Mustangs Tie Record With 18 All-AAC Selections

[PonyPride]

From SMUMustangs.com:

Mustangs Tie AAC Record With 18 All-Conference Selections

IRVING, Texas – No. 25 SMU got some well-deserved recognition on Wednesday for its season, having 18 players selected to all of the American Athletic Conference (AAC) All-Conference Teams in a release by the conference.

The 18 selections tied a conference record for most selections in a single year.

The Mustangs' first-team selections were Marcus Bryant, Justin Osborne, Logan Parr and RJ Maryland on offense. On defense, senior Elijah Chatman was the lone selection. Sophomore Collin Rogers was selected as the kicker.

The linemen trio of Bryant, Osborne and Parr for SMU have been dominant this year, helping lead an explosive offense that ranks in the top 10 in the country in both scoring (fourth) and total offense (ninth), while also ranking 13th in sacks allowed.

Maryland continued to elevate his game this season, posting career highs in receiving yards (462) and touchdowns (7).

Rogers found his groove this year, going 16-for-21 on field goals, including hitting a clutch 51-yarder at Rice on Nov. 4.

Making the second team were Branson Hickman and Jaylan Knighton on offense, and Elijah Roberts and Kobe Wilson on defense. Roderick Daniels Jr. earned the nod as the return specialist.

Hickman anchored the offense line this season for the Mustangs that has helped lead to its first-ever appearance in the AAC Championship game. Knighton, transfer from Miami, showcased his ability all season long, finishing with a team-high 645 rushing yards and six touchdowns. The speedy back posted two 100-yard rushing games in 2023.

Roberts made an immediate impact on the defensive side of the ball, causing constant pressure that resulted in a career-high 8.5 sacks, which ranks 16th in the NCAA. Kobe Wilson helped power a SMU defense that overpowered the opposition all year, leading the team in tackles with 62.

Daniels Jr. has been a valuable piece in the return game for the Mustangs this season, ranking 18th in the country in return average at 10.1 yards per return. He took back a 67-yard punt at Temple that earned him AAC Special Teams Player of the Week honors back on Oct. 23.

On the third team, SMU had Preston Stone on offense, while Jonathan McGill and Charles Woods represented the Mustangs on defense. Ryan Bujcevski earned the nod at the punter position.

Stone had a breakout season in 2023, finishing the year 3,197 yards passing and 28 touchdowns. The Dallas native was a three-time AAC Offensive Player of the Week selection this year.

McGill helped captain the defense, which ranked in the top 20 in the NCAA in multiple defensive statistics. He highlighted his season with a crucial pick-six at ECU on Oct. 12.

Bujcevski led the AAC in punting with a 45.4 average for the season, which included nine punts of at least 50 yards.

The trio of Chris Megginson, Ahmad Walker and Hyrin White received honorable mention honors.

Full list of the teams are below.

2023 AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE FOOTBALL AWARDS

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Michael Pratt, QB, Tulane

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Trey Moore, LB, UTSA

SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE YEAR
LaJohntay Wester, WR/RS, Florida Atlantic

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Makhi Hughes, RB, Tulane

COACH OF THE YEAR
Willie Fritz, Tulane

ALL-CONFERENCE FIRST TEAM
WR — LaJohntay Wester — Florida Atlantic
WR — Luke McCaffrey — Rice
WR — Joshua Cephus — UTSA
OT — Marcus Bryant — SMU
OT — Cameron Wire — Tulane
OG — Justin Osborne — SMU
OG — Logan Parr — SMU
C — Sincere Haynesworth — Tulane
TE — RJ Maryland — SMU
QB — Frank Harris — UTSA
QB — Michael Pratt — Tulane
RB — Blake Watson — Memphis
RB — Makhi Hughes — Tulane
DL — Elijah Chatman — SMU
DL — Darius Hodges — Tulane
DL — Patrick Jenkins — Tulane
DL — Ben Kopenski — Tulsa
LB — Demetrius Knight II — Charlotte
LB — Colin Ramos — Navy
LB — Chandler Martin — Memphis
LB — Trey Moore — UTSA
CB — Kam Alexander — UTSA
CB — Jarius Monroe — Tulane
S — Julius Wood — East Carolina
S — Rashad Wisdom — UTSA
K — Collin Rogers — SMU
P — Riley Reithman — Navy
RS — LaJohntay Wester — Florida Atlantic

ALL-CONFERENCE SECOND TEAM
WR — Roc Taylor — Memphis
WR — Ja'Mori Maclin — North Texas
WR — Sean Atkins — South Florida
OT — Chaz Neal — Florida Atlantic
OT — Xavier Hill — Memphis
OG — Gabe Blair — North Texas
OG — Terrell Haynes — UTSA
C — Branson Hickman — SMU
TE — David Martin-Robinson — Temple
QB — Seth Henigan — Memphis
RB — Ayo Adeyi — North Texas
RB — Jaylan Knighton — SMU
DL — Eyabi Okie-Anoma — Charlotte
DL — D'Anta Johnson — East Carolina
DL — Jaylon Allen — Memphis
DL — Elijah Roberts — SMU
LB — Kobe Wilson — SMU
LB — Donyai Taylor — UTSA
LB — Jordan Magee — Temple
LB — Jesus Machado — Tulane
CB — Shavon Revel — East Carolina
CB — Lance Robinson — Tulane
S — Kam Pedescleaux — Tulane
S — Kendarin Ray H — Tulsa
K — Chase Allen — UTSA
P — Lucas Dean — UTSA
RS — Roderick Daniels Jr. — SMU

ALL-CONFERENCE THIRD TEAM
WR — Tejhaun Palmer — UAB
WR — Chris Brazzell — Tulane
WR — Lawrence Keys III — Tulane
OT — Ernesto Almaraz — UTSA
OT — Rashad Green — Tulane
OG — Febechi Nwaiwu — North Texas
OG — Chester Baah — Tulsa
C — Jacob Likes — Memphis
TE — Oscar Cardenas — UTSA
QB — Preston Stone — SMU
RB — Jermaine Brown Jr. — UAB
RB — Anthony Watkins — Tulsa
DL — Evan Anderson — Florida Atlantic
DL — Brandon Brown — UTSA
DL — Joe Evans — UTSA
DL — Brandon Matterson — UTSA
LB — Nikhai Hill-Green — Charlotte
LB — Jeremy Lewis — East Carolina
LB — Jordan Brown — North Texas
LB — Tyler Grubbs — Tulane
CB — Dontae Balfour — Charlotte
CB — Charles Woods — SMU
S — Jarron Morris — Florida Atlantic
S — Simeon Blair — Memphis
S — Rayuan Lane — Navy
S — Jonathan McGill — SMU
K — Noah Rauschenberg — North Texas
K — Chase Meyer — Tulsa
P — Ryan Bujcevski — SMU
RS — Jha'Quan Jackson — Tulane

ALL-CONFERENCE HONORABLE MENTION
P — Grant Gonya — Charlotte
OG — Kevin Williams Jr. — Charlotte
DL — Chad Stephens — East Carolina
LB — Geoffrey Cantin-Arku — Memphis
LB — Will Harbour — Navy
CB — Dashaun Peele — Navy
RB — Alex Tecza — Navy
RB — Dean Connors — Rice
LB — Myron Morrison — Rice
DL — Josh Pearcy — Rice
S — Gabriel Taylor — Rice
CB — Aamaris Brown-Bunkley — South Florida
DL — Rashad Cheney Jr. — South Florida
OG — Zane Herring
LB — Jhalyn Shuler — South Florida
CB — Chris Megginson — SMU
LB — Ahmad Walker — SMU
OT — Hyrin White — SMU
OG — Cory Godinet — UTSA
LB — Jamal Ligon — UTSA
LB — Devean Deal — Tulane
P — Will Karoll — Tulane
RS — Shedro Louis — Tulane
OT — Darrell Simpson — Tulsa
OG — Wisdom Quarshie — Temple
OT — Victor Stoffel — Temple

[WildHorse]

That Nwokobia didn't even make honorable mention is ridiculous. He has been a stud all year.

[PonyKris89]

UTSA QB was awful vs Tulane. Stone should be better than 3rd team.

[MiracleOnMockingbird]

I was surprised to see McGill was not even considered one of the top four safeties in the conference (not that I have studied film of the four who were ahead of him).

[Charleston Pony]

Defense was disrespected and played the championship game with a chip on their shoulders. After spotting Tulane that 1st 7 points, the D kept providing 3 and outs until Jennings and the offense took control of the 1st half. Without those 2 picks we could have had them down by 2-3 scores at half

[fan]

Absolutely absurd that Roberts and Isiah N. were not first team.
Those guys are NFL talent.
Who makes these decisions?