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 ranked 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
| Pos. |
Player |
School |
Cl. |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Hometown |
| WR |
LaJohntay Wester |
Florida Atlantic |
Jr. |
5-11 |
167 |
Palmetto, Fla. |
| WR |
Luke McCaffrey |
Rice |
Jr. |
6-2 |
198 |
Highlands Ranch, Colo. |
| WR |
Joshua Cephus |
UTSA |
Sr. |
6-3 |
185 |
Houston, Texas |
| OT |
Marcus Bryant |
SMU |
Sr. |
6-8 |
318 |
Round Rock, Texas |
| OT |
Cameron Wire |
Tulane |
Sr. |
6-6 |
305 |
Gonzalez, La. |
| OG |
Justin Osborne |
SMU |
Sr. |
6-5 |
314 |
Flower Mound, Texas |
| OG |
Logan Parr |
SMU |
Jr. |
6-4 |
314 |
Helotes, Texas |
| C |
Sincere Haynesworth 2 1 |
Tulane |
Sr. |
6-1 |
310 |
Pearland, Texas |
| TE |
RJ Maryland |
SMU |
So. |
6-4 |
233 |
Southlake, Texas |
| QB |
Frank Harris |
UTSA |
Sr. |
6-0 |
205 |
Schertz, Texas |
| QB |
Michael Pratt 2 |
Tulane |
Sr. |
6-3 |
220 |
Boca Raton, Fla. |
| RB |
Blake Watson |
Memphis |
Sr. |
5-9 |
195 |
Queens, N.Y. |
| RB |
Makhi Hughes |
Tulane |
RFr. |
5-11 |
205 |
Birmingham, Ala. |
| DL |
Elijah Chatman 2 2 |
SMU |
Gr. |
6-0 |
278 |
Shreveport, La. |
| DL |
Darius Hodges 2 |
Tulane |
Jr. |
6-2 |
280 |
Montgomery, Ala. |
| DL |
Patrick Jenkins 2 |
Tulane |
Jr. |
6-2 |
305 |
New Orleans, La. |
| DL |
Ben Kopenski |
Tulsa |
Gr. |
6-1 |
255 |
McKinney, Texas |
| LB |
Demetrius Knight II |
Charlotte |
Sr. |
6-2 |
248 |
Locust Grove, Ga. |
| LB |
Colin Ramos |
Navy |
Jr. |
5-11 |
215 |
Wayne, N.J. |
| LB |
Chandler Martin |
Memphis |
So. |
6-0 |
215 |
Lithonia, Ga. |
| LB |
Trey Moore |
UTSA |
So. |
6-3 |
235 |
San Antonio, Texas |
| CB |
Kam Alexander |
UTSA |
Jr. |
5-11 |
175 |
Manvel, Texas |
| CB |
Jarius Monroe 1 |
Tulane |
Sr. |
6-2 |
205 |
LaPlace, La. |
| S |
Julius Wood |
East Carolina |
Sr. |
6-1 |
194 |
Columbus, Ohio |
| S |
Rashad Wisdom |
UTSA |
Sr. |
5-9 |
210 |
Converse, Texas |
| K |
Collin Rogers |
SMU |
So. |
6-4 |
206 |
Prattville, Ala. |
| P |
Riley Reithman |
Navy |
Jr. |
5-10 |
191 |
Keller, Texas |
| RS |
LaJohntay Wester |
Florida Atlantic |
Jr. |
5-11 |
167 |
Palmetto, Fla. |
ALL-CONFERENCE SECOND TEAM
| Pos. |
Player |
School |
Cl. |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Hometown |
| WR |
Roc Taylor |
Memphis |
Jr. |
6-3 |
215 |
Oxford, Ala. |
| WR |
Ja'Mori Maclin |
North Texas |
So. |
5-11 |
183 |
Kirkwood, Mo. |
| WR |
Sean Atkins |
South Florida |
Gr. |
5-10 |
172 |
Viera, Fla. |
| OT |
Chaz Neal |
Florida Atlantic |
Sr. |
6-8 |
315 |
Tampa, Fla. |
| OT |
Xavier Hill |
Memphis |
So. |
6-4 |
318 |
Olive Branch, Miss. |
| OG |
Gabe Blair |
North Texas |
Jr. |
6-2 |
294 |
Denton, Texas |
| OG |
Terrell Haynes |
UTSA |
Sr. |
6-3 |
345 |
Arlington, Texas |
