RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – On Tuesday, following a vote of the Great American Conference’s head football coaches, the league announced its All-Conference teams and year-end individual awards. Henderson State’s JaQuan Cole earned the Player of the Year award, Arkansas Tech’s Logan Genz claimed the Defensive Player of the Year honor, Southern Arkansas’ Barrett Renner garnered the Freshman of the Year accolade and Southwestern Oklahoma State’s Dan Cocannouer received Coach of the Year.
Cole led nine Reddies on the All-GAC First Team as they earned their third GAC championship in four seasons. Cole gained 972 yards in nine games with seven touchdowns. His two most productive games came against the GAC’s other two postseason-bound schools – Arkansas Tech and Southwestern Oklahoma State. He gained 388 yards in those two victories, highlighted by a school-record 245 yards against the Wonder Boys.
Two other members of the Henderson State offense – wide receiver JaVante Mack and center Cory Stitle – joined Mack on the First Team. Mack ranked eighth in the GAC in receptions. Four Reddie defenders – tackle Grady Ollison, outside linebacker Josh Davis, safeties Gary Vines and Kenrick Buns – earned First-Team honors. Ollison tied for the team lead in sacks. Davis, a unanimous selection registered 83 tackles and ranked in the top 10 in tackles-for-loss and forced fumbles. Vines and Burns each picked off three passes, part of the Reddies’ NCAA-leading 24 interceptions. Kicker Houston Ray and special teamer James Jackson rounded out Henderson State’s First-Team selections. Ray led the GAC with 15 made fields and tied for the GAC lead, among kickers, with 81 points.
ALL-GAC FOOTBALL TEAMS / YEARLY AWARDS || FIRST-TEAM ALL-GAC PHOTO GALLERY
Genz headlined four from the Wonder Boys on the All-GAC First Team. Genz, who ranks second among active Division II players in tackles, posted with his fourth-straight 100-tackle season and helped Arkansas Tech earn a bid to the C.H.A.M.P.S. Heart of Texas Bowl. Demetris Ford, a junior defensive tackle, Chris Eastburn, a freshman fullback and sophomore punter Clayton Watson also earned First-Team honors. Ford led the team in sacks, Eastburn helped block for the second-most proficient ground game in the GAC and Watson ranked second in the nation by averaging 44.1 yards per punt.
Renner set numerous SAU single-season records. He established new marks for passing touchdowns (33), completions (252) attempts (405), completion percentage (62.6 percent) and total offense (3,713 yards). He leads all NCAA Division II freshmen quarterbacks in yards, touchdowns and passing efficiency. He became the first freshman in Division II to reach the 3,000-yard milestone since 2012. Cornerback Quan Warren, a Second-Team All-GAC selection in 2013 earned First-Team honors.
Cocannouer led the Bulldogs to their best season, 8-3, since joining Division II in 1997 and guided the team to an appearance in the Texarkana Live United Bowl. He had two players – cornerback Trevon Hartfield and return specialist D.J. Jones – land on the All-GAC First Team. Hartfield led the GAC and ranked second in the country with 22 passes defended. Jones led the conference in all-purpose yards and ranked second in the nation in punt return average. He added 796 receiving yards to rank third in the GAC in the category.
East Central produced five First-Team All-GAC selections, second to Henderson State. In addition to a pair of offensive linemen – Kevin Bowen and Travis Hening – wide receiver David Moore and linebackers Jameel Whitney and Lexus Jackson landed on the First Team. Moore became the first Tiger receiver to produce a 1,000-yard season as he paced the GAC with 1,097 yards and 13 touchdowns. Whitney set the ECU record for tackles in a career, 318, after totaling 113 this season. Jackson totaled 32 tackles, 4.5 tackles-for-loss, two interceptions and seven passes defended.
Ouachita and Harding each produced three First-Team selections. Tiger running back Kris Oliver ran for 1,176 yards, most in the GAC and among Division II freshmen while scoring 21 total touchdowns. Tight end Johnathan Powell earned All-GAC honors for the third time in career and lineman Mike Russell garnered First-Team All-GAC honors for the second-straight season.
Harding’s Park Parish matched Oliver with 19 rushing touchdowns. He ran for 864 yards and threw for 783 yards with five touchdowns. Defensive end Trevon Biglow led the GAC in sacks per game and ranked second in forced fumbles per game. Eric Mitchell paced an offensive line that ranked second in the country in rushing yards per game, 366.9.
Northwestern Oklahoma State’s Joby Saint Fleur and Southeastern Oklahoma State’s Franky Okafor rounded out the All-GAC First Team. Saint Fleur became the first Ranger to earn First-Team All-GAC honors after ranking in the top 10 in the nation with 10.5 sacks. He tied the GAC single-game record for sacks in a game with 4.0 against Southeastern Oklahoma State. The Savage Storm’s Okafor ranked second in the conference in three categories - receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns.
In total, the Reddies led the way 14 All-GAC selections, followed by 11 from Harding and 10 from East Central.