SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Southern Conference Sports Media Association selected its football all-conference team and specialty awards for the 2017 season. Samford redshirt junior quarterback Devlin Hodges repeated as the Roy M. “Legs” Hawley Offensive Player of the Year, while teammate and junior defensive lineman Ahmad Gooden was tabbed the defensive player of the year. Mercer quarterback Kaelan Riley was named the freshman of the year and Furman’s Clay Hendrix was named the Wallace Wade Coach of the Year.

Due to a tie in the voting, the second team contains an additional spot at running back.

2017 Media All-Southern Conference Football Team
Roy M. “Legs” Hawley Offensive Player of the Year – Devlin Hodges, Samford, R-Jr., QB
Defensive Player of the Year – Ahmad Gooden, Samford, Jr., DL
Freshman of the Year – Kaelan Riley, Mercer, QB
Wallace Wade Coach of the Year – Clay Hendrix, Furman

First team offense
QB Devlin Hodges, Samford
RB Detrez Newsome, Western Carolina
RB Andre Stoddard, Wofford
OL Tyler Davis, The Citadel
OL Terrell Bush, Furman
OL Matthew Schmidt, Furman
OL Roo Daniels, Wofford
OL Ross Demmel, Wofford
TE Andy Schumpert, Furman
WR Kelvin McKnight, Samford
WR Terryon Robinson, Western Carolina

First team defense
DL Nasir Player, ETSU
DL Isaiah Buehler, Mercer
DL Ahmad Gooden, Samford
DL Miles Brown, Wofford
LB Lee Bennett, Mercer
LB Shaheed Salmon, Samford
LB Allan Cratsenberg, VMI
DB Aron Spann III, The Citadel
DB Omari Williams, Samford
DB Marvin Tillman, Western Carolina
DB Devin Watson, Wofford

First team special teams
PK Luke Carter, Wofford
P Ian Berryman, Western Carolina
RS Chandler Curtis, Mercer

Second team offense
QB P.J. Blazejowski, Furman
RB Kealand Dirks, Furman
RB Antonio Wilcox, Furman
RB Tee Mitchell, Mercer
OL Thomas Marchman, Mercer
OL Josh Cardiello, Chattanooga
OL Andrew Miles, Western Carolina
OL Zach Weeks, Western Carolina
OL Jared Jacon-Duffy, Wofford
TE Bailey Lenoir, Chattanooga
WR Marquise Irvin, Mercer
WR Chris Shelling, Samford

Second team defense
DL Ja'Lon Williams, The Citadel
DL Jaylan Reid, Furman
DL Nate Link, Western Carolina
DL Mikel Horton, Wofford
LB Myles Pierce, The Citadel
LB Brian Lipscomb, VMI
LB A.J. Newman, Western Carolina
DB Aaquil Annoor, Furman
DB Eric Jackson, Mercer
DB Lucas Webb, Chattanooga
DB Greg Sanders, VMI

Second team special teams
PK JJ Jerman, ETSU
P Austin Barnard, Samford
RS Darius Harvey, Samford

Notes:

• Hodges was named the Roy M. “Legs” Hawley Offensive Player of the Year for the second straight year. Last season, he became the second Samford to earn the award, joining quarterback Andy Summerlin, who was honored in 2013. Hodges, who leads the SoCon total offense (339.0 yards per game) and total touchdowns (33), was named a finalist for the FCS Walter Payton Award on Monday. He moved into second in SoCon history this season with 78 career touchdown passes and moved into third in passing yardage (9,905).
• Gooden becomes just the second Samford player to earn defensive player of the year honors from the media, joining linebacker Justin Shade, who took the distinction in 2013.
  - Samford’s sweep of the offensive and defensive players of the year was its second. The first came in 2013. This year marks just the seventh time since the player of the year award was split into offensive and defensive categories in 1986 that a school has won both in the same season. Furman swept in 1990, 2000 and 2001, Marshall swept in 1993 and Chattanooga swept in 2014.
• Riley, a redshirt freshman, is fourth in the SoCon in total offense (202.1 yards per game) and is tied for third with 17 total touchdowns. Riley, who threw for more than 2,000 yards this season, had had five games of at least 200 yards passing, including throwing for 318 with three touchdowns against VMI. He becomes the first Mercer player to win the award. The Bears joined the league in 2014.
• In his first year as a collegiate head coach, Hendrix has led Furman to a 7-4 overall record, a spot in the national rankings and an FCS playoff berth. The Paladins, who were picked sixth in the preseason SoCon poll by the media and seventh by the coaches, tied for second in the league standings with a 6-2 mark this season and entered the final game of the regular season with a chance to win a share of the SoCon title. The media coach of the year honor is the ninth for Furman and the first since Bruce Fowler in 2013.
• Furman, Samford, Western Carolina and Wofford had eight selections each. SoCon champion Wofford had a league-best six first-team selections, with runner-up Samford second with five. Furman, which finished tied with Samford for second in the standings, put a league-best five players on the second team.
• Western Carolina and Wofford were the only two teams to have first-team selections on offense, defense and special teams. 
• The first-team offensive line was entirely a Palmetto State affair, as Furman and Wofford had two selections each and The Citadel had one.

- www.SoConSports.com-