Big South Announces 2018 Football Annual Awards
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (www.BigSouthSports.com) – Kennesaw State graduate quarterback Chandler Burks (Douglasville, Ga.) has been voted the 2018 Big South Football Offensive Player of the Year, while teammate linebacker Anthony Gore Jr. (Statesboro, Ga.) has been voted the Defensive Player of the Year by the conference’s head coaches and media panel, it was announced today. In addition, Monmouth running back Juwon Farri (Germantown, Md.) is the Offensive Freshman of the Year, while Gardner-Webb defensive lineman John Singleton (Apex, N.C.) is the Defensive Freshman of the Year honoree. Kennesaw State return specialist Isaac Foster (Summerville, Ga.) was voted Special Teams Player of the Year and KSU head coach Brian Bohannon was selected Coach of the Year. Burks was voted the football Scholar-Athlete of the Year by the league’s sports information directors.
Burks repeats as both the Big South’s Offensive Player of the Year and Scholar-Athlete of the Year honoree, as he is the only player to hold this distinction in the same season and now multiple years. A finalist for the Walter Payton Award as the nation’s top player, Burks leads all of FCS with 29 rushing and total touchdowns -- an FCS record for a quarterback, as well as the Big South’s single-season rushing TD standard. He directed the Owls to a second consecutive outright Big South Championship, earned four Big South Offensive Player of the Week honors in 2018, and has a record 10 consecutive multi-touchdown games entering the postseason. Burks is the first Big South quarterback with 20 rushing touchdowns (29) and 10 passing TDs (10) in the same season, and leads the nation in scoring with 15.8 points per game. He has rushed for 864 yards and passed for 952, while his 238 points responsible for is second-most in the country. Burks has rushed for three TDs in a game seven times, which included four trips to the end zone twice. He also tallied a rushing and passing touchdown in the same game seven times in 2018. Off the field, Burks is a first-semester graduate student in Leadership Studies after earning a Sports Management degree with a 3.90 GPA. He is on the ballot for CoSIDA Academic All-America honors for the second consecutive year after being named Academic All-District last week.
Burks received 13 of the 18 first-place votes cast in the Offensive Player of the Year voting and 32 total points to finish ahead of runner-up Reggie White Jr. of Monmouth (20 points and four first-place votes).
Gore is the first Kennesaw State player to be voted the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year. A finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award as the nation’s top defensive player, Gore recorded 61 total tackles during the regular-season -- including 45 solo stops. A member of the nation’s third-ranked defense, Gore ranks second in the Big South with 5.0 sacks, while his 9.0 tackles-for-loss are fifth overall in the league. He had nine tackles (eight solo) and two sacks in KSU’s five-overtime win over nationally-ranked Jacksonville State in the regular-season finale, posted nine solo stops in the season opener at Georgia State, had eight solo hits among his nine tackles in a win over Samford, and recorded a TFL in eight of his 11 games this season. Gore is part of a defensive unit that leads the Big South in scoring defense (14.8) and total defense (262.2), both of which are pacing ahead of the conference’s single-season records.
Gore received nine first-place votes and 24 points in the voting to edge out Charleston Southern defensive lineman Solomon Brown (20 points and five first-place votes) for the defensive honor.
Farri is the second consecutive Hawk to receive the league’s Freshman of the Year honor. A finalist for the Jerry Rice Award as the nation’s top freshman, he concluded the regular-season as the Big South’s leading rusher with 1,024 yards -- the only player above 1,000. His six 100-yard rushing games and 7.4 yards per carry top the conference. Farri had the league’s top rushing performance with 239 yards against Campbell in Week 8, the most in the Big South since 2009 and the seventh-highest single-game output in league history. He was named STATS National Freshman of the Week for that performance, and earned five weekly Big South honors in 2018 (4-freshman, 1-offensive). Farri, whose eight rushing touchdowns during the regular-season tied for the most among the league’s running backs and rank third overall, posted league-highs of 589 rushing yards and 117.8 yards per game in conference action. In addition, Monmouth went 5-1 in his 100-yard rushing games.
Farri totaled 27 points and 12 first-place votes in the Offensive Freshman of the Year voting. He finished ahead of fellow Rice Award finalist Caleb Snead of Campbell, who received 17 points (four first-place votes).
