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Hodges repeats as SoCon offensive player of the year
(STATS) - Samford finished in a tie for second place in the Southern Conference, but perhaps the league's hottest team heading into the playoffs also features its two best players.
Junior quarterback Devlin Hodges repeated as the SoCon's offensive player of the year while junior lineman Ahmad Gooden was named the defensive player of the year Tuesday in voting conducted by the conference's nine coaches.
Hodges followed his 4,000-yard sophomore campaign with 3,592 yards in the regular season and threw 30 touchdown passes for the second straight year, guiding the Bulldogs to an 8-3 overall record and six wins in their final seven conference games. He's a finalist for the STATS FCS Walter Payton Award, given to the offensive player of the year, while Gooden is a finalist for the STATS FCS Buck Buchanan Award, given to the subdivision's premier defensive player. Gooden finished the regular season with 98 tackles, good for sixth in the league, and was second with 15 1/2 tackles for loss and tied for fourth with 5 1/2 sacks.
Furman's Clay Hendrix was named the league's best coach after guiding the Paladins to a 7-4 record and a playoff appearance in his first season. The former offensive lineman also coached the winner of the Jacobs Blocking Award, senior Matthew Schmidt, while Mercer quarterback Kaelan Riley was named the freshman of the year.
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SOUTHERN CONFERENCE POSTSEASON AWARDS=
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR - Devlin Hodges, QB, Samford
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR - Ahmad Gooden, DL, Samford
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR - Kaelan Riley, QB, Mercer
COACH OF THE YEAR - Clay Hendrix, Furman
JACOBS BLOCKING AWARD - Matthew Schmidt, OL, Furman
ALL-SOUTHERN CONFERENCE
FIRST TEAM OFFENSE
QB - Devlin Hodges, Samford
RB - Antonio Wilcox, Furman
RB - Detrez Newsome, Western Carolina
OL - Tyler Davis, The Citadel
OL - Terrell Bush, Furman
OL - Matthew Schmidt, Furman
OL - Zach Weeks, Western Carolina
OL - Ross Demmel, Wofford
TE - Andy Schumpert, Furman
WR - Kelvin McKnight, Samford
WR - Terryon Robinson, Western Carolina
FIRST TEAM DEFENSE
DL - Isaiah Buehler, Mercer
DL - Ahmad Gooden, Samford
DL - Miles Brown, Wofford
DL - Tyler Vaughn, Wofford
LB - Lee Bennett, Mercer
LB - Shaheed Salmon, Samford
LB - Tahjai Watt, Western Carolina
DB - Kailik Williams, The Citadel
DB - Omari Williams, Samford
DB - Lucas Webb, Chattanooga
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
