Tucker and Donahue Headline GSC All-Conference Honors
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Gulf South Conference has announced the 2016 football all-conference awards, as voted on by the league’s coaches. North Alabama’s
Jacob Tucker was named the GSC Offensive Player of the Year, while West Georgia’s
Dylan Donahue was named the GSC Defensive Player of the Year. Valdosta State’s
Cedric Hollingshed won the honor of GSC Offensive Freshman of the Year, while West Florida’s
Trent Archie was named the top freshman on the defensive side of the ball. Bobby Wallace, head coach of the 2016 GSC Champions from North Alabama, won GSC Coach of the Year for the fourth time in his career.
Tucker was in his first year as the starting quarterback for the Lions and was taking over for the 2015 GSC Offensive Player of the Year, Luke Wingo. The senior filled in brilliantly, leading UNA to its fourth straight conference title, an undefeated record in league play, and the top seed in the region. He was second in the league in rushing touchdowns, getting into the endzone on the ground 12 times. Through the air, he threw for 16 touchdowns and averaged 219.2 yards passing per game. He was at the helm of the top scoring offense in league play, as North Alabama averaged 42.9 points per game in conference play.
Donahue is the first West Georgia defender to be named GSC Defensive Player of the Year since 2005. In 2015, Donahue led the league with 12 sacks en route to a first team all-conference selection. This season, the senior increased his production and tied the league record with 13.5 sacks. His 13.5 sacks ranked sixth in the nation, and his 20 tackles for loss ranked 12
th nationally.
Hollingshed was named the GSC’s Freshman of the Week four times during the 2016 season, and he caps the year off with the league’s offensive freshman of the year honor. Hollingshed ran for seven touchdowns this season, which was tied for fifth in the league. At 66.2 rushing yards per game, he ranked sixth in the conference in rushing yards per game. He is the first Blazer to win this award since Cedric O’Neal, also a running back, in 2012.
In the first year of football at West Florida, the Argonauts grab a major award, as Trent Archie has been named the GSC’s Defensive Freshman of the Year. Archie was the leading tackler for UWF, recording 83 tackles this year, an average of 7.5 per game. Additionally, Archie grabbed three interceptions this season, which was tied for fourth in the league. Following a win this season over Mississippi College, Archie was named the GSC Defensive Player of the Week. He recorded seven tackles and returned an interception 56 yards in the victory.
Wallace led North Alabama to its fourth straight conference title this season and is being honored with the fourth GSC Coach of the Year award in his career. It is the first award for Wallace since 1995, the year that he guided the Lions to the third of their three straight national titles. This year, UNA was undefeated in conference play and boasted the league’s top scoring offense and top scoring defense. The Lions were dominant in conference play, averaging 42.9 points per game and allowing just 11.1 points per game.
FIRST TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE: OFFENSE
| Pos. |
Name |
School |
Year |
Hometown |
| QB |
Jacob Tucker |
North Alabama |
Sr. |
Linden, Tenn. |
| RB |
Lemarcus Franks |
West Georgia |
Sr. |
Leakesville, Miss. |
| RB |
Chris Robinson |
Delta State |
Jr. |
Bude, Miss. |
| WR |
Donta Armstrong |
West Alabama |
Jr. |
Pittsboro, Miss. |
| WR |
Dre Hall* |
North Alabama |
Jr. |
Columbia, Tenn. |
| WR |
Ishmel Morrow |
West Florida |
Jr. |
Ocean Springs, Miss. |
| WR |
Marcel Newson |
Mississippi College |
Sr. |
Coldwater, Miss. |
| AP/RB |
Antwuan Haynes |
Florida Tech |
So. |
Fort Lauderdale, Fla. |
| TE |
Kenny Johnston* |
Florida Tech |
Sr. |
Jacksonville, Fla. |
| T |
Stephen Evans* |
North Alabama |
Sr. |
Boston, Mass. |
| T |
Austin Kastl |
West Georgia |
Sr. |
Hiram, Ga. |
| G |
Brandon Kemp |
Valdosta State |
Fr. |
Stone Mountain, Ga. |
| G |
Cory Sanicky |
Florida Tech |