| C |
Branson Hickman |
SMU |
Jr. |
6-3 |
294 |
McKinney, Texas |
| TE |
David Martin-Robinson |
Temple |
Gr. |
6-4 |
255 |
Landisville, Pa. |
| QB |
Seth Henigan |
Memphis |
Jr. |
6-3 |
210 |
Denton, Texas |
| RB |
Ayo Adeyi |
North Texas |
Jr. |
5-7 |
192 |
Mansfield, Texas |
| RB |
Jaylan Knighton |
SMU |
Sr. |
5-10 |
185 |
Lauderhill, Fla. |
| DL |
Eyabi Okie-Anoma |
Charlotte |
Gr. |
6-5 |
267 |
Baltimore, Md. |
| DL |
D'Anta Johnson |
East Carolina |
Jr. |
6-2 |
294 |
Dinwiddie, Va. |
| DL |
Jaylon Allen H |
Memphis |
Sr. |
6-3 |
240 |
Humble, Texas |
| DL |
Elijah Roberts |
SMU |
Sr. |
6-4 |
278 |
Miami, Fla. |
| LB |
Kobe Wilson |
SMU |
Jr. |
6-0 |
226 |
Snellville, Ga. |
| LB |
Donyai Taylor |
UTSA |
Sr. |
6-1 |
205 |
Shiner, Texas |
| LB |
Jordan Magee |
Temple |
Gr. |
6-3 |
225 |
Dover, Del. |
| LB |
Jesus Machado |
Tulane |
Jr. |
6-1 |
220 |
Miami, Fla. |
| CB |
Shavon Revel |
East Carolina |
Jr. |
6-2 |
185 |
Winston-Salem, N.C. |
| CB |
Lance Robinson |
Tulane |
Sr. |
5-11 |
180 |
New Orleans, La. |
| S |
Kam Pedescleaux |
Tulane |
Sr. |
5-9 |
185 |
Houston, Texas |
| S |
Kendarin Ray H |
Tulsa |
Sr. |
6-3 |
213 |
Brenham, Texas |
| K |
Chase Allen |
UTSA |
Jr. |
6-2 |
195 |
Colleyville, Texas |
| P |
Lucas Dean |
UTSA |
Sr. |
6-2 |
215 |
Dunsborough, Australia |
| RS |
Roderick Daniels Jr. |
SMU |
Jr. |
5-9 |
182 |
Duncanville, Texas |
ALL-CONFERENCE THIRD TEAM
| Pos. |
Player |
School |
Cl. |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Hometown |
| WR |
Tejhaun Palmer |
UAB |
Sr. |
6-2 |
210 |
Milwaukee, Wis. |
| WR |
Chris Brazzell |
Tulane |
RFr. |
6-5 |
195 |
Midland, Texas |
| WR |
Lawrence Keys III |
Tulane |
Sr. |
5-11 |
170 |
New Orleans, La. |
| OT |
Ernesto Almaraz |
UTSA |
Sr. |
6-2 |
295 |
Los Angeles, Calif. |
| OT |
Rashad Green |
Tulane |
Jr. |
6-4 |
300 |
Baton Rouge, La. |
| OG |
Febechi Nwaiwu |
North Texas |
So. |
6-4 |
316 |
Coppell, Texas |
| OG |
Chester Baah |
Tulsa |
Sr. |
6-3 |
303 |
Tulsa, Okla. |
| C |
Jacob Likes |
Memphis |
Sr. |
6-3 |
305 |
Memphis, Tenn. |
| TE |
Oscar Cardenas |
UTSA |
Sr. |
6-4 |
285 |
San Antonio, Texas |
| QB |
Preston Stone |
SMU |
So. |
6-1 |
219 |
Dallas, Texas |
| RB |
Jermaine Brown Jr. |
UAB |
Sr. |
5-8 |
195 |
Prichard, Ala. |
| RB |
Anthony Watkins |
Tulsa |
Sr. |
5-11 |
210 |
Fort Worth, Texas |
| DL |
Evan Anderson |
Florida Atlantic |
Jr. |
6-3 |
356 |
West Orlando, Fla. |
| DL |
Brandon Brown |
UTSA |
Jr. |
6-2 |
310 |
Brandon Brown |
| DL |
Joe Evans |
UTSA |
Sr. |
6-3 |
340 |
Haynesville, La. |
| DL |
Brandon Matterson |
UTSA |
Sr. |
6-2 |
295 |
San Antonio, Texas |
| LB |
Nikhai Hill-Green |
Charlotte |
So. |
6-2 |
232 |
Pittsburgh, Pa. |
| LB |
Jeremy Lewis |
East Carolina |
Sr. |
6-2 |
237 |