Singleton led all Big South freshmen defensive lineman with 51 tackles and 3.0 sacks, and finished third overall in tackles along the defensive front. He ranked seventh in the conference in sacks, and in league games he was third with 27 stops and among the Top 10 in quarterback sacks. Singleton had nine tackles, 3.0 TFL and a sack at Charleston Southern, and made 10 stops vs. nationally-ranked Wofford. He also posted six hits and a sack at Appalachian State, while his first career sack was against nationally-ranked North Carolina A&T. Singleton recorded at least six tackles in a game five times in 2018. He received 16 total points and five first-place votes in the Defensive Freshman of the Year voting to edge out Presbyterian’s Jarrett Nagy (15 points and four first-place votes) and Campbell’s Dorian Jones (12 points and five first-place votes).
Foster is the second consecutive Owl to earn Big South Special Teams Player of the Year honors. He ranks third in the country and first in the Big South with a pair of kickoff return TDs -- both of which were 100-yard returns to become the first player in league history with this achievement. Foster is the only player in FCS or FBS with two 100-yard kickoff return touchdowns this year. He also returned 16 punts for 168 yards (10.5 return average), and finished with 405 return yards on 21 combined kick returns. A two-time Big South Special Teams Player of the Week honoree, Foster had two punt returns for 66 yards against Alabama State, as well as 61 yards on five punt returns vs. Campbell. Foster finished with 22 total points (nine first-place votes) in the voting, ahead of Monmouth kicker Matt Mosquera (18 points and six first-place votes) and Charleston Southern kicker Tyler Tekac (13 points, three first-place votes).
Bohannon is a finalist for the Eddie Robinson National Coach of the Year Award after leading the Owls to a 10-1 record, an undefeated 5-0 league mark for the second-straight outright Big South championship, and the No. 4 national seed in the FCS Playoffs in just the program’s fourth season of existence. KSU has been nationally-ranked inside the Top 10 all season long -- entrenched at No. 2 since Oct. 8. The Owls lead the nation in scoring (48.6), fewest sacks allowed (0.27) and kickoff returns (38.71), while ranking second in rushing (373.9) and third in total defense (262.2) -- all of which are pacing ahead of the Big South’s single-season records. This season Kennesaw State set the Big South record for consecutive games holding opponents under 300 yards of total offense (seven), tied the league standard for consecutive games holding foes to less than 200 yards (three), established a league mark with five consecutive games allowing 13 points-or-less, and broke the Big South record for consecutive home wins as well as consecutive FCS regular-season victories. Under Bohannon’s leadership, the Owls enter the FCS Playoffs on a 10-game winning streak in which they have outscored the opposition by 376 points (515 to 139). In addition, KSU has scored in 40 of 44 quarters this season, own a +174 scoring margin in the first half of games (254 to 80) and have outscored their opponents in the third quarter by a score of 159-17. Kennesaw State scored 50 points in a game a league-record tying six times in 2018, and allowed the fewest points (41) and fewest points per game (8.2) in conference action.
Bohannon received 15 of 18 first-place votes and 34 total points, ahead of Monmouth head coach Kevin Callahan (two first-place votes and 15 points).
The Big South also announced its All-Conference first and second teams. The squads are comprised of 12 offensive and defensive players and five special teams players, plus any ties. Kennesaw State led the way with 19 total selections -- the most by a Big South member since 2007, while KSU’s 13 first-team honorees ties the league record. Monmouth was second with 12 selections, followed by Charleston Southern (10), Gardner-Webb (7), Campbell (6) and Presbyterian College (3).
Burks, Gore, Foster, Farri and Singleton each earned a spot on the All-Conference team. Foster earned spots at both kickoff and punt return positions, while Charleston Southern’s Brown became the 13th player with All-Conference distinction all four years in the Big South. The list of 2018 All-Conference members and award winners, as well as the All-Academic Team, appears below.
