All-Southern Conference coaches football teams announced

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Southern Conference’s nine football coaches have selected their annual all-conference teams and specialty awards for the 2023 season. Furman quarterback Tyler Huff is the Offensive Player of the Year and Chattanooga defensive lineman Jay Person is the Defensive Player of the Year. Furman quarterback Carson Jones and Samford wide receiver Brendan Jenkins are the Co-Freshmen of the Year. Furman head coach Clay Hendrix is the Coach of the Year and Paladins offensive lineman Jacob Johanning is the Jacobs Blocking Award winner.
 
The coaches, who could not vote for their own players or themselves, selected all-conference first and second teams and all-freshman teams on offense, defense and special teams. Due to a tie in the voting, there was one additional punter on the first team and one additional player on the all-freshman defensive team.

Click here for the Southern Conference Sports Media Association's all-conference team.
 
2023 Coaches All-Southern Conference Football Team
 
Offensive Player of the Year – Tyler Huff, Gr., QB, Furman
Defensive Player of the Year – Jay Person, Sr., DL, Chattanooga
Co-Freshman of the Year – Brendan Jenkins, WR, Samford and Carson Jones, QB, Furman
Jacobs Blocking Award – Jacob Johanning, R-Sr., OL, Furman
Coach of the Year – Clay Hendrix, Furman
 
First team offense
QB       Tyler Huff, Gr., Furman
RB       Jay Stanton, Sr., Samford 
RB       Desmond Reid, So., Western Carolina
OL        Jacob Johanning, R-Sr., Furman
OL        Pearson Toomey, R-Sr., Furman
OL        Jabari Brooks, Sr., Samford
OL        Christian Coulter, Sr., Western Carolina
OL        Tyler Smith, Sr., Western Carolina
TE        Aidan Twombly, Sr., VMI
WR      Ty James, Sr., Mercer
WR      Jamoi Mayes, Jr., Chattanooga
 
First team defense
DL        Matt Sochovka, Gr., Furman
DL        Solomon Zubairu, Sr., Mercer
DL        Ben Brewton, Sr., Chattanooga
DL        Jay Person, Sr., Chattanooga
LB        Stephen Scott, Sr., ETSU
LB        Ken Standley, Sr., Mercer
LB        Noah Martin, Sr., Samford
DB       Sheldon Arnold II, Jr., ETSU
DB       Travis Blackshear, Gr., Furman
DB       Lance Wise Jr., Gr., Mercer
DB       Kam Brown, Sr., Chattanooga
 
First team special teams
PK        Richard McCollum, Sr., Western Carolina
P          Nate Brackett, So., ETSU
P          Jack Culbreath, Sr., VMI
LS        Steele Judy, Gr., The Citadel
RS       Devron Harper, Sr., Mercer
 
Second team offense
QB       Michael Hiers, Sr., Samford
RB       Dominic Roberto, Gr., Furman
RB       Hunter Rice, Jr., VMI
OL        Luke Smith, Gr., ETSU
OL        Wyatt Hughes, R-Sr., Furman
OL        John Thomas, Gr., Mercer
OL        Reid Williams, Jr., Chattanooga
OL        Blake Whitmore, Jr., Western Carolina
TE        Ajay Belanger, Sr., Western Carolina
WR      Devron Harper, Sr., Mercer
WR      Chandler Smith, Gr., Samford
 
Second team defense
DL        Jack Barton, Sr., Furman
DL        Luke Clark, Jr., Furman
DL        Marlon Taylor, R-Jr., Chattanooga
DL        Marlon Alexander, Sr., Western Carolina
LB        Braden Gilby, Gr., Furman
LB        Isaac Dowling, Sr., Mercer
LB        Eric Rankin, Jr., VMI
DB       Cally Chizik, Sr., Furman
DB       Hugh Ryan, Sr., Furman
DB       Evan Eller, Sr., VMI
DB       Andreas Keaton, Jr., Western Carolina
 
Second team special teams
PK        Ian Williams, Jr., Furman
P          Clayton Crile, Sr., Chattanooga
LS        Justin Peterson, Sr., VMI
RS       Wayne Anderson Jr., Gr., Furman
 
All-Freshman Offense
Xavier Gaillardetz, ETSU          
Tommy Winton III, ETSU
Brock Chappell, Furman
Colton Hinton, Furman  
Carson Jones, Furman
Brayden Smith, Mercer 
Brendan Jenkins, Samford        
Ivan Thorpe, VMI
Corey Washington, Western Carolina    
Camury Reid, Western Carolina
Pauly Seeley, Wofford
 
All-Freshman Defense
Carson Arnold, The Citadel       
Chris Benton, The Citadel         
Jabraivon Woodard, The Citadel
Ray Coney, ETSU        
Dre Delinois, ETSU      
Jaylen George, ETSU  
Jayvon Henderson, ETSU        
AK Burrell, Furman       
Brayden Manley, Mercer          
Makhi Gilbert, Samford 
Ken Moore Jr., Western Carolina
Eli Campbell, Wofford   
 
All-Freshman Special Teams
Ewan Johnson, ETSU  
Stephen Brantley, Western Carolina
Tommy DiLiegro, Wofford
 
 
Notes:
- Samford quarterback Michael Hiers and Mercer wide receiver Ty James (Walter Payton Award), Mercer defensive back Lance Wise and Chattanooga defensive lineman Jay Person (Buck Buchanan Award), Samford wide receiver Brendan Jenkins (Jerry Rice Award) and Furman coach Clay Hendrix (Eddie Robinson Award) are all national finalists for FCS legacy awards. Western Carolina quarterback Cole Gonzales is also a finalist for the Payton Award.
 