Greenville, NC. |
| LB |
Jordan Brown |
North Texas |
Jr. |
6-1 |
228 |
Huntsville, Texas |
| LB |
Tyler Grubbs |
Tulane |
Jr. |
6-2 |
230 |
New Orleans, La. |
| CB |
Dontae Balfour |
Charlotte |
So. |
6-2 |
180 |
Starke, Fla. |
| CB |
Charles Woods |
SMU |
Sr. |
5-11 |
191 |
Dallas, Texas |
| S |
Jarron Morris |
Florida Atlantic |
Gr. |
5-9 |
170 |
Orange, Texas |
| S |
Simeon Blair |
Memphis |
Sr. |
5-10 |
208 |
Pine Bluff, Ark. |
| S |
Rayuan Lane |
Navy |
Jr. |
5-11 |
197 |
Jessup, Md. |
| S |
Jonathan McGill |
SMU |
Sr. |
5-10 |
186 |
Coppell, Texas |
| K |
Noah Rauschenberg |
North Texas |
Sr. |
6-0 |
198 |
Tulsa, Okla. |
| K |
Chase Meyer |
Tulsa |
So. |
5-10 |
195 |
Costa Mesa, Calif. |
| P |
Ryan Bujcevski |
SMU |
Gr. |
6-0 |
177 |
Sydney, Australia |
| RS |
Jha'Quan Jackson 2 |
Tulane |
Sr. |
5-11 |
185 |
Luling, La. |
ALL-CONFERENCE HONORABLE MENTION
| Pos. |
Player |
School |
Cl. |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Hometown |
| P |
Grant Gonya |
Charlotte |
Sr. |
6-2 |
213 |
Hudson, Ohio |
| OG |
Kevin Williams Jr. |
Charlotte |
Sr. |
6-5 |
338 |
Omaha, Neb. |
| DL |
Chad Stephens |
East Carolina |
Jr. |
6-1 |
261 |
Greensboro, N.C. |
| LB |
Geoffrey Cantin-Arku |
Memphis |
Sr. |
6-3 |
240 |
Lévis, Que. |
| LB |
Will Harbour |
Navy |
Sr. |
6-1 |
230 |
Frisco, Texas |
| CB |
Dashaun Peele |
Navy |
Jr. |
5-11 |
197 |
Norfolk, Va. |
| RB |
Alex Tecza |
Navy |
So. |
6-0 |
195 |
Pittsburgh, Pa. |
| RB |
Dean Connors |
Rice |
Jr. |
6-2 |
210 |
Kamuela, Hawaii |
| LB |
Myron Morrison |
Rice |
Jr. |
6-3 |
215 |
Humble, Texas |
| DL |
Josh Pearcy |
Rice |
Jr. |
6-2 |
243 |
Moorestown, N.J. |
| S |
Gabriel Taylor |
Rice |
Jr. |
5-10 |
190 |
Miami, Fla. |
| CB |
Aamaris Brown-Bunkley |
South Florida |
Sr. |
5-10 |
195 |
Seffner, Fla. |
| DL |
Rashad Cheney Jr. |
South Florida |
Sr. |
6-2 |
285 |
Atlanta, Ga. |
| OG |
Zane Herring |
South Florida |
Sr. |
6-5 |
319 |
Madison, Fla. |
| LB |
Jhalyn Shuler |
South Florida |
Sr. |
6-1 |
225 |
Abbeville, S.C. |
| CB |
Chris Megginson |
SMU |
Sr. |
6-0 |
192 |
Cypress, Texas |
| LB |
Ahmad Walker |
SMU |
Jr. |
5-11 |
228 |
Warner Robins, Ga. |
| OT |
Hyrin White |
SMU |
Sr. |
6-7 |
332 |
DeSoto, Texas |
| OG |
Cory Godinet |
UTSA |
So. |
6-5 |
350 |
Leone, American Samoa |
| LB |
Jamal Ligon |
UTSA |
Sr. |
6-2 |
225 |
Tyler, Texas |
| LB |
Devean Deal |
Tulane |
So. |
6-4 |
245 |
El Paso, Texas |
| P |
Will Karoll |
Tulane |
Fr. |
6-4 |
200 |
Sydney, Australia |
| RS |
Shedro Louis |
Tulane |
Sr. |
5-8 |
170 |
Immokalee, Fla. |
| OT |
Darrell Simpson |
Tulsa |
Sr. |
6-6 |
345 |
Justin, Texas |
| OG |
Wisdom Quarshie |
Temple |
Gr. |
6-3 |
305 |
Sicklerville, N.J. |
| OT |
Victor Stoffel |
Temple |
Gr. |
6-8 |
300 |
Stockholm, Sweden |