2018 BIG SOUTH FOOTBALL ALL-CONFERENCE TEAMS AND ANNUAL AWARD WINNERS
FIRST-TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE
OFFENSE
QB Chandler Burks, Gr., Kennesaw State
RB Darnell Holland, Sr., Kennesaw State
RB Juwon Farri, Fr., Monmouth
WR Reggie White Jr., R-Sr., Monmouth
WR Caleb Snead, R-Fr., Campbell
WR Justin Sumpter, R-Sr., Kennesaw State
TE Jake Powell, R-Jr., Monmouth
OL C.J. Collins, R-Sr., Kennesaw State
OL Joseph Alexander Jr., R-Sr., Kennesaw State
OL Ryan Wetzel, R-Sr., Monmouth
OL Chiaza Nwadike, Sr., Kennesaw State
OL Russ Clayton, R-Sr., Monmouth
DEFENSE
DL Solomon Brown, R-Sr., Charleston Southern
DL Johnny Robinson, Sr., Charleston Southern
DL Desmond Johnson, R-Jr., Kennesaw State
DL Andrew Butcher, Jr., Kennesaw State
LB Anthony Gore Jr., R-Sr., Kennesaw State
LB Bryson Armstrong, R-Soph., Kennesaw State
LB Corey Horne, Sr., Gardner-Webb
LB J.D. Sosebee, R-Jr., Charleston Southern
DB James Allen, Sr., Charleston Southern
DB Dorian Walker, Jr., Kennesaw State
DB Triston Dozier, Sr., Gardner-Webb
DB Tymere Berry, R-Jr., Monmouth
SPECIAL TEAMS
PK Matt Mosquera, Jr., Monmouth
P Brad Dennis, R-Jr., Campbell
LS Drew McCracken, Sr., Kennesaw State
KR Isaac Foster, R-Fr., Kennesaw State
PR Vinny Grasso, R-Sr., Monmouth
SECOND-TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE
OFFENSE
QB Kenji Bahar, R-Jr., Monmouth
RB Pete Guerriero, R-Soph., Monmouth
RB Shaquil Terry, Soph., Kennesaw State
WR DaShawn Davis, Sr., Presbyterian College
WR Kyle Horton, Sr., Gardner-Webb
WR Aaron Blockmon, R-Sr., Campbell
OL Pete Righi, R-Sr., Monmouth
OL Will Millikan, Sr., Gardner-Webb
OL Shuler Littleton, R-Sr., Campbell
OL Brackin Smith, R-Jr., Charleston Southern
OL Joe Gold, R-Sr., Charleston Southern
DEFENSE
DL Gyasi Yeldell, Sr., Presbyterian College
DL McKenzie Billingslea, Sr., Kennesaw State
DL Damien Dozier, R-Jr., Campbell
DL John Singleton, R-Fr., Gardner-Webb
LB Darien Reynolds, Soph., Gardner-Webb
LB Charlie Patrick, Soph., Kennesaw State
LB Colby Campbell, Soph., Presbyterian College
LB Jack Ryan, R-Sr., Campbell
DB Jace White, R-Sr., Kennesaw State
DB Brandon Rowland, R-Sr., Charleston Southern
DB Shadarius Hopkins, Sr., Charleston Southern
DB Justin Terry, Soph., Monmouth
SPECIAL TEAMS
PK Justin Thompson, Sr., Kennesaw State
P Kyle Reighard, R-Jr., Charleston Southern
LS Ethan Ray, R-Soph., Charleston Southern
KR Kyle Horton, Sr., Gardner-Webb
PR Isaac Foster, R-Fr., Kennesaw State
ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM
Michael Wooten, TE, Sr., Campbell
James Allen, DB, Sr., Charleston Southern
Corey Horne, LB, Sr., Gardner-Webb
Chandler Burks, QB, Gr., Kennesaw State
Matt Mosquera, PK, Jr., Monmouth
Cooper Short, LS, Soph., Presbyterian
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Chandler Burks, QB, Gr., Kennesaw State
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Anthony Gore Jr., LB, R-Sr., Kennesaw State
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Isaac Foster, RS, R-Fr., Kennesaw State
OFFENSIVE FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Juwon Farri, RB, Fr., Monmouth
DEFENSIVE FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
John Singleton, DL, R-Fr., Gardner-Webb
COACH OF THE YEAR
Brian Bohannon, Kennesaw State
SCHOLAR-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Chandler Burks, QB, Gr., Kennesaw State