All-Southern Conference 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 2024 season. Mercer running back Dwayne McGee is the Offensive Player of the Year and Bears defensive lineman Brayden Manley is the Defensive Player of the Year. Mercer defensive lineman Andrew Zock is the Freshman of the Year and Bears head coach Mike Jacobs is the Coach of the Year. ETSU offensive lineman Luke Smith 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 wide receiver on the first team and one additional offensive lineman and defensive back on the second team.
 
2024 Coaches All-Southern Conference Football Team
 
Roy M. “Legs” Hawley Offensive Player of the Year – Dwayne McGee, Sr., RB, Mercer

Defensive Player of the Year – Brayden Manley, So., DL, Mercer

Freshman of the Year – Andrew Zock, DL, Mercer

Jacobs Blocking Award – Luke Smith, Gr., OL, ETSU

Wallace Wade Coach of the Year – Mike Jacobs, Mercer

First team offense

QB       Cole Gonzales, Jr., Western Carolina

RB       Dwayne McGee, Sr., Mercer 

RB       Reggie Davis, Jr., Chattanooga

OL        Luke Smith, Gr., ETSU

OL        Israel Mukwiza, Sr., Mercer

OL        Reid Williams, Sr., Chattanooga

OL        Tyriq Poindexter, Jr., VMI

OL        Blake Whitmore, Sr., Western Carolina

TE        Jake Young, So., Western Carolina

WR      AJ Johnson, So., ETSU

WR      Sam Phillips, Jr., Chattanooga

WR      AJ Colombo, Jr., Western Carolina

First team defense

DL        Jaylen George, So., ETSU

DL        Luke Clark, Sr., Furman

DL        Brayden Manley, So., Mercer

DL        Marlon Taylor, Sr., Chattanooga

LB        Evan DiMaggio, Sr., Furman

LB        Isaac Dowling, Gr., Mercer

LB        Noah Martin, Gr., Samford

DB       TJ Moore, Sr., Mercer

DB       Myles Redding, Sr., Mercer

DB       Josh Battle, Jr., Chattanooga

DB       Reuben Lowery III, Sr., Chattanooga

First team special teams

PK        Ian Williams, Sr., Furman

P          James Platte, Gr., The Citadel

LS        Nathan Tokar, Gr., The Citadel

RS       Colton Hinton, So., Furman

Second team offense

QB       Johnathan Bennett, Gr., The Citadel

RB       Bryson Irby, Sr., ETSU

RB       Hunter Rice, Sr., VMI

OL        Derrell Bailey Jr., Sr., ETSU

OL        Luke Petit, Jr., Furman

OL        Riley Adcock, Sr., Mercer

OL        EJ Johnson, Jr., Mercer

OL        Derek Simmons, Sr., Western Carolina

OL        Anthony Garcia, Sr., Wofford

TE        Jordan Davis, Sr., Wofford

WR      Javin Whatley, Jr., Chattanooga

WR      Kyle Watkins, Sr., Wofford

Second team defense

DL        Arias Nash, Jr., Mercer

DL        Andrew Zock, Fr., Mercer

DL        Quay Wiggles, Sr., Chattanooga

DL        Anthonie Lattany, Sr., Wofford

LB        Zach West, Sr., ETSU

LB        Ken Standley, Gr., Mercer

LB        Eric Rankin, Sr., VMI

DB       CJ Douglas, So., Samford

DB       Jordan Walker, Jr., Chattanooga

DB       Shamus Jones, Sr., VMI

DB       Mateo Sudipo, Sr., Western Carolina

DB       Amir Annoor, Sr., Wofford

Second team special teams

PK        Jude Kelley, Jr., Chattanooga

P          John McConnell, Jr., Mercer

LS        Alex Applefield, Gr., Samford

RS       Brayden Smith, So., Mercer

All-Freshman Offense

Gavin Hall, Furman      

Trey Hedden, Furman  

Jackson Pryor, Furman 

Kendall Harris, Mercer  

Tyler Murray, Mercer    

Whitt Newbauer, Mercer

Ethen Horne, VMI        

Taron Dickens, Western Carolina

Zach Watson, Western Carolina

Luke Moise, Wofford    

Amari Odom, Wofford   

All-Freshman Defense

Caldwell Bussey, Furman         

Ryan Earl, Furman       

Billy Lewis, Furman

Jaylan Moson, Furman

Andrew Zock, Mercer   

Leroy Harris III, Chattanooga    

Beni Mwamba, Chattanooga                 

Asa Locks, VMI

Bo Simpson-Nealy, Western Carolina

C.J. Coombes, Wofford

Marion Smokes, Wofford          

All-Freshman Special Teams

Braylon Knauth, The Citadel

Riley Smith, Furman

Austin Fletcher, VMI

Notes:
