The Big 12 did it earlier today, and now one of the Group of Five leagues has followed suit as well.
As selected by the league’s 13 head coaches, Conferences USA announced on Wednesday its 2014 Players of the Year. The six major awards were spread out among five different schools, with conference champion Marshall the only one to garner more than one.
Western Kentucky’s Brandon Doughty was named the league’s Most Valuable Player, the sixth time in the last seven years a quarterback has been accorded that honor. Another quarterback, Marshall’s Rakeem Cato, was named as the Offensive Player of the Year for a second season in a row.
Below are the other four honors announced today.
Defensive Player of the Year: Marshall linebacker Neville Hewitt
Special Teams Player of the Year: UAB wide receiver J.J. Nelson
Freshman of the Year: Old Dominion running back Ray Lawry
Newcomer of the Year: Louisiana Tech quarterback Cody Sokol