Mocs claim 12 on All-SoCon football teams
The Chattanooga Mocs figured prominently in the Southern Conference football honors in both the coaches and media voting. Two of the major awards went to defensive lineman Devonnsha Maxwell and offensive lineman Cole Strange.
Maxwell, named a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award last Monday, is the Defensive Player of the Year according to the coaches around the league, while Cole Strange repeated as Jacobs Blocking Award winner. Maxwell shared DOPY on the media side with Stone Snyder from VMI.
There were eight Mocs named first two between the two voting panels. Strange and Maxwell were joined by offensive lineman McClendon Curtis, running back Ailym Ford and safeties Brandon Dowdell and Jerrell Lawson as consensus first team selections. Defensive lineman Ben Brewton joined them on the coaches side, while Ty Boeck was on the media side.
Boeck (coaches) and Brewton (media) were second teamers on the other ballot. Linebacker Jay Person and defensive back Rashun Freeman made the coaches second team. Defensive back Reuben Lowery III and tight end KeShawn Toney earned All-Freshman status.
The seven first teamers on both teams led the league. Chattanooga and ETSU matched each other with 12 honorees on the coaches all-conference and all-freshman squads.
“It shows we had lot guys deserving, a lot of guys who played well and had good years,” Coach Rusty Wright shared. “They did the things to back it up and people took notice.”
Strange repeated as Jacobs Blocking Award winner this time outright after sharing it in the spring. It’s the fifth such honor for the program with Mike Nease getting the first in 1983 and Corey Levin adding two in 2014 and 2015.
“There’s very few of them that play the game the way he does and as hard as he does,” Wright continued. “He plays it the right way giving himself a chance every Saturday. There’s no doubt he’s the best offensive lineman in the league.”
Maxwell’s DPOY is the ninth on the coaches side joining
Junior Jackson (1989), Troy Boeck (1990), Josh Beard (2009), Davis Tull (2012, 2013, 2014), Keionta Davis (2016) and Isaiah Mack (2018). It’s the fifth time the media cited a Mocs defender: Beard (2009), Tull (2012, 2014) and Mack (2018).
“There’s no doubt about Devonnha and the type of year he had, especially being an interior defensive lineman,” Wright added. “That’s a hard thing to do. He backed it up with his play. It’s just a sign of things to come for him.”
Strange is an apt term for this note. It’s Cole’s fifth
All-SoCon selection, but his initial first team despite sharing the Jacobs Blocking Award a year ago. It marks three straight first team nods for Maxwell, while Boeck slides in with three straight picks but first on first team.
McClendon Curtis repeated on the first team from the spring, while Brandon Dowdell earned his second first team award (2019). Jay Person added a second consecutive second team nod. Ford got his second first team slot after making it as a true freshman in 2019. It’s the first honors for Brewton, Lawson and Freeman.