- Entering postseason play, Furman’s Tyler Huff is 14th in the FCS in completion percentage (.667). Huff leads all SoCon quarterbacks in rushing yards (488), which is 10th overall in the conference, despite missing the final two games of the regular season due to injury.
 
- Huff has completed 150-of-225 passes with just four interceptions this season. In addition to his nine passing TDs, he has also rushed for five scores. During a three-game stretch in October, Huff tossed two touchdowns in each game while rushing for at least 79 yards in each contest.
 
- Huff claimed SoCon Offensive Player of the Week honors twice this season and was the SoCon Offensive Player of the Month in October.
 
- Huff is the first Furman player to be named SoCon Offensive Player of the Year since 2000 when running back Louis Ivory won the honor for the Paladins.
 
- Chattanooga’s Person posted 53 tackles this season, with 16 of those going for lost yardage, leading the SoCon. His average of 1.45 TFLs ranks 14th in the FCS.
 
- Person leads the conference in sacks with 8.5 this season, ranking 20th in the FCS with 0.77 per game.
 
- Against Mercer on Oct. 14, Person had 4.0 TFLs, tying a career best. He also had a sack and a forced fumble in that game, leading to him being named the SoCon Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 16.
 
- Person’s selection marks the 11th time a Chattanooga player has been named the defensive player of the year by the coaches and gives the Mocs the winner for the third straight season, with Person winning for the second straight time and Devonnsha Maxwell taking home the honor in 2021.
 
- Samford’s Jenkins finished in the top 10 in the SoCon in receptions (41) and touchdowns (4), also earning all-freshman honors in addition to Freshman of the Year. He is the Bulldogs’ third recipient of freshman of the year, the first since Kelvin McKnight in 2015.
 
- Jenkins, the only SoCon finalist for the Jerry Rice Award, had his best game of the season against SoCon Champion Furman on Oct. 14, finishing with seven catches for 77 yards and two touchdowns.
 
- Furman’s Jones is the first Paladin to be named SoCon Freshman of the Year by the coaches. In six games played, including two starts, Jones was 57-for-101 for 542 passing yards and seven touchdowns to just two interceptions.
 
- Jones was named the SoCon Offensive Player of the Week on Nov. 6 for his play at Chattanooga on Nov. 4. Coming into the game during the second quarter following an injury to Tyler Huff, Jones went 14-for-27 for 139 yards and two touchdown passes. He led a nine-play, 50-yard drive, which culminated in his second touchdown pass of the game in the final minutes of the contest against the Mocs.
 
- Johanning collects Furman’s 16th Jacobs Blocking Award. This season marks the first time the Paladins have received the honor since 2017 when Matthew Schmidt won the award.

 - Johanning helped Furman rank second in the SoCon in rushing yards (160 yds/game) and fortified the offensive line that protected the SoCon Offensive Player of the Year Tyler Huff and SoCon Freshman of the Year Carson Jones. Johanning also assisted in paving the way for Dominic Roberto to finish in the top five in the conference in rushing yards (704) and touchdowns (7).

- Furman’s Hendrix is the SoCon Coach of the Year for the second time in his career, the first coming in 2017. Hendrix led Furman to a 9-2 record overall and a 7-1 SoCon mark. The Paladins won their first outright regular season title since 1990 this season.
 
- Hendrix’s squad is ranked No. 6 in the AFCA FCS Coaches’ Top 25 and No. 7 in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25. Hendrix led the squad to the No. 7 national seed in the NCAA Division I Football Championship.
 
- Hendrix is one of three Paladin coaches to claim SoCon Coach of the Year honors. The other two are Jimmy Satterfield, who received the award in 1989, and Bobby Johnson, the 1999 winner.
 
- Furman paced the league with 18 players earning postseason distinction. The Paladins had 14 all-conference selections and four all-freshman picks. Western Carolina was second with eight All-SoCon selections and four all-freshman picks.
 
- Furman led the league with 14 all-conference selections, five of which were first team. Mercer had five first-team picks as well. Chattanooga and Western Carolina each had four first-team selections.
 
- ETSU led the conference in all-freshman selections with seven, with Furman and Western Carolina following with four apiece. 
 
- Mercer’s Devron Harper was a first-team selection at return specialist and a second-team selection at wide receiver. Harper led the league and ranks sixth in the FCS in all-purpose yards per game (138 yds/game). Harper is fifth in the SoCon in receptions (50) and eighth in the SoCon in receiving yards (522). Harper led the conference in kick return yards (453) and punt return yards (364), which ranks him first in the FCS in combined return yards (817). He is one of just three players in the FCS that have multiple punt return scores this season. Harper was named SoCon Special Teams Player of the Week on Sept. 11 and Oct. 2