IRVING, Texas – Eight Carson-Newman football players have been granted a spot in the National Football Foundation's Hampshire Honor Society, the organization announced Thursday.
Carson-Newman placed tight end Andrew Coulter, linebacker Caleb Goins, punter Michael Harrah, defensive lineman AJ Hunter, defensive lineman Nick Owens, offensive lineman Mike Peppin, receiver Luke Simpson and defensive lineman Kannon Vanderburg on the listing.
The Eagles' eight recipients are the most of any South Atlantic Conference or Super Region II program.
Coulterm Hunter, Owens and Simpson were also recognized for their prowess in the classroom with CoSIDA Academic All-District honors.
Nominated by their respective schools, members of the NFF Hampshire Honor Society must be either:
- A senior player, who will graduate this spring/summer, and just completed his final year of playing eligibility in 2022; or
- A graduated player, who has been out of high school at least (3) years; And must have:
- Attained a minimum undergraduate cumulative GPA of 3.2 (4.0 scale); and
- Been starters or significant contributors throughout the 2022 season.
Goins earned postseason accolades for the first time in his career after finishing fourth on the team in tackles. He finished the year with 46 tackles and four tackles for loss.
His top performance was against Emory & Henry (10/29) when he had eight stops playing just outside his hometown. That was one of five days on the year for Goins where he had at least five tackles. He also had a seven-tackle day against Franklin Pierce in the Eagles home opener on Sept. 10.
Goins concludes his Carson-Newman career with 112 career tackles and 13 tackles for loss.
A 15-game starter at tight end for the Carson-Newman football program. Coulter snagged two passes on the season for the Eagles. He had a 28-yard reception against UVA Wise.
A secondary tackle for the Carson-Newman offensive line, Coulter helped clear the way for four Eagles to rush for more than 400 yards and two to earn All-SAC honors.
Additionally, Carson-Newman ranked second in the SAC in fewest tackles for loss allowed and only gave up 1.5 sacks per game on the season.
Harrah stepped into punting duties the back half of the year after an injury. He booted the ball 23 times for 910 yards, an average of 39.6 yards per kick. A very consistent punter, Harrah had six blasts that covered 50 yards, including a 54-yarder at Catawba (11/12).
The senior had a 50-yard punt in every game in which he kicked, with the exception of Erskine (10/15), when he was only called into service once and kicked the ball 45 yards.
Nearly, half of Harrah's kicks pinned opponents inside their 20 (11 of his 23 punts) and a quarter (six) were fair caught. He didn't have a punt blocked on the year.
Hunter came into his own on the defensive line, especially late in his senior season. The Union, S.C.-native tallied 15 tackles on the season and appeared in every game, with a start on Senior Day against UVA Wise. He topped out at three tackles against Lenoir-Rhyne.
A pass-rush specialist on the defensive line for the Eagles, the fox end tallied 14 tackles, with four coming behind the line of scrimmage. He also had a sack and a half plus a fumble recovery. He recovered his fumble off a strip sack against Mars Hill. He had his most productive day with two stops behind the line of scrimmage against Limestone.
Peppin recovered from an early knee injury to start the final six games of the season for Carson-Newman.
The Florida native helped clear the way for four Eagles to rush for more than 400 yards and two to earn All-SAC honors.
Additionally, Carson-Newman ranked second in the SAC in fewest tackles for loss allowed and only gave up 1.5 sacks per game on the season.
Peppin wrapped up the year with an average grade of 86.66 and 30 knockdowns. He graded out with a season-high 91 against Emory & Henry and had a season-best seven knockdowns against Tusculum.
A reliable slot receiver, Simpson ranked second on the team with 13 catches and fourth in receiving yards with 134. He caught two touchdowns on the season. He found the end zone against both Limestone and UVA Wise. Simpson wrapped up his career with a career-high 42 yards receiving and a career-long 27-yard catch.
A member of the player committee, Vanderburg appeared in eight games for Carson-Newman and was C-N's leader in special teams tackles with eight.