Sr. |
Redondo Beach, Calif. |
| G |
Quentin Stanford |
West Georgia |
So. |
Warner Robins, Ga. |
| C |
Harley Vaughan^ |
West Georgia |
Jr. |
Dawsonville, Ga. |
FIRST TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE: DEFENSE
| Pos. |
Name |
School |
Year |
Hometown |
| DL |
Alex Armah^* |
West Georgia |
Sr. |
Lawrenceville, Ga. |
| DL |
Adonis Davis |
Florida Tech |
So. |
Columbus, Ohio |
| DL |
Dylan Donahue* |
West Georgia |
Sr. |
Billings, Mont. |
| DL |
Darius Ellis |
West Alabama |
So. |
Northport, Ala. |
| LB |
Eddrick Harris |
North Alabama |
Sr. |
Courtland, Ala. |
| LB |
Chris Harthone |
West Georgia |
Sr. |
Cleveland, Miss. |
| LB |
Chris Stapleton^^^ |
Florida Tech |
Sr. |
Navarre, Fla. |
| LB |
Darius Wright |
North Alabama |
Sr. |
Irmo, S.C. |
| DB |
Manny Abad^^* |
Florida Tech |
Sr. |
Fort Lauderdale, Fla. |
| DB |
Donatello Brown |
Valdosta State |
Sr. |
Coral Springs, Fla. |
| DB |
Levi Fell^* |
North Alabama |
Sr. |
Muscle Shoals, Ala. |
| DB |
Philbert Martial** |
North Alabama |
Sr. |
Mobile, Ala. |
FIRST TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE: SPECIAL TEAMS
| Pos. |
Name |
School |
Year |
Hometown |
| K |
Kevin Henke^ |
North Alabama |
Jr. |
St. Charles, Mo. |
| P |
Jordan Ikner^^ |
West Georgia |
Sr. |
Alabaster, Ala. |
| BT |
Ryan Harper^ |
North Alabama |
Sr. |
Stephenville, Texas |
| UTL |
Curtis Lindsay* |
West Georgia |
Sr. |
Stockbridge, Ga. |
| RS |
Marcel Newson |
Mississippi College |
Sr. |
Coldwater, Miss. |
SECOND TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE: OFFENSE
| Pos. |
Name |
School |
Year |
Hometown |
| QB |
Austin Grammer |
West Alabama |
Sr. |
Tuscaloosa, Ala. |
| RB |
Trevor Sand* |
Florida Tech |
Sr. |
Seminole, Fla. |
| RB |
Lakendric Thomas |
West Alabama |
Sr. |
West Point, Miss. |
| WR |
Corey Davis |
West Alabama |
Jr. |
Meridian, Miss. |
| WR |
Anas Hasic |
West Florida |
Sr. |
Phoenix, Ariz. |
| WR |
Julius Jones |
North Alabama |
Jr. |
Athens, Ala. |
| WR |
Wayne Saunders |
Florida Tech |
Sr. |
San Antonio, Texas |
| AP |
Devontae Jackson* |
West Georgia |
So. |
Marietta, Ga. |
| TE |
Alex Armah |
West Georgia |
Sr. |
Lawrenceville, Ga. |
| T |
Joe Laguna |
Florida Tech |
So. |
Davie, Fla. |
| T |
George Roberts |
Delta State |
Jr. |
Lithonia, Ga. |
| G |
Amanii Brown |
West Georgia |
So. |
Morgantown, W.Va. |
| G |
Kevin Delgado |
Florida Tech |
Sr. |
Miami, Fla. |
| C |
Call Dyer |
West Alabama |
Fr. |
Gordo, Ala. |
SECOND TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE: DEFENSE
| Pos. |
Name |
School |
Year |
Hometown |
| DL |
Eddquerion Harris |
North Alabama |
So. |
Courtland, Ala. |
| DL |
E.J. Parnell |
North Alabama |
Sr. |
Los Angeles, Calif. |
| DL |
Freddie Reed^ |
North Alabama |
Jr. |
West Point, Miss. |
| DL |
Jamar Simpkins |
Valdosta State |
Sr. |
Miami, Fla. |
| LB |
Andre Duncombe |
West Florida |
Fr. |
Miami, Fla. |
| LB |
Gabe Freeman^ |
West Georgia |
Sr. |
Calhoun, Ga. |
| LB |
Jevaris Jones |
Shorter |
Sr. |
Griffin, Ga. |
| LB |
Landry Tullo |
Delta State |
Jr. |
Hoover, Ala. |
| DB |
Kenny Moore* |
Valdosta State |
Sr. |
Valdosta, Ga. |
| DB |
Marcus Sayles |
West Georgia |
Sr. |
Alpharetta, Ga. |
| DB |
Dee Virgin |
West Alabama |
Sr. |
Donalsonville, Ga. |
| DB |
Jakyron Young |
West Georgia |
So. |
Ocilla, Ga. |
SECOND TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE: SPECIAL TEAMS
| Pos. |
Name |
School |
Year |
Hometown |
| K |
Jordan Bennett |
West Alabama |
So. |
Tallahasse, Fla. |
| P |
Matthew Turcotte |
Mississippi College |
Jr. |
Philadelphia, Miss. |
| BT |
Marcus Sayles* |
West Georgia |
Sr. |
Alpharetta, Ga. |
| UTL |
Robert Myers* |
West Alabama |
Sr. |
Grand Bay, Ala. |
| RS |
Philbert Martial^ |
North Alabama |
Sr. |
Mobile, Ala. |
Offensive Player of the Year: Jacob Tucker, North Alabama
Defensive Player of the Year: Dylan Donahue, West Georgia
Offensive Freshman of the Year: Cedric Hollingshed, Valdosta State
Defensive Freshman of the Year: Trent Archie, West Florida
Coach of the Year: Bobby Wallace, North Alabama
*Indicates Previous First Team All-GSC Selection
^Indicates Previous Second Team All-GSC Selection