Florence, Ala. – Carson-Newman football running back Andy Hibbett (Corryton, Tenn.) has been chosen a regional candidate for the Harlon Hill Trophy, given to the NCAA Division II College Football Player of the Year.
Hibbett is one of six regional candidate from Super Region II. He joins West Alabama quarterback Kyle Caldwell, Brevard linebacker Michael Gruber, Wingate defensive end Nick Napolitano, Albany State running back Jarvis Small and Delta State quarterback Tyler Sullivan.
Hibbett produced a season for the ages for the Eagles. Hibbett set a school record by rushing for more than 100 yards in eight consecutive games. His 1,394 yards on the season are the eighth highest tally in school history. Hibbett secured his spot in the Eagle record books. With 37 career rushing touchdowns, he moved past Brandon Baker and Antwon Oliver and into sole possession of sixth place on the all-time rushing TD list.
He also winds up with 3,208 career rushing yards. That mark is also the eighth best in school history. Hibbett scored multiple touchdowns in seven games, including a pair of four-touchdown days. He is a two-time SAC offensive Player of the Week, three-time Bojangles Male Athlete of the Week and earned Tennessee Sportswriters Association Offensive Player of the Week honors once.
Hibbett ranked sixth in the nation in rushing yards per game and 10th in scoring. He had 18 TDs in his senior season – 16 on the ground and two through the air.
Hibbett led C-N in rushing in six games and produced four games where he rushed for at least 180 yards. With 30 carries and 221 yards against Tusculum, Hibbett had the 14th-best single game rushing yard tally in school history and its 32nd 200-yard rushing performance.
Against Mars Hill, the senior only had 191 yards and three TDs on seven carries. His 27.3 yards per rush is the second highest total among running backs with more than five carries in a game.
Hibbett's three touchdowns all came in the second half and helped put the game out of reach.
His first score came on a 58-yard dive, his second on a 65-yard scamper and his third on a 55-yard pitch that started to the right and finished with Hibbett meandering his way back left across the field to the pylon for a score.
Hibbett is Carson-Newman's first regional candidate for the award since 2009. Alex Good was the Eagles' nominee that year. Tyrone Westmoreland ('97) and Leonard Guyton ('02) are the only Eagles to make it past the regional vote.
A total of 36 student-athletes from across the nation have been nominated for the trophy.
The list of candidates was announced Thursday morning by the National Harlon Hill Award Committee.
Players are nominated and voted on by the sports information directors at the 168 NCAA Division II football-playing institutions. The 36 initial candidates will be placed on regional ballots and the top two players from each of the four NCAA regions will advance to the national ballot when regional voting concludes on November 28.
The winner of the 2014 award, which is presented by the National Harlon Hill Award Committee, will be announced on Friday, December 19 via a webcast and the winner will be honored at a luncheon on the University of North Alabama campus on January 9, 2015.
The Hill Trophy is sponsored by the City of Florence, Ala., Florence-Lauderdale Tourism, Opti-Net, the Marriott Shoals Hotel and Spa and Herff Jones.
Candidates are initially nominated by the sports information directors at their respective schools and are then voted on by the SIDs in their respective Super Region. The winner is then determined in a nation-wide vote of the Division II sports information directors.
The group of 36 candidates includes 20 quarterbacks, nine running backs, two receivers, three linebackers and two defensive linemen. There are 20 seniors, nine juniors and seven sophomores.
2014 Harlon Hill Trophy Nominees
SUPER REGIONAL 1 Pos. Ht Wt Cl School Hometown
Brendan Boylan QB 6-2 190 JR Mercyhurst Independence, Ohio
Joey Bradley QB 6-1 190 SR New Haven Issaquah, Wash.
Garry Brown WR 6-1 200 SO California, Pa. Columbus, Ohio
Shamar Greene RB 5-9 185 SO Slippery Rock Duquesne, Pa.
Danny Guadagnoli QB 6-1 200 SR Bentley Framingham, Wash.
Trevor Harman WR 6-3 205 SR Shippensburg Mechanicsburg, Pa.
Steven Laurino QB 6-0 197 SR LIU Post Boise, Idaho
Sean McCartney QB 6-2 200 SR West Chester Doylestown, Pa.
Brian Novak QB 5-11 200 SO Concord College Park, Md.
Justin Shirk LB 6-0 240 SR Bloomsburg Harrisburg, Pa.
Matt Soltes QB 6-3 215 JR East Stroudsburg Vernon, New Jersey
SUPER REGIONAL 2 Pos. Ht Wt Cl School Hometown
Kyle Caldwell QB 5-7 165 SR West Alabama Dadeville, Ala.
Michael Gruber LB 6-3 240 SR Brevard Walterboro, S.C.
Andy Hibbett RB 6-0 200 SR Carson-Newman Corryton, Tenn.
Nick Napolitano DE 6-3 255 SR Wingate Shalotte, N.C.
Jarvis Small RB 5-7 206 JR Albany State Brunswick, Ga.
Tyler Sullivan QB 6-3 235 SO Delta State Louisville, Miss.
SUPER REGIONAL 3 Pos. Ht Wt Cl School Hometown
Anthony Abenoja QB 6-3 217 SR Pittsburg State Overland Park, Kan.
Si'Darius Blackshire QB 6-0 215 SR Southern Arkansas Carthage, Texas
Trey Heid QB 6-2 192 SO Augustana Lakeville, Minn.
Joshua Gordon DE 6-2 250 JR Minnesota State-Mankato Milwaukee, Wis.
Luke Papilion QB 6-5 220 SO Sioux Falls Denver, Colo.
Kevin Rodgers QB 6-3 215 SR Henderson State Rockwall, Texas
LaVance Taylor RB 5-11 195 SR Central Missouri Raytown, Mo.
Terrett Watson RB 6-2 240 SR Azusa Pacific Oxnard, Calif.
Romo Westbrook FB 5-10 210 SR Harding Marion, Ark.
SUPER REGIONAL 4 Pos. Ht Wt Cl School Hometown
Geremy Alridge-Mitchell RB 5-8 203 JR West Texas A&M Dallas, Texas
Anthony Bilal RB 5-7 170 JR Lake Erie Painesville, Ohio
Justin Dvorak QB 6-0 200 SO Colorado-Mines Tomball, Texas
Nores Fradi LB 6-1 216 SR Wayne State (Mich.) Dearborn Heights, Mich.
Mitch Glasmann QB 6-3 220 JR Western New Mexico Temecula, Calif.
Mark Miller QB 6-1 190 SR Ohio Dominican Cincinnati, Ohio
Verlon Reed QB 6-1 200 SR Findlay Columbus, Ohio
Anthony Taylor TB 5-11 212 SR Ashland Arlington, Va.
Jason Vander Laan QB 6-4 241 JR Ferris State Frankfort, Ill.
Kyle Washington QB 6-5 205 JR Angelo State Humble, Texas
