Matt Johnson - MAC Offensive Player of the Year and Vern Smith Leadership Award honoree. CLEVELAND, Ohio – A total of 27 repeat selections from last year's All-MAC teams highlight this year's postseason football awards in the Mid-American Conference.
Bowling Green senior quarterback Matt Johnson was tabbed as the winner of the 34th Vern Smith Leadership Award and was named the MAC Offensive Player of the Year. Toledo Head Coach Matt Campbell was named MAC Head Coach of the Year, while Western Michigan true freshman running back Jamauri Bogan was honored as the MAC
Freshman of the Year. Akron senior linebacker Jatavis Brown was named MAC Defensive Player of the Year and Northern Illinois kick returner Aregeros Turner was named MAC Special Teams Player of the Year.
Bowling Green senior quarterback Matt Johnson was tabbed as the winner of the 34th Vern Smith Leadership Award and was named the MAC Offensive Player of the Year. Toledo Head Coach Matt Campbell was named MAC Head Coach of the Year, while Western Michigan true freshman running back Jamauri Bogan was honored as the MAC
Freshman of the Year. Akron senior linebacker Jatavis Brown was named MAC Defensive Player of the Year and Northern Illinois kick returner Aregeros Turner was named MAC Special Teams Player of the Year.
Jatavius Brown - MAC Defensive Player of the Year 2015 MAC Specialty Award Winners
Coach of the Year: Matt Campbell, Toledo
Freshman of the Year: RB Jamauri Bogan, Western Michigan
Offensive Player of the Year: QB Matt Johnson, Bowling Green
Defensive Player of the Year: LB Jatavis Brown, Akron
Special Teams Player of the Year: KR Aregeros Turner, Northern Illinois
Vern Smith Leadership Award Winner: QB Matt Johnson, Bowling Green
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Coach of the Year: Matt Campbell, Toledo
Freshman of the Year: RB Jamauri Bogan, Western Michigan
Offensive Player of the Year: QB Matt Johnson, Bowling Green
Defensive Player of the Year: LB Jatavis Brown, Akron
Special Teams Player of the Year: KR Aregeros Turner, Northern Illinois
Vern Smith Leadership Award Winner: QB Matt Johnson, Bowling Green
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A native of Harrisburg, Pa, Johnson was voted by the Conference head coaches as the 34th Vern Smith Leadership Award winner. The award is presented annually to the conference's top football player in honor of Vern Smith, the former University of Toledo Athletic Director. Johnson was also named MAC Offensive Player of the Year as he was the architect of the Falcons offense as he threw for a 4,465 yards and 41 touchdowns in only 12 regular season games. Johnson led the Bowling Green offense to average 566.0 yards per game and 44.2 points per game. Johnson completed 343-of-498 passing and averaged 372.1 yards passing per game. Bowling Green won its third consecutive MAC East Division title with a 9-3 overall record, 7-1 in the MAC.
Campbell, who led the Rockets for the last four seasons as head coach at Toledo was 35-15 in four seasons as head coach of the Rockets, including 24-8 in MAC play. Campbell, who turned 36 on Nov. 29, was named the new head coach at Iowa State. Campbell led the Rockets to a 9-2 overall record this season, 6-2 in the MAC as co-West Division Champions and were ranked as high as No. 19 in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll at one point in the season. Campbell took over after former Toledo head coach Tim Beckman assumed the head coaching duties at Illinois. Campbell's first game as head coach was a 42-41 victory over Air Force in the 2011 Military Bowl. Campbell also led Toledo to the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl in 2012 and the GoDaddy Bowl in 2014 with a 63-44 win over Arkansas State.
Bogan, a redshirt freshman led the Broncos rushing attack with 836 yards on 143 carries (5.8 avg.) and 12 touchdowns. Bogan appeared in all 12 games this season as Western Michigan finished with a 7-5 overall record, including a 6-2 league mark as co-West Division Champions. A native of Union, N.J., Bogan ranked ninth in the MAC with an average of 69.7 yards rushing per game.
Brown, a native of Belle Glade, Fla., played in all 12 games this past year and led the Zips to the teams first year of bowl eligibility since 2005 with a 7-5 overall record. Brown led Akron with 108 tackles, 17.5 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks. Brown also added one interception, two passes defensed and three forced fumbles for the Zips. Among the MAC, Brown led the league in sacks, tackles for loss and ranked seventh in total tackles. His 10.5 sacks ranks tied for eighth in the nation and his 17.5 tackles for loss ranks tied for 13th in the country.
Turner, a native of Akron, Ohio, collected 37 kick returns this past season for 948 yards for a 25.6 average and one touchdown. Turner led the MAC with his 948 kickoff return yards, was tied for the league-lead with one touchdown and ranked second with his 25.6 return average.
Northern Illinois led the way in 2015 with eight First-Team selections, followed by Bowling Green with five First-Team selections and Toledo with four honorees. Overall, Bowling Green, Northern Illinois and Western Michigan set the pace with 11 All-MAC honorees, followed by Toledo with 10 honorees, while Central Michigan had eight honorees.
Akron's Jatavis Brown was the only three-time First Team All-MAC honoree in this year's honors. There were a total of seven students named to their second consecutive First-Team selection: offensive lineman Andrew Ness (Northern Illinois), offensive lineman Nick Beamish (Central Michigan), wide receiver Roger Lewis (Bowling Green), wide receiver Corey Davis (Western Michigan), wide receiver Tajae Sharpe (UMass) and defensive back Nate Holley (Kent State).
2015 MAC Specialty Award Winners
Coach of the Year: Matt Campbell, Toledo
Freshman of the Year: RB Jamauri Bogan, Western Michigan
Offensive Player of the Year: QB Matt Johnson, Bowling Green
Defensive Player of the Year: LB Jatavis Brown, Akron
Special Teams Player of the Year: KR Aregeros Turner, Northern Illinois
Vern Smith Leadership Award Winner: QB Matt Johnson, Bowling Green
2015 FIRST TEAM ALL-MAC
2015 All-MAC First Team Offense
Position – Name - School
Quarterback – Matt Johnson, Bowling Green
Offensive Linemen – Storm Norton, Toledo
Offensive Linemen – Andrew Ness, Northern Illinois &
Offensive Lineman – Willie Beavers, Western Michigan +
Offensive Linemen – Nick Beamish, Central Michigan &
Offensive Linemen – Aidan Conlon, Northern Illinois
Tight End – Matt Weiser, Buffalo
Wide Receiver – Roger Lewis, Bowling Green &
Wide Receiver – Corey Davis, Western Michigan &@
Wide Receiver – Tajae Sharpe, UMass &
Wide Receiver – Daniel Braverman, Western Michigan %
Running Back – Joel Bouagnon, Northern Illinois
Running Back – Travis Greene, Bowling Green @
Placekicker – Christian Hagan, Northern Illinois
2015 All-MAC First Team Defense
Position – Name - School
Outside Linebacker – Jatavis Brown, Akron &^
Outside Linebacker – Sean Wiggins, Ball State
Inside Linebacker – Boomer Mays, Northern Illinois +
Inside Linebacker – Austin Valdez, Bowling Green
Down Lineman – Orion Jones, Toledo +
Down Lineman – Perez Ford, Northern Illinois +
Down Lineman – Joshua Posley, Ball State
Down Lineman – Terence Waugh, Kent State
Defensive Back – Shawun Lurry, Northern Illinois
Defensive Back – Nate Holley, Kent State &
Defensive Back – Cheatham Norrils, Toledo
Defensive Back – Demetrius Monday, Kent State
Punter – Joe Davidson, Bowling Green
2015 All-MAC First Team Specialists
Position – Name - School
Kickoff Return Specialist – Aregeros Turner, Northern Illinois
Punt Return Specialist – Corey Jones, Toledo
2015 SECOND TEAM ALL-MAC
2015 All-MAC Second Team Offense
Position – Name - School
Quarterback – Cooper Rush, Central Michigan
Offensive Lineman – Alex Huettel, Bowling Green +@
Offensive Lineman – Jacob Richard, Ball State %#
Offensive Lineman – Levon Myers, Northern Illinois
Offensive Lineman – Jacob Bennett, Bowling Green
Offensive Lineman – John Kling, Buffalo
Tight End – Ben McCord, Central Michigan
Wide Receiver – Jordan Williams, Ball State +#
Wide Receiver – Kenny Golladay, Northern Illinois
Wide Receiver – Gehrig Dieter, Bowling Green
Wide Receiver – Alonzo Russell, Toledo %#!
Running Back – Kareem Hunt, Toledo &
Running Back – Terry Swanson, Toledo
Placekicker – Brian Eavey, Central Michigan
2015 All-MAC Second Team Defense
Position – Name - School
Outside Linebacker – Trent Greene, Bowling Green
Outside Linebacker – Brandon Berry, Buffalo
Inside Linebacker – Great Ibe, Eastern Michigan +
Inside Linebacker – Jovan Santos-Knox, UMass &
Down Lineman – Allen Covington, Toledo
Down Lineman – Blake Serpa, Central Michigan
Down Lineman – Bryson Albright, Miami
Down Lineman – Cody Grice, Akron &
Defensive Back – Darius Phillips, Western Michigan
Defensive Back – Kavon Frazier, Central Michigan
Defensive Back – Ian Wells, Ohio
Defensive Back – Ronald Zamort, Western Michigan %
Punter – Anthony Melchiori, Kent State &@
2015 All-MAC Second Team Specialists
Position – Name - School
Kickoff Return Specialist – Darius Phillips, Western Michigan %
Punt Return Specialist – Trey Dudley-Giles, UMass
2015 THIRD TEAM ALL-MAC
2015 All-MAC Third Team Offense
Position – Name - School
Quarterback – Zach Terrell, Western Michigan +
Offensive Lineman – Taylor Moton, Western Michigan
Offensive Lineman – Ramadan Ahmeti, Central Michigan
Offensive Lineman – Mike McQueen, Ohio
Offensive Lineman – Lucas Powell, Ohio %
Offensive Lineman – Isaiah Williams, Akron
Tight End – Rodney Mills, UMass
Wide Receiver – Jesse Kroll, Central Michigan
Wide Receiver – Ronnie Moore, Bowling Green
Wide Receiver – Sebastian Smith, Ohio
Wide Receiver – KeVonn Mabon, Ball State %
Running Back – Jamauri Bogan, Western Michigan
Running Back – Darius Jackson, Eastern Michigan
Placekicker – Andrew Haldeman, Western Michigan
2015 All-MAC Third Team Defense
Position – Name - School
Outside Linebacker – Okezie Alozie, Buffalo
Outside Linebacker – Trey Seals, UMass
Inside Linebacker – Matt Dellinger, Kent State
Inside Linebacker – Quentin Poling, Ohio
Down Lineman – Jamal Marcus, Akron