Edwards tabbed Offensive Player of the Year

Published 2:00 pm Tuesday, December 5, 2023

VALDOSTA — Valdosta State junior quarterback Sammy Edwards was named D2CCA Super Region Two Offensive Player of the Year, highlighting seven Blazers who earned D2CCA All-Region honors this season.

Edwards, a Saint Augustine, Fla., native, earned first team all-region honors at quarterback, while graduate student place kicker Estin Thiele also earned first team all-region honors, along with graduate student safety Jacob Harris and sophomore punter Noah Botsford. Graduate student offensive lineman Devin Hannan earned second team honors, along with graduate wide receiver B.K. Smith and graduate defensive back Kyle Cass were second team honorees.

Wingate defensive end Marquise Fleming earned D2CCA Super Region Two Defensive Player of the Year honors as he was named South Atlantic Conference Defensive Player of the Year, helping the Bulldogs go 8-3 and ranking in the top ten nationally in scoring defense, sacks and tackles for loss. Fleming leads the nation in sacks and is fifth nationally in tackles for loss. He is the only player in the country to be a finalist for the Gene Upshaw Award and was a Harlon Hill nominee.

The first team selections will move onto the national ballot for All-America consideration as the D2CCA All-America Teams are scheduled to be announced Thursday, Dec. 14, just prior to the national championship game on Dec. 16 in McKinney, Texas.

Edwards is the first D2CCA Offensive Player of the Year for the Blazers since former Blazer Rogan Wells earned the honor in both 2018 and 2019. Edwards is one of two finalists from Super Region Two to be named finalist for the prestigious Harlon Hill Award.

This season, Edwards helped lead the Blazers to the NCAA quarterfinal round for the third time in five years and helped the Blazers win a share of their 10th Gulf South Conference title in program history this season.

He threw for 4,223 yards this year, almost passing Lance Funderburk’s school mark of 4,226 yards, set in 1996. Edwards did pass Dusty Bonner against Lenoir-Rhyne for second most in a single season. Bonner threw for 4,126 in 2000.

This season, Edwards earned All-Gulf South Conference Second Team honors as he is 327 of 494 passing for a 68.2 clip, while he had 34 touchdown passes Edwards threw for 347 yards on 35 of 49 passing and two touchdowns, while he had 13 carries for 50 yards and a score, besting Shegog in the thrilling 38-31 victory at Delta State in the second round of the playoffs last Saturday. Shegog was named GSC Offensive Player of the Year and first team all-conference.

Edwards set the school-record for touchdown passes in a game with six twice this season with the first coming on Sept. 30 at Chowan and then a half dozen again in the first round of the playoffs versus Limestone on Nov. 18. Edwards threw for a career-high 479 yards against Keiser University on Sept. 16 for the third-most passing yards in a game in school history, while he threw for over 400 yards twice this season and over 300 yards seven times. He also has 92 rushes for 299 yards and six rushing scores this season. Prior to this 2023, Edwards had played in 24 games, going 7 of 11 passing for 121 yards and a long pass of 64 yards.

He becomes the fifth Blazer to be named a finalist for the Harlon Hill Award, joining Chris Hatcher who won the award in 1994, while Funderburk was a runner-up in 1996 and Rogan Wells was the runner-up in 2019 and a finalist in 2019. Dusty Bonner won the award twice in 2000 and 2001.

Thiele, a native of Saint Augustine, Fla., had another outstanding year in 2023 as he is third in the GSC in field goal percentage at a .692 clip on 9 of 13, while he is 66 of 67 in extra-points this season and has a long field goal of 48 yards. Thiele earned second team all-conference honors this season and was a 2022 Fred Mitchell Award Finalist in 2022. This season, Thiele has a team-high 44 kickoffs for 2,674 yards and a 60.8 average per kick with 19 touchbacks and three kicks out of play. Thiele earned GSC Special Teams Player of the Week honors once this season.

For his career, Thiele has made 40 of 53 field goals (.755), while going 182 of 185 in extra-points. His 303 career points is good for fifth all-time in school history and eighth all-time in GSC history. He needs just three points to tie former Blazer great Cedric O’Neal (2012-15) for fourth all-time in program history and seventh in GSC history. Thiele made a school-record five field goals last season against Keiser earning National Player of the Week honors that week for his efforts.

Harris, a native of Greer, S.C., has had an outstanding first season for the red and black in the defensive secondary. He leads the team with 98 tackles on the year and 58 solo stops. Harris has 5 tackles for loss, one interception for 25 yards, three pass breakups, while he has a team-high two fumble recoveries for three yards and one forced fumble.

Botsford, a native of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., has handled the punting duties for the Blazers this season after transferring from Temple University. He has 53 punts for a 43.8 average this season with 2,321 yards. He has 16 punts inside the 20, 10 over 50 yards and 16 fair catches with just four touchbacks. He had a long punt of 66 yards against Lenoir-Rhyne.

Hannan, a native of Belle Vernon, Pa., has helped anchor an offensive line that has led the Blazers to a share of the program’s t0th GSC title, a 12-2 record overall and a berth in the NCAA quarterfinals. Hannan has blocked for a Harlon Hill finalist and the D2CCA Super Region Two Offensive Player of the Year. Hannan has played and started every game this season on the offensive line at right tackle and has graded out at over 92% with over 40 knockdowns and allowed just one sack thus far. Hannan earned second team all-conference honors this season after transferring to VSU as a graduate transfer from Kutztown and Old Dominion.

Smith, a native of Louisville, Ky., has been a standout wide receiver for the Blazers for two seasons and earned second team all-GSC honors for the second-straight season in 2023. Smith leads the team with 70 receptions for 1,006 yards and six touchdowns.

Cass, a New Orleans, La., native, has had standout season in the secondary. He has played in 13 ames with 12 starts and has 30 tackles for the season and 19 solo stops. He leads the team with four interceptions for 44 yards, while he has a team-high 14 pass breakups, along with one fumble recovery and 1.5 tackle for loss for tthree yards. Cass earned second team all-conference honors this season.