Nov. 23, 2010

SPARTANBURG, S.C. - Four members of the Samford football team were named to the Southern Conference's Coaches All-Conference teams, while three others were named to the All-Freshman team when the league released its Coaches' postseason awards on Tuesday.

Senior running back Chris Evans and senior linebacker Bryce Smith were named first-team All-Conference. Senior offensive lineman Thomas Gray and senior defensive lineman John Michael Clay were named to the second team. Wide receivers Quin Roberson and Kelsey Pope and running back Fabian Truss were all named to the All-Freshman team.

Appalachian State quarterback DeAndre Presley was named the Offensive Player of the Year, while Wofford's Ameet Pall was named the league's Defensive Player of the Year. Chattanooga's Kadeem Wise was named the Freshman of the Year and Wofford's Pat Illig earned the Jacobs Blocking Award. Appalachian State's Jerry Moore was honored as the league's Coach of the Year.

Evans, a finalist for the Walter Payton Award, rushed for 1,106 yards this season, ranking second in the Southern Conference. He has rushed for over 1,000 yards in each of his four seasons at Samford. For his career, he rushed for a school and state record 4,575 yards and 33 touchdowns.

This marks the third-straight season Evans has been named first-team All-SoCon. As a freshman, he was named to the Ohio Valley Conference's All-Freshman team.

Smith, who is a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award, led the SoCon and ranked eighth in the nation in total tackles with 129 this season. He also led the nation in solo tackles with 85, marking the second-consecutive season he has led the nation in that category. He has led Samford in tackles for three-straight seasons.

Smith was also named first-team All-SoCon as a junior and second-team All-Conference after his sophomore season.

Gray has been a leader of the Samford offensive line for the past four seasons. Gray started the final 38 consecutive games of his Samford career.

Clay, who was named second-team All-Conference in 2009 as well, finished the season with 39 tackles, including 27 solo stops. He also had two sacks, five tackles for a loss and two fumble recoveries this season.

Roberson led Samford and ranked 10th in the SoCon with 31 receptions for 474 yards and three touchdowns. Roberson also rushed eight times for 43 yards this season.

Pope caught 28 passes for 234 yards as a freshman this season. Pope also returned nine kickoffs for an average of 25.2 yards per return and four punts for an average of 7.2 yards per return.

Truss, despite missing two games due to injury, finished second on the team in rushing with 46 rushes for 301 yards and a touchdown. He also led the team in kickoff returns with 12 returns for an average of 28.4 yards per return.

2010 Coaches All-Southern Conference Football Team

Offensive Player of the Year - DeAndre Presley, Jr., QB, Appalachian State
Defensive Player of the Year - Ameet Pall, Jr., DL, Wofford
Freshman of the Year - Kadeem Wise, DB, Chattanooga
Jacobs Blocking Award - Pat Illig, Sr., Wofford
Coach of the Year - Jerry Moore, Appalachian State

First Team Offense
QB DeAndre Presley, Jr., Appalachian State
QB (tie) Scott Riddle, Sr., Elon
RB Chris Evans, Sr., Samford
RB Eric Breitenstein, So., Wofford
OL Daniel Kilgore, Sr., Appalachian State
OL Rodney Austin, Jr., Elon
OL Brett Moore, Jr., Georgia Southern
OL Chris Harr, Sr., Chattanooga
OL Pat Illig, Sr., Wofford
TE Garrett Hughes, Sr., Chattanooga
WR Aaron Mellette, So., Elon
WR Adam Mims, Sr., Furman

First Team Defense
DL Jabari Fletcher, Sr., Appalachian State
DL Erik Clanton, Sr., The Citadel
DL Brent Russell, So., Georgia Southern
DL Ameet Pall, Jr., Wofford
LB D.J. Smith, Sr., Appalachian State
LB Kadarron Anderson, Jr., Furman
LB Bryce Smith, Sr., Samford
DB Mark LeGree, Sr., Appalachian State
DB Ryan Steed, Jr., Furman
DB Laron Scott, Jr., Georgia Southern
DB Buster Skrine, Sr., Chattanooga

First Team Specialists
PK Jason Vitaris, Sr., Appalachian State
P Charlie Edwards, Jr., Georgia Southern
RS Laron Scott, Jr., Georgia Southern

Second Team Offense
QB B.J. Coleman, Jr., Chattanooga
RB Travaris Cadet, Jr., Appalachian State
RB Terrell Dallas, Jr., The Citadel
OL Brett Irvin, Sr., Appalachian State
OL Orry Frye, Jr., Appalachian State
OL John Rubertone, Sr., Elon
OL Thomas Gray, Sr., Samford
OL Clark Bishop, Sr., Wofford
TE Ben Jorden, Jr., Appalachian State
WR Brian Quick, Jr., Appalachian State
WR Joel Bradford, Jr., Chattanooga

Second Team Defense
DL John Michael Clay, Sr., Samford
DL Roderick Tinsley, Jr., Georgia Southern
DL Chris Donald, Jr., Chattanooga
DL Jordan Gibson, Sr., Elon
LB Brandon Wiggins, Sr., Elon
LB Josh Rowe, So., Georgia Southern
LB Ryan Consiglio, Jr., Chattanooga
DB Ed Gainey, Jr., Appalachian State
DB Cortez Allen, Sr., The Citadel
DB Mitchell Bell, Sr., Western Carolina
DB Tommy Irvin, Sr., Wofford

Second Team Specialists
PK Ray Early, Fr., Furman
P Blake Cain, Jr., Western Carolina
RS Travaris Cadet, Jr., Appalachian State

2010 Southern Conference All-Freshman Football Team

All-Freshman Offense
Terrance Martin, RB, The Citadel
Kierre Brown, WR, Elon
Dakota Dozier, OL, Furman
Robert Brown, RB, Georgia Southern
Dorian Byrd, OL, Georgia Southern
Kelsey Pope, WR, Samford
Quin Roberson, WR, Samford
Fabian Truss, RB, Samford
Marlon Anthony, WR, Chattanooga
Keon Williams, RB, Chattanooga
Deja Alexander, WR, Western Carolina

All-Freshman Defense
Patrick Blalock, DB, Appalachian State
Derek Douglas, DL, The Citadel
Brandon Brant, DL, Elon
Shawn Boone, DL, Furman
Josh Gebhardt, DL, The Georgia Southern
D.J. Key, DB, Chattanooga
Gunner Miller, LB, Chattanooga
Kadeem Wise, DB, Chattanooga
Randy Pressley, LB, Western Carolina
Mike McCrimon, LB, Wofford
James Zotto, LB, Wofford

All-Freshman Specialists
Ray Early, PK, Furman
Kasey Redfern, KOS, Wofford
Sidney Rhodes, KR, Western Carolina