OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – The Louisiana Christian University football program was well-represented as it took home three separate individual accolades as well as a combined 22 first, second, and honorable mentions when the Sooner Athletic Conference revealed its All-Conference winners on Tuesday afternoon.
 
The 2023 SAC Champions from CenLa tallied seven first-teamers, nine second-teamers, and six honorable mentions, giving the Wildcats nine more selections from last year's 2022 squad that logged 13.
 
Head Coach Drew Maddox was named the outright SAC Coach of the Year after splitting the award with Texas Wesleyan's Joe Prud'homme the season prior. The Louisiana College alumni led the Orange and Blue to its first ever conference championship and NAIA Football Championship Series berth as the Cats racked up a program record nine victories and an all-time high winning percentage of 81.8%.  
For the second straight season the SAC Defensive Player of the Year resides in Pineville as Logan Brimmer follows in Micah Latin's footsteps as the 2023 recipient along with an All-SAC First Team nod. Brimmer, a senior defensive lineman from Boutte, Louisiana, ranked eighth in the NAIA for sacks with nine (led SAC), was 13th regarding tackles for loss (16.5), and 33rd in forced fumbles (2) as he terrorized opposing offenses on a weekly basis.
 
 
The third and final superlative went to Sal Palermo III who was recognized as the SAC Athlete of the Year and a Second Team All-SAC honoree. Palermo III, a graduate student quarterback from Walker, Louisiana, was a three-time Conference Offensive Player of the Week as he sported a top-15 passer efficiency rating of 151.9 while landing among the top-40 players nationally in terms of passing touchdowns (22), yards (2,104), and completion percentage (58.9%) in addition to being a mobile dual threat with eight scores on the ground.
   
Devin Briscoe, a graduate student running back from Cecilia, Louisiana, ended the campaign with the third-highest yards per carry mark in the country (7.8) and a top-20 rushing yard total (989), leading the Sooner in all-purpose yards (1,196) and rushing yards per game (89.9) along the way.
 
Jacob Ganote, a senior tight end from Montz, Louisiana, collected his second consecutive First Team honor, leading the team in receptions with 30 while placing second among the pass catchers in both receiving yards (413) and touchdowns (4).
 
Aarion Randall, a junior offensive lineman from Shreveport, Louisiana, did damage in the trenches as he helped the offense finish second in the NAIA for rushing yards per game (278.7) and average 41.1 points a night (9th in NAIA).
   
Andre Reed, a senior linebacker from Basile, Louisiana, was the only player to score a defensive touchdown for LCU with his 20-yard fumble return in the First Round at Baker (Kansas), earned himself SAC Defensive Player of the Week on September 4, and amassed 15.5 tackles for loss that saw the opposition moved back 74 yards.
 
Pop McGhee, a junior defensive back from Opelousas, Louisiana, is the national leader in pass breakups as of this writing, knocking away 16 potential catches in the 11-game season while being one of three Wildcats with multiple interceptions including Jahiem Mitchell and SAC Championship Game hero Nate Sullivan.
   
Ethan Christman, a junior punt returner from right here in Pineville, Louisiana, had the 19th-best average in the NAIA on his returns at 6.9, taking his SAC-most 14 kicks back 97 yards.
   
Daylon Charles, a junior running back from Gueydan, Louisiana, might have been a change of pace from the bulldozing style of Briscoe, but he was just as lethal, finishing the season with the sixth-highest yards per rush in the nation (7.1) with 778 yards and a 70.7 per game average.
 
Sammy Feaster, a junior wide receiver from Alexandria, Louisiana, had the Wildcats longest run (86) and catch (79) of the season, making big play after big play whenever the offense needed a jolt. He wound up leading the squad with 670 yards receiving and five touchdowns over 24 catches while also scoring once as a runner, tacking on another 146 rushing yards on 14 totes.
 
Jayden Washington, a sophomore offensive lineman from Marion, Louisiana, was the anchor and leader of the line, earning the second spot at the center position as the team recorded 5,225 total yards and 281 first downs.
 
Xavier Jackson, a senior offensive lineman from Palmetto, Louisiana, kept the pocket clean for the Cats' signal-callers so they could compile 7.8 yards per pass attempt and hold onto the rock for approximately 32 minutes-plus a contest.
   
Wilbert Robertson, a senior defensive lineman from LaPlace, Louisiana, is one of only two players remaining from the NCAA Division III days that has been voted to both the Sooner and American Southwest Conference's postseason teams as he was an All-ASC Third Team selection during the spring season of 2021.
 
Kavin Touriac, a junior linebacker from New Iberia, Louisiana, bullied his way into the backfield on 13 occasions to take down the ball carrier, causing three quarterback hurries and two sacks during his 47 tackles while also breaking up four pass plays.
 
Tyren Young, a junior defensive back from Thibodaux, Louisiana, was vital to the blowout victory over Arkansas Baptist in the SAC Opener, earning the Conference's Defensive Player of the Week accolade on September 11 with his lone pick of 2023. He totaled an impressive seven TFLs for a player lurking in the secondary as he was Defensive Coordinator Tyson Andrus' go-to blitzer off the edge.
   
Mason Ingram, a sophomore punter from Shreveport, Louisiana, was a two-time unanimous Louisiana Sports Writers Association (LSWA) Special Teams Player of the Week, the only student-athlete at LCU to get multiple honors from the organization, blasting his punts an average of 40 yards per kick (7th in NAIA) and downing 13 balls inside the 20 yard line without a single touchback on 36 attempts.
   
Gavin Lilley, a freshman offensive lineman from New Iberia, Louisiana, is the sole first-year player to be recognized by the league as the 6-foot-6, 290-pounder guided the Orange and Blue to 61 total touchdowns and a score on 82% of its trips to the redzone.
   
Detavius Eldridge, a senior defensive lineman from Boyce, Louisiana, cashed in a SAC Defensive Player of the Week nomination while registering 7.5 sacks and 13.5 tackles for loss.
 
Kelan Bougere, a senior defensive lineman from Gray, Louisiana, accounted for 28 tackles (11 solo), 3.5 TFLs, 2.5 sacks, and two QB hurries.
 
D'Mario Weathersby, a senior defensive back from Clinton, Louisiana, was the other student-athlete from the All-ASC timeline along with Robertson, tacking on 39 tackles, two passes defended, and an interception to the ledger.
 
Cole Jones, a senior defensive back from Sterlington, Louisiana, was behind only teammate McGhee and one other player in the NAIA regarding total pass breakups in 2023, recording 13 of those while sweeping both the LSWA and SAC Defensive Player of the Week awards after a monster performance at TXWES in the regular season finale.
 
Bennie Clark III, a senior defensive back from Houston, Texas, swatted down four passes, made 13 tackles, and picked up half of a tackle for loss on the season.
 
Among the student-athletes listed above, the following are still eligible to return and help Coach Maddox defend the conference crown; Aarion Randall, Ethan Christman, Daylon Charles, Sammy Feaster, Jayden Washington, Xavier Jackson, Mason Ingram, Gavin Lilley, Logan Brimmer, Pop McGhee, Kavin Touriac, and Tyren Young.
 
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