SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Southern Conference’s nine football coaches have selected their annual all-conference teams and specialty awards for the 2019 season. Wofford senior quarterback Jeo Newman was named the Offensive Player of the Year, while Citadel linebacker Willie Eubanks III was tabbed the defensive player of the year. Chattanooga running back Ailym Ford was named the freshman of the year, Wofford junior offensive lineman Blake Jeresaty earned the Jacobs Blocking Award and VMI’s Scott Wachenheim was named the coach of the year.
The coaches, who could not vote for their own players, selected all-conference first and second teams and all-freshman teams on offense, defense and special teams. Due to ties in the voting, there were additional spots at wide receiver on the first team, offensive line on the second team and special teams on the all-freshman squad.
2019 Coaches All-Southern Conference Football Team
Offensive Player of the Year – Joe Newman, Sr., QB, Wofford
Defensive Player of the Year – Willie Eubanks III, Jr., LB, The Citadel
Freshman of the Year – Ailym Ford, RB, Chattanooga
Jacob Blocking Award – Blake Jeresaty, Jr., OL, Wofford
Coach of the Year – Scott Wachenheim, VMI
First team offense
QB Joe Newman, Wofford
RB Ailym Ford, Chattanooga
RB Alex Ramsey, VMI
OL Ben Blackmon, ETSU
OL Bo Layton, Furman
OL Nick Nixon, Samford
OL Justus Basinger, Wofford
OL Blake Jeresaty, Wofford
TE Nate Adkins, ETSU
WR Raleigh Webb, The Citadel
WR Bryce Nunnelly, Chattanooga
WR Jakob Herres, VMI
First team defense
DL Joseph Randolph II, The Citadel
DL Nasir Player, ETSU
DL Adrian Hope, Furman
DL Devonnsha Maxwell, Chattanooga
LB Willie Eubanks III, The Citadel
LB John Staton, Samford
LB Jireh Wilson, Wofford
DB Artevius Smith, ETSU
DB Bryan Okeh, Furman
DB Brandon Dowdell, Chattanooga
DB A.J. Smith, VMI
First team special teams
PK Grayson Atkins, Furman
P Matt Campbell, The Citadel
RS David Durden, Mercer
Second team offense
QB Reece Udinski, VMI
RB Quay Holmes, ETSU
RB Devin Wynn, Furman
OL Drew McEntyre, The Citadel
OL Tre’mond Shorts, ETSU
OL Jordan Harris, Furman
OL Austin Sanders, Mercer
OL Cole Strange, Chattanooga
OL Michael Ralph, Wofford
TE Chris Ellington, Mercer
WR Thomas Gordon, Furman
WR David Durden, Mercer
Second team defense
DL Dorian Kithcart, Mercer
DL Khayyan Edwards, Chattanooga
DL Telvin Jones, Chattanooga
DL Michael Mason, Wofford
LB Jordan Willis, Furman
LB Sidney Otiwu, Mercer
LB Marshall Cooper, Chattanooga
DB Chris Beverly, The Citadel
DB Eric Jackson, Mercer
DB John Brannon III, Western Carolina
DB George Gbesee, Wofford
Second team special teams
PK Mitchell Fineran, Samford
P Grayson Atkins, Furman
RS Montrell Washington, Samford
All-Freshman Offense
Will Huzzie, ETSU
Devin Abrams, Furman
Wayne Anderson, Furman
Darren Grainger, Furman
Evan Jumper, Furman
Yahsyn McKee, Mercer
Jay Stanton, Samford
A.J. Toney, Samford
Ailym Ford, Chattanooga
Leroy Thomas, VMI
Jacquez Allen, Wofford
All-Freshman Defense
Hasan Black, The Citadel
Donovan Manuel, ETSU
Josh Agbenou, Furman
Travis Blackshear, Furman
Braden Gilby, Furman
Richie Coffey, Mercer
TriMarcus Cheeks, Samford
Kameron Brown, Chattanooga
Aljareek Malry, VMI
Keyvaun Cobb, Wofford
Michael Mason, Wofford
All-Freshman Special Teams
Tyler Keltner, ETSU
Caleb Dowden, Mercer
Zach Lassiter, Mercer
Julian Pletz, Western Carolina
Notes:
- Newman is just the second Wofford player to earn offensive player of the year honors from the coaches, joining former running back Eric Breitenstein, who won in 2011 and 2012.
- Newman has thrown for 1,037 yards and seven touchdowns this season, becoming the first Terrier with consecutive 1,000-yard passing seasons since Travis Wilson from 1999-01. Newman is seventh in school history with 2,301 career passing yards.
- Newman has run for 880 yards and 13 TDs this year, giving him 1,917 yards of total offense (174.3 per game) and 20 total TDs responsible for.
- Eubanks, a finalist for the STATS FCS Buck Buchanan Award, is just The Citadel’s second-ever defensive player of the year and the first since defensive lineman Derek Jeter took the honor in 2015.
- Eubanks is second in the league with 112 total tackles and an average of 9.3 per game. His 112 tackles are the most in a season for a Citadel player 2000, when since Travis Stephens had 144 and Denny Haywood had 134.
- Eubanks leads the SoCon with 63 solo stops, ranking 15th in the FCS in overall and 20th with 5.3 per game.
- Ford is Chattanooga’s first freshman of the year since quarterback Terrell Robinson shared the honor in 2011 and the Mocs’ fourth overall. He is the 12th running back to earn the honor since its inception in 1989.
- Ford finished second in the league in rushing at 108.1 per game, totaling 1,081 before an injury in the first quarter against Samford on Nov. 9 caused him to miss the rest of that game and the Mocs’ final two contests. He finished just nine yards back of Chattanooga’s freshman rushing record that has stood since 1977 and finished seventh in SoCon history for rushing yards by a freshman. He is a finalist for the STATS FCS Jerry Rice Award.
- Ford posted six 100-yard rushing games, including five straight late in the season. He was the STATS National Freshman of the Week after rushing for 200 yards and two TDs against ETSU on Oct. 17.
- Jeresaty is Wofford’s fourth Jacobs Blocking Award winner and first since Nate Page in 2011.
- Jeresaty has been a key cog in the offensive line has that protected Newman and helped pave the way for Wofford’s SoCon-leading rushing offense, which averages 323.5 yards per game, good for second in the FCS. The Terriers are second in the SoCon in total offense with 425.2 yards per game.
- Newman and Jeresaty helped Wofford win its third straight SoCon title and seventh overall. The Terriers, ranked No. 11 by STATS and No. 15 by the AFCA, will be making their fourth straight FCS playoff appearance.
- Wachenheim is just the second VMI coach to earn coach of the year honors from his peers and the first since Cal McCombs in 2002. A finalist for the FCS Eddie Robinson Award, Wachenheim has led the Keydets (who did not compete in the SoCon from 2002-13) to a 5-7 overall record and a 4-4 league mark, good for a tie for fourth in the league standings after being picked in the preseason to finish ninth. The five total wins are VMI’s most since 2003, while the four league wins are the most for the Keydets since 1979.
- Furman led all SoCon teams with 16 total all-conference and all-freshman selections. The Paladins, who are ranked No. 16 nationally and will be making their second FCS playoff in the last three seasons, put four players on the first teams, five on the second and a league-best seven on the all-freshman squads.
- Mercer is second with 11 selections, six of which are on the second team. Chattanooga and Wofford had 10 selections each.
- Eight league teams had at least one first-team pick and the same eight had at least six overall selections.
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