GSC Announces All-Conference Football Honors
Complete Release (PDF)
Birmingham, AL—The Gulf South Conference announced the 44th edition of its All-Conference Football Team today.
GSC Co-Champion West Georgia led the way on this year’s squad, landing 17 total players.
Co-Champion North Alabama and
Florida Tech each registered 13 overall honorees. UWG and UNA recorded a team-high nine First Team standouts.
West Alabama notched 10 overall winners, followed by
Delta State’s eight.
Playoff qualifier Valdosta State added seven overall members, followed by six from
Shorter.
UNA'S WINGO TABBED GSC OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
North Alabama earned its first
GSC Offensive Player of the Year winner since 1995, as
quarterback Luke Wingo finished first in the voting.
Wingo follows the same path as UNA’s previous Offensive winner, signal caller Cody Gross, after the senior led the Lions to their third consecutive GSC Title. Overall, Wingo is the sixth Lions’ standout to earn the honor. The Tuscaloosa, Ala. native finished No. 1 in the Conference in passing (263.6 ypg), touchdown passes (21) and total offense (284.7 ypg). He completed the regular season by claiming his second GSC Offensive Player of the Week laurel for 2015. Wingo guided North Alabama to its GSC-leading 12
th overall league crown and third consecutive NCAA Playoff berth.
FIT'S SANDERS SELECTED GSC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
For the second straight season, a Conference member recorded its first-ever
GSC Defensive Player of the Year when
Florida Tech defensive lineman J.J. Sanders topped the voting.
Sanders is the 17th all-time defensive lineman to claim the honor, first since West Alabama’s Ridge Wilson in 2012. The Columbus, Ohio native lived in opponent’s backfields all season, ranking first in the Conference in tackles for loss, compiling 18.0 for 88 yards, and second in sacks with 6.5 for 51 yards. The three-time GSC Defensive Player of the Week placed second on the team in total tackles with 59.
FIT'S HAYNES, VSU’S MCCLENTON CLAIM GSC FRESHMAN HONORS
Florida Tech earned its second consecutive
GSC Offensive Freshman of the Year:
running back Antwuan Haynes. The true freshman played in all 11 games for FIT, placing fifth in the league in all-purpose yards (121.4 ypg) and kick return yards (20.7) and sixth in rushing (50.4). The Fort Lauderdale, Fla. native was named to the All-GSC Second Team as a return specialist and was tabbed the GSC Player of the Week once and the GSC Freshman of the Week three times during the regular season.
Linebacker Malcolm McClenton became Valdosta State’s first-ever
GSC Defensive Freshman of the Year. Overall, the redshirt freshman is VSU’s seventh Freshman winner with the previous six coming on the offensive side of the ball. The Thomasville, Ga. native enters the post-season with 24 total tackles in 10 games and he is also tied for second on the squad in tackles for loss with 5.0. McClenton has also nabbed two interceptions and logged one sack for 13 yards.
FIT'S ENGLEHART NAMED GSC COACH OF THE YEAR
Florida Tech’s Steve Englehart secured his second straight
GSC Coach of the Year laurel after sharing the award in 2014. Englehart’s Panthers recorded their best season in school history finishing in a tie for second-place in the league standings (5-2) and posting a 7-4 overall mark. FlT put together a six-game winning streak towards the end of the season, culminating with its home upset of then No. 1 West Georgia on November 7.
2015 ALL-GSC TEAM
The 2015 All-GSC Football Team is headlined by
two three-time returning First Team standouts,
six two-time returning First Teamers and two unanimous selections.
The GSC upped its all-time number of three-time First Teamers to 50, adding
Valdosta State running back Cedric O’Neal and
Florida Tech tight end Gabe Hughes to the list. O’Neal led the Conference in rushing touchdowns (14) and scoring (90), while Hughes placed seventh in receiving yards (51.5 ypg).
Hughes was also the offense’s lone unanimous selection, while
North Alabama linebacker C.J. Jackson was the defense’s unanimous First Team pick.
Returning from last year’s First Team are
UNA running back Lamonte Thompson and
defensive back Philbert Martial,
Delta State defensive lineman Randall Boyd,
FIT defensive lineman J.J. Sanders,
VSU linebacker Kenny Murphy and
Shorter defensive back Jordan Shaw.
Eight players from three teams made the jump from past Second Team laurels.
FlT defensive back Manny Abad appears on the First Team after Second Team designations in 2013 and 2014. Returning from last year’s Second Team are
UNA quarterback Luke Wingo,
wide receiver Lee Mayhall,
defensive back Levi Fell and
long snapper Wil Lovelace and
UWG wide out Shaq Hall,
offensive guard Orion Awa-Dubose and
defensive lineman Alex Armah.
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