ROCK HILL, S.C. – Carson-Newman freshman offensive lineman Turk Daniels has been named the South Atlantic Conference's Offensive Freshman of the Year, the league office announced Thursday afternoon.
Daniels is the first offensive lineman in the history of the league to win the award. He, and eight other Eagles received all-conference and all-division honors.
Major Williams was C-N's lone representative on the All-SAC team, logging his second career first-team honor.
Daniels, Jayden Sullins (running back), Christian Jones (offensive line), Andrew Bradshaw (longsnapper), Jacorey Long (defensive line), Christian Hicks (linebacker), Mekhi Brown (linebacker) and Grayson Campbell (punter) all earned spots on the All-Mountain Division team.
Daniels selection gives Carson-Newman a Freshman of the Year honoree for a third consecutive season following defensive honors the last two years for Mekhi Brown and Frank Lee. He is the first Eagle to win the offensive freshman of the year since Troy Dendy in 2019. Daniels is the 14th Eagle overall to earn the conference's freshman of the year honor. The all-time awards are split right down the middle with seven offensive and defensive honorees, apiece.
Daniels mauled men up front all year long, becoming the first Eagle offensive lineman to start every game of his freshman season since future All-American Pat Egan. Daniels produced a whopping 74 knockdowns on the year – the most in a single-season in school history.
He helped clear the way for Carson-Newman to lead the SAC in rushing. The Eagles produced 273.7 yards rushing per game – a figure that also ranks third nationally.
William earns all-league laurels for a second consecutive year. Williams is fifth on the team in tackles with 50. He has 6.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks with a pick. He also produced the first defensive PAT for the Eagles in a decade in Carson-Newman's win over Wingate in week three.
Williams had a career-high 10 tackles that day against the Bulldogs and also produced his lone pick of the season.
Carson-Newman's 29th all-time 1,000 yard rusher, averaging just short of 100 yards per game. He earned SAC Player of the Week honors and TSWA State Player of the Week honors for one of his two, 200-yard rushing days on the season. Sullins exploded against Barton (Oct. 5) when he rushed 31 times for 261 yards and a score. He followed that up two weeks later with a 235-yard day on 25 carries against UVA Wise (Oct. 19). Sullins has 10 rushing TDs on the season, the third-most in the SAC.
Jones tallied his third straight postseason laurel from the league. He finished the year with 39 knockdowns and was an instrumental part of Carson-Newman leading the league in rushing.
Bradshaw continued Carson-Newman's long line of elite longsnapping with his third career postseason laurel from the league. Carson-Newman didn't have any punts blocked this season thanks to Bradshaw's longsnapping prowess.
Long earned All-Mountain Division honors for a second straight season. He finished the season sixth on the team in tackles. A force to be reckoned with up front, Long had 41 tackles and a team-best 11.5 tackles for loss. The 11.5 TFls are tied for fifth in the league.
Long had nine stops in the Eagles win over Wingate (Sept. 21). He registered multiple TFLs in for games, topping out at two against both Mars Hill (Oct. 12) and Tusculum (Nov. 9).
Hicks led C-N in tackles in his senior campaign, finishing with 74. He was tied with Jacorey Long for the most TFL on the team – also fifth in the SAC with 11.5. Hicks registered 2.5 sacks and a forced fumble.
Hicks produced two double-digit tackle days, with 10 stops at Catawba (Sept. 28) and UVA Wise (Oct. 19). He had 3.5 tackles for loss at West Virginia State (Sept. 13).
Brown followed up his Freshman of the Year campaign in the league by earning All-Mountain Division honors for a second straight year. He finished second on the team in both tackles, with 63, and tackles for loss with 10. Brown also had 5.5 sacks, the fourth-most in the league. Brown had three sacks in the SAC title game against Wingate (Nov. 16) – tied for the sixth-most in a game in school history.
Brown had three eight-tackle days at Catawba (Sept. 28) and in back-to-back weeks to close the regular season against Tusculum (Nov. 9) and Wingate (Nov. 16).
Grayson Campbell
Campell finished second in the SAC in punting, averaging 42.5 yards per boot. He pinned 14 of his 40 punts inside the 20 to finish second in the league in that regard. Campbell had seven punts longer than 50 yards and a long of 69 yards that forced overtime against Wingate on Sept. 21.
Carson-Newman's nine all-conference and all-division selections will be on display in the opening round of the playoffs Saturday at Miles. Kickoff is set for noon EST, 11 a.m. CST. Pregame coverage on the Eagle Sports Network begins one hour prior to kick with the AEC Tailgate Show on Joy 620 (WRJZ-AM, Knoxville) and online at cneagles.com/live.