- Western Carolina quarterback Cole Gonzales and Mercer running back Dwayne McGee (Walter Payton Award), Mercer defensive lineman Brayden Manley, Samford linebacker Noah Martin and Mercer defensive back TJ Moore (Buck Buchanan Award), Mercer defensive lineman Andrew Zock, Western Carolina quarterback Taron Dickens and Wofford defensive back CJ Coombes (Jerry Rice Award), Chattanooga defensive back Reuben Lowery III (Doris Robinson Award) and Mercer coach Mike Jacobs (Eddie Robinson Award) are all national finalists for FCS legacy awards.

- Entering postseason play, Mercer’s McGee leads the SoCon in rushing yards (1,018) and rushing yards per game (84.8). His eight rushing touchdowns were second in the league, and he ranked fourth in the conference in all purpose yards per game (94.7). McGee is the only player in the SoCon to record over 1,000 rushing yards this season.
 
- McGee claimed SoCon Offensive Player of the Week on Oct. 28, following a 223-yard rushing performance against Western Carolina, which was a battle of top 25 teams. McGee’s 223 yards were the highest rushing output by any SoCon player this season and ranks second in the Mercer record book for a single game.

- McGee is the first Mercer player to be named SoCon Offensive Player of the Year.

 
- Mercer’s Manley posted 32 tackles, with 14.5 of those going for lost yardage, leading the SoCon. His eight sacks were second in the conference.
 
- Against Western Carolina on Oct. 26, Manley had a game-high nine tackles, including a career-high 2.5 sacks, and a quarterback hurry in that game, leading to him being named the SoCon Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 28.

 
- Manley’s selection marks the first time a Mercer player has been named the defensive player of the year in the SoCon.
 
- Mercer’s Zock finished in the top five in the league in sacks (6.5) and tackles for loss (13.5), also earning all-freshman honors in addition to SoCon Freshman of the Year. He is the Bears’ third recipient of freshman of the year, joining 2017 winner Kaelan Riley and 2020-21 winner Carter Peevy.
 
- Zock’s best games of the season came at Wofford on Sept. 28, when he finished with five tackles, including three tackles for loss and a sack, and a quarterback hurry, and against Furman on Nov. 23, when he had three tackles, one for a loss, a pass breakup, a forced fumble, which was returned for a touchdown, and a school-record seven quarterback hurries.
 
- Smith collects ETSU’s third Jacobs Blocking Award. The other two Bucs to receive the award were Matt Pyke (2018) and Tre’mond Shorts (2020-21).

- Smith helped ETSU rank first in the SoCon in rushing yards (2,330) and rushing yards per game (194.2). Smith fortified an offensive line that paved the way for two of the top seven rushers in the SoCon as Bryson Irby (763) and Devontae Houston (648) completed the season fourth and seventh, respectively, in total rushing yards.

- Mercer’s Jacobs is the Bears’ first SoCon Coach of the Year. Jacobs, in his first year at the helm, led Mercer to a 10-2 record overall and a 7-1 SoCon mark. The Bears won their first outright SoCon regular season title this season.

- Jacobs’s squad is ranked No. 9 in the AFCA FCS Coaches’ Top 25 and No. 8 in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25. Jacobs led the squad to the No. 7 national seed in the NCAA Division I Football Championship.

- Mercer paced the league with 17 players earning postseason distinction. The Bears had 13 all-conference selections and four all-freshman picks. Furman was second with five All-SoCon selections and eight all-freshman picks.

- Mercer’s 13 all-conference selections included six on the first team. Chattanooga had six first-team recipients as well. Furman and Western Carolina each had four first-team selections.
 
- Furman led the conference in all-freshman selections with eight, with Mercer and Wofford following with four apiece.

 
- Furman’s Luke Clark, Samford’s Noah Martin and Western Carolina’s Cole Gonzales each made the first team for the second straight season. In addition to this season, Mercer’s Isaac Dowling was a first team pick in 2022.