

DB             Dee Delaney, So., The Citadel

DB             Jamerson Blount, Jr., Samford

DB             James Bradberry, R-Sr., Samford

DB             Cedric Nettles, Jr., Chattanooga

 

First Team Specialists

PK              Henrique Ribeiro, Jr., Chattanooga

P                Ian Berryman, Fr., Western Carolina

RS              Quinlan Washington, Fr., The Citadel

RS              Dane Forlines, Jr., VMI

 

Second Team Offense

QB             Troy Mitchell, Sr., Western Carolina

RB              Tee Mitchell, So., Mercer

RB              Lorenzo Long, Jr., Wofford

OL              Kyle Weaver, Jr., The Citadel

OL              Bret Niederreither, Jr., Mercer

OL              Gunnar Bromelow, Sr., Samford

OL              Synjen Herren, Sr., Chattanooga

OL              Josh Wineberg, Sr., Western Carolina

TE              Duncan Fletcher, Jr., Furman

WR             Andrej Suttles, Jr., Furman

WR             Karnorris Benson, Sr., Western Carolina

 

Second Team Defense

DL              Mark Thomas, Sr., The Citadel

DL              Toyvian Brand, Sr., Chattanooga

DL              Josh Freeman, Sr., Chattanooga

DL              Miles Brown, Fr., Wofford

LB              Tevin Floyd, Jr., The Citadel

LB              A.J. Hampton, Sr., Chattanooga

LB              Daniel Riddle, So., Western Carolina

DB             Kailik Williams, So., The Citadel

DB             Trey Robinson, Jr., Furman

DB             Dee Virgin, Jr., Chattanooga

DB             Lucas Webb, So., Chattanooga

DB             Trey Morgan, Jr., Western Carolina

 

Second Team Specialists

PK              Anthony Pistelli, Sr., Samford

P                Austin Barnard, So., Samford

RS              C.J. Board, Jr., Chattanooga

 

All-Freshman Offense

Tyler Davis, OL, The Citadel

Evan McField, RB, The Citadel

Triston Luke, RB, Furman

Marquise Irvin, WR, Mercer

Jimmie Robinson, WR, Mercer

Sam Walker, TE, Mercer

Devlin Hodges, QB, Samford

Kelvin McKnight, WR, Samford

Daunte Mauck, WR, VMI

Nathan Dalton, OL, Western Carolina

Zach Weeks, OL, Western Carolina

 

All-Freshman Defense

Ken Allen, DL, The Citadel

Quinlan Washington, LB, The Citadel

Aaquil Annoor, DB, Furman

Jaylan Reid, DL, Furman

Isaiah Buehler, DE, Mercer

Ahmad Gooden, DL, Samford

C.J. Fritz, DB, Chattanooga

Isaiah Mack, DL, Chattanooga

Montrell Pardue, DB, Chattanooga

Marvin Tillman, DB, Western Carolina

Miles Brown, DL, Wofford

 

All-Freshman Specialists

Jimmie Robinson, RS, Mercer

Ian Berryman, P, Western Carolina

Logan Howard, PK, Western Carolina