SPARTANBURG, S.C. – On Monday, the Southern Conference Football Players of the Week presented by Southern Recognition were awarded for all games played on Oct. 10. Mercer quarterback JP Pickles was named the Offensive Player of the Week, Wofford defensive back Eli Campbell was named the Defensive Player of the Week and Chattanooga place kicker Jude Kelley was also named the Special Teams Player of the Week. The awards are selected by the league office.
 
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: JP Pickles, Sr., QB, Mercer, Tallahassee, Fla.
Pickles had 218 all-purpose yards for Mercer in the Bears’ 17-14 comeback win against Western Carolina on Saturday. The senior came in off the bench to throw for 132 yards, completing 12-of-15 passes and running for 86 yards on 21 carries. The product of Tallahassee, Florida, threw two touchdown passes in the contest, including a 63-yard go-ahead score in the fourth quarter. On the team’s final drive, Pickles led the squad down the field on an eight-play 50-yard drive in under 90 seconds, setting up the game-winning field goal as time expired.
 
Other nominees: TJ Peyton (ETSU), Kevin Lalin (Chattanooga), Lex Thomas (Western Carolina), and Gerald Modest, Jr. (Wofford)
 
 
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Eli Campbell, Sr., DB, Wofford, Sanford, Fla.
Campbell finished with seven tackles, including one for a loss, two interceptions and fumble recovery in Wofford’s 16-0 win at Elon. Campbell’s fumble recovery was in the first quarter in the final minute of the frame. The native of Sanford, Florida, recorded his first pick in the second quarter, returning the ball to the 4-yard line to set up a field goal before halftime. The second interception for the senior came in the third quarter at the 8:49 mark. Campbell was part of a defense that posted Wofford’s first shutout win since 2016. On Monday, Campbell was named the Stats Perform FCS National Defensive Player of the Week.
 
Other nominees: Tyreek’e Robinson (ETSU), Sonin Dangler (Mercer), Spencer Conn (Samford), and Jayden Cornelius (Western Carolina)
 
 
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Jude Kelley, Gr., PK, Chattanooga, Acworth, Ga.
Kelley scored a season-high 13 points in Chattanooga’s 19-3 victory over Samford. The Acworth, Georgia, native went 4-for-4 on field goals and was successful on his lone PAT attempt. Kelley’s field goals came from 46, 39, 38 and 45 yards out. The four makes for Kelley marked a new career high in a game for the graduate student. Kelley is currently second in the SoCon in field goal percentage (.857).
 
Other nominees: Josh Buckhalter (ETSU), Simon Zeidan (Mercer), Carter Brown (Tennessee Tech), and Connor Deviney (Wofford)
 
2026 SoCon Football Players of the Week
Offensive
Aug. 31             Lex Thomas, Jr., QB, Western Carolina
Sept. 7             Gavin Garcia, Gr., RB, The Citadel
Sept. 14            Tre’ Holloway, Gr., WR/RS, Tennessee Tech
Sept. 21            Joshua Perry, So., RB, Western Carolina
Sept. 28            Jax Leatherwood, Sr., QB, Tennessee Tech
Oct. 5               Gavin Garcia, 5th, RB, The Citadel
Oct. 12             JP Pickles, Sr., QB, Mercer
 
Defensive
Aug. 31             Cameron Goggins, Sr., CB, Mercer
Sept. 7             Omari Philyaw, Sr., DB, Tennessee Tech
Sept. 14            Caleb Easterling, So., CB, Furman
Sept. 21            Mike Jenkins Jr., Sr., S, ETSU
Sept. 28            Lashon Young, Jr., S, Samford
Oct. 5               Jarvis Johnson, R-So., LB, ETSU
Oct. 12             Eli Campbell, Sr., DB, Wofford
 
Special teams
Aug. 31             Davis Penn, Fr., RB, Wofford
Sept. 7             Cillian Bonner, So., P, Wofford
Sept. 14            Tre’ Holloway, Gr., WR/RS, Tennessee Tech
Sept. 21            Bryan McCollum, So., PK, Western Carolina
Sept. 28            Ewan Johnson, R-Sr., PK, ETSU
Oct. 5               Simon Zeidan, So., PK, Mercer
Oct. 12             Jude Kelley, Gr., PK, Chattanooga