ECAC Announces 2016 Division I FBS Football All-Stars
DANBURY, Conn. - The Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) has announced its 2016 Division I FBS Football All-Star team and award recipients.
Senior quarterback Will Worth from the United States Naval Academy earned the Player of the Year honor, while teammate Alohi Gilman, a freshman defensive back for the Midshipmen, received the Rookie of the Year award. Penn State University Head Coach James Franklin collected Coach of the Year to round out the major accolades.
Worth started the year as Navy's back-up quarterback, but quickly moved into the starting role after an early-season injury to Tago Smith. The senior has shown off his versatility in 2016, accounting for 2,595 yards of total offense and 33 touchdowns, with 1,198 of those yards and 25 of those scores coming on the ground. The 25 rushing touchdowns lead all FBS players nationwide, while his 1,198 rushing yards ranked fourth among all players in the American Athletic Conference. Worth became just the fifth player in Navy's extensive history to rush and pass for over 1,000 yards in the same season.
Gilman carved out a key role in the Midshipmen secondary as a freshman. The Hawaii native has appeared in 12 games in 2016, starting nine, posting 62 tackles along the way. The safety recorded 41 solo stops and five tackles-for-loss in his first year in a Navy uniform, while also forcing a fumble and recovering two more. Gilman also broke up five passes, second most on the team.
Franklin takes home the award for Coach of the Year after leading Penn State to an 11-2 record and the 2016 Big Ten Championship. After starting 2-2, the third-year head coach led his Nittany Lions on a nine-game winning streak, culminating in a 38-31 come-from-behind victory over the University of Wisconsin in the conference title game. In addition to his ECAC Coach of the Year honors, Franklin was also named the Sporting News National Coach of the Year.
Player of the Year
Will Worth, Sr., United States Naval Academy
Rookie of the Year
Alohi Gilman, Fr., United States Naval Academy
Coach of the Year
James Franklin, Penn State University
Offense First Team
Will Worth, Sr., United States Naval Academy
Jahad Thomas, Sr., Temple University
Saquon Barkley, So., Penn State University
Andy Davidson, So., Army West Point
Noel Thomas, Sr., University of Connecticut
Jamir Tillman, Sr., United States Naval Academy
Amba Etta-Tawo, R-Sr., Syracuse University
Adam Breneman, R-Jr., University of Massachusetts
Dorian Johnson, Sr., University of Pittsburgh
Adam Bisnowaty, Sr., University of Pittsburgh
Blake Copeland, Sr., United States Naval Academy
Adam West, Sr., United States Naval Academy
Dion Dawkins, Sr., Temple University
Defense First Team
Harold Landry, Jr., Boston College
Praise Martin-Oguike, Sr., Temple University
Haason Reddick, Sr., Temple University
Ejuan Price, Sr., University of Pittsburgh
Jeremy Timpf, Sr., Army West Point
Andrew King, Sr., Army West Point
Avery Williams, Sr., Temple University
DJ Palmore, Jr., United States Naval Academy
Jordan Whitehead, So., University of Pittsburgh
Sean Chandler, Jr., Temple University
Obi Melifonwu, Sr., University of Connecticut
Alohi Gilman, Fr., United States Naval Academy
Special Teams First Team
Tyler Davis, Jr., Penn State University
Quadree Henderson, So., University of Pittsburgh
Honorable Mention
Trace McSorley, So., Penn State University; James Conner, Jr., University of Pittsburgh; Quadree Henderson (WR), So., University of Pittsburgh; Mike Gesicki, Jr., Penn State University; Evan Martin, Jr., United States Naval Academy; Maurice Morris, Sr., United States Naval Academy; Garrett Sickels, Jr., Penn State University; Alex Aukerman, Jr., Army West Point; Micah Thomas, Jr., United States Naval Academy.
ABOUT THE ECAC
In the 77 years since its inception, the ECAC has emerged as the nation's largest Conference, ranging in location from Maine to Georgia, and westerly to Missouri. In 2015-16, the ECAC hosted nearly 100 championships in men's and women's sports as the sponsors of over 5,800 varsity teams and 111,000 student-athletes. For more information, visit www.ecacsports.com.
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