LORMAN, Miss. – In addition to 12 All-Conference selections, Alcorn State University football head coach
Fred McNair earned SWAC Coach of the Year, junior
Noah Johnson won Offensive Player of the Year and junior
De'Shawn Waller was tabbed the Newcomer of the Year, the league office announced Thursday.
Of the league-leading 12 All-Conference honorees, 10 were named to the First-Team. It's the most First-Team selections for the Braves since 1977.
Along with Johnson and Waller on the First-Team were offensive linemen
Chris McCrea,
Kevin Hall and
Mustaffa Ibrahim, defensive linemen
Terry Whittington and
Sterling Shippy, linebacker
Solomon Muhammad and defensive backs
Javen Morrison and
Qwynnterrio Cole.
Alcorn was represented on the Second-Team by offensive lineman
Deonte Brooks and tight end
Jaquaveon Boles.
Alcorn won three individual awards (Coach, Offensive and Newcomer) in the same season for the first time since 1992 when Steve McNair won Offensive, Marcus Hinton won Newcomer and Marino Casem won Coach.
Fred McNair, who is in his third season, becomes the first Coach of the Year winner at Alcorn since Cardell Jones in 1992. It marked the ninth Coach of the Year award for the program after Marino Casem won seven times.
Fred McNair coached Alcorn to an 8-3 overall record and 6-1 in the SWAC. The Braves are the top overall seed and will become the first school in the history of the league to host a SWAC Championship game.
Fred McNair has Alcorn ranked first in the conference in nearly every statistical category, both on offense and defense. His defense leads the FCS in both sacks and tackles for a loss per game, and top-five in rushing defense and total yards. Additionally, the Braves have held the opposition to three points or less three times this year, and have not allowed a defensive touchdown four times.
Johnson picked up SWAC Offensive Player of the Year for the ninth time in school history and the first since
John Gibbs Jr. in 2014. The Tampa, Florida native is a finalist for the Walter Payton Award which goes to the best player in FCS.
Johnson has thrown for 1,944 yards and 15 touchdowns, and has rushed for 813 yards and seven touchdowns. He ranks seventh in the country in yards per carry (7.13) and 13th in completion percentage (.634).
In just three seasons, Johnson ranks eighth all-time in school history in career touchdown passes (30), 11th in passing yards (3,845) and is approaching the all-time list in rushing yards (1,600).
Waller, a native of Atlanta, Georgia, earned his way into the starting role after beginning the season as the No. 3 running back on the depth chart. Waller leads the team in rushing with 871 yards and nine touchdowns. He's rushed for at least 100 yards in five of the last six games.
Waller has the Braves leading the SWAC in rushing with 274.3 yards per contest as a team. The ground game has aided Alcorn in ranking fifth in the nation in time of possession with a 33:11 mark.
The time of possession statistic is also a credit to the offensive line, which saw four of its five starters earn All-Conference, plus blocking tight end Boles. Ibrahim, a junior, was honored for the second year in a row. The offensive line has also played a significant part in Alcorn leading the SWAC in total offense, rushing and first downs per game.
On the other side of the ball, two of Alcorn's starting defensive linemen earned First-Team honors. Whittington, from Cooper City, Florida, is second in the league in sacks (7.5) and third in tackles for a loss per game (1.25). He has 44 tackles this year. Whittington was the only player in the SWAC to earn national FCS Defensive Player of the Week after tallying 15 tackles, 6.0 tackles for a loss, 4.5 sacks and a forced fumble in a 33-26 win over Grambling State. He came close to the single-game school record of 5.0 sacks by Bryant Mix.
Shippy has clogged up the middle of the field all year. The Miami, Florida native has wrapped up 34 tackles and is third in the conference with 7.0 sacks. Though more importantly, Shippy has been the leader of Alcorn's top-ranked defense. He's been named Team Captain in 10 of 11 games.
At linebacker, Muhammad has been one of Alcorn's top tacklers for the second straight season. He ranks second on the team with 52 tackles in just nine games. He also has 6.5 tackles for a loss and 4.5 sacks.
Both Cole and Morrison have three interceptions apiece. Cole catapulted to the top of the Alcorn tackles list with 61 after starting the season lower on the depth chart. Morrison has nine interceptions in three seasons including two pick-six's and has become a known lockdown defender across the league.
Alcorn will host the SWAC Championship at 3:30 p.m. Saturday against Southern. The Braves will become the first team to not only host, but also play in five consecutive SWAC titles game. Alcorn is going for its 16th SWAC Championship in school history and third in the last five years.
Offensive Player of the Year
Noah Johnson (QB), Alcorn
Defensive Player of the Year
De'Arius Christmas (LB), Grambling
Newcomer of the Year
De'Shawn Waller (RB), Alcorn
Freshman of the Year
Dejuan Miller (WR), UAPB
Coach of the Year
Fred McNair, Alcorn
All-Conference First-Team Offense
QB Noah Johnson, Alcorn
RB Taeyler Porter, UAPB
RB De'Shawn Waller, Alcorn
OL Chris McCrea, Alcorn
OL Tytus Howard, Alabama State
OL Mustaffa Ibrahim, Alcorn
OL Jodeci Harris, Southern
OL Kevin Hall, Alcorn
WR Bobby Hartzog, Texas Southern
WR Dejuan Miller, UAPB
TE Zarrian Holcombe, PVAMU
All-Conference First-Team Defense
DL Terry Whittington, Alcorn
DL Sterling Shippy, Alcorn
DL Jalen Steward, UAPB
DL Yurik Bethune, Alabama A&M
LB De'Arius Christmas, Grambling
LB Armoni Holloway, Alabama A&M
LB Solomon Muhammad, Alcorn
DB Javen Morrison, Alcorn
DB Qwynnterrio Cole, Alcorn
DB Joseph McWilliams, Grambling
DB Ju'Anthony Parker, PVAMU
All-Conference First-Team Special Teams
K Jamie Gillan, UAPB
P Jamie Gillan, UAPB
RS Booker Chambers, MVSU
All-Conference Second-Team Offense
QB Aqeel Glass, Alabama A&M
RB Dawonya Tucker, PVAMU
RB Trevon Walters, Alabama A&M
OL Christian Rice, PVAMU
OL David Aduo, UAPB
OL Deonte Brooks, Alcorn
OL DeJohn Jones, PVAMU
OL Jaylon Brinson, Southern
WR Booker Chambers, MVSU
WR Tristan Wallace, PVAMU
TE Jaquaveon Boles, Alcorn
All-Conference Second-Team Defense
DL Quinton Bell, PVAMU
DL Willie Green, PVAMU
DL Anferenee Mullins, Grambling
DL Malik Hamner, Jackson State
LB Darron Johnson, Alabama State
LB Je'Kevin Carter, UAPB
LB Sean Jones, Texas Southern
DB Percy Cargo, Grambling
DB Will Skinner, PVAMU
DB Dylan Hamilton, Alabama A&M
DB Kurron Ramsey, Alabama State
All-Conference Second-Team Special Teams
K Christian Jacquemin, Jackson State
P Anthony Craven, Alabama State
RS Ezra Gray, Alabama State
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