Hammond, Ellis Headline 2016 Preseason All-Conference Team
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (www.BigSouthSports.com) – Charleston Southern running back Darius Hammond (Johnston, S.C.) and Buccaneers’ junior defensive lineman Anthony Ellis (Apopka, Fla) have been voted the Big South Conference’s 2016 Preseason Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year, respectively, by the league’s head football coaches and media panel, it was announced today at the Big South Football Media Day Kickoff Luncheon at the Marriott Fairfield Inn & Suites in Uptown Charlotte. Charleston Southern is the first member to sweep the two preseason awards since 2014 and fifth time overall.
Hammond was named the 2015 National FCS All-Purpose Performer of the Year by the College Football Performance Awards after finishing the campaign with 1,865 all-purpose yards and 143.5 yards per game. He earned First-Team All-Big South honors as a punt returner and Second-Team All-Conference accolades as a running back a year ago, and was the league’s First-Team punt return selection as a sophomore in 2014. Hammond led Charleston Southern with 856 rushing yards with seven rushing touchdowns last season, and also recorded eight catches for 90 yards and two scores. In addition, he averaged 25.1 yards on his 28 kickoff returns and 15.5 yards on his 15 punt returns. Hammond set the Big South single-game record with 295 kickoff return yards in the FCS quarterfinals against Jacksonville State -- including returns of 40, 67 and 84 yards -- plus 91 rushing yards and a touchdown to keep CSU in the game. He tallied three 100-yard rushing games in 2015, including a career-high 161 yards on 23 carries at Troy in Week 2. Hammond rushed for 129 yards and a score in CSU’s Week 4 win over The Citadel, and hauled in a critical fourth down catch that led to his go-ahead TD in the fourth quarter. Other highlights during the 2015 season were 70 yards and CSU’s lone touchdown in a win at Presbyterian, a 15-yard touchdown catch in the Bucs’ win over top-ranked Coastal Carolina, and a 53-yard punt return in the first quarter at Kennesaw State in addition to 66 rushing yards and a TD in the win over the Owls.
Hammond, who is the first CSU player to be voted Preseason Offensive Player of the Year since Collin Drafts in 2006, is on pace to become the Big South’s all-time leader in combined kick return yards, as he is currently fourth with 2,040 and is 685 yards away from breaking the record. Hammond received 12 first-place votes and 29 total points in the voting, ahead of Kennesaw State quarterback Trey White (five first-place votes, 16 points).
Ellis emerged as one of the dominant defensive lineman in all of FCS last season as he led the Big South with 17.5 tackles-for-loss and tied for second with 7.0 sacks en route to First-Team All-Big South honors. He tallied 54 tackles (33 solo, 21 assisted) with two forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, two pass break-ups, one interception and one defensive touchdown. Ellis earned Big South Defensive Player of the Week after a dominant effort in the Bucs’ Big South title-clinching contest at Kennesaw State, as he posted 4.0 TFL, one sack and a forced fumble that he returned 61 yards for a score. He recorded five tackles, 0.5 TFL and an interception on the last play of the game in CSU’s first win over The Citadel, notched two sacks in CSU’s win over Monmouth, had 3.0 TFL plus a crucial fourth quarter sack in a victory over Liberty, and forced two fumbles with one tackle-for-loss and eight stops in Charleston Southern’s playoff win over The Citadel. In the Buccaneers’ FCS quarterfinal appearance at eventual national runner-up Jacksonville State, Ellis collected a season-high 12 tackles, had 3.0 TFL and one sack. He recorded a TFL in 10 of his 13 appearances in 2015, including five games with multiple stops behind the line of scrimmage.
The first CSU player to be voted Preseason Defensive Player of the Year since current Houston Texan Charles James in 2012 and the third overall, Ellis received five first-place votes and 21 total points, ahead of Gardner-Webb linebacker Chad Geter (five first-place votes, 13 points) and Monmouth safety Mike Basile (five first-place votes, 12 points).
Hammond and Ellis were also voted to the preseason All-Conference team -- with Hammond earning nods at three positions (RB, KR, PR). The preseason team is comprised of 12 offensive and defensive positions, plus five special teams spots. Charleston Southern had the most preseason selections with seven, followed by Monmouth (6), Kennesaw State (4), Liberty (4), Gardner-Webb (3) and Presbyterian College (3). The 2016 preseason All-Conference team appears below:
2016 Big South Football Preseason All-Conference Team
OFFENSE
QB - Trey White, Kennesaw State, R-Sr.
RB - Darius Hammond, Charleston Southern, Sr.
RB - Darrell Bridges, Presbyterian, R-Jr.
WR - Zac Parker, Liberty, Sr.
WR - Darren Ambush, Monmouth, Sr.
WR - Justin Sumpter, Kennesaw State, R-Soph.
TE - Joseph Purter, Presbyterian, Sr.
OL - Erik Austell, Charleston Southern, R-Sr.
OL - Malik Letatau, Kennesaw State, Sr.
OL - Jackson Williamson, Charleston Southern, Sr.
OL - Alex Thompson, Monmouth, Jr.
OL - Caleb Smith, Gardner-Webb, R-Sr.
DEFENSE
DL - Anthony Ellis, Charleston Southern, Jr.
DL - Darnell Leslie, Monmouth, Sr.
DL - JaRon Greene, Liberty, Sr.
DL - Obinna Ntiasagwe, Presbyterian, R-Jr.
LB - Chad Geter, Gardner-Webb, R-Sr.
LB - Solomon Brown, Charleston Southern, R-Soph.
LB - Aaron Cook, Gardner-Webb, Sr.
LB - Payton Minnich, Monmouth, Sr.
DB - Mike Basile, Monmouth, Jr.
DB - Troy McGowens, Charleston Southern, Sr.
DB - Taylor Henkle, Kennesaw State, R-Soph.
DB - Chris Turner, Liberty, R-Soph.
SPECIAL TEAMS
PK - Matt White, Monmouth, Jr.
P - Trey Turner, Liberty, R-Jr.
LS - Joseph Smith, Charleston Southern, R-Sr.
KR - Darius Hammond, Charleston Southern, Sr.
PR - Darius Hammond, Charleston Southern, Sr.
PRESEASON OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Darius Hammond, Sr., RB (Johnston, S.C.)
PRESEASON DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Anthony Ellis, Jr., DL (Apopka, Fla.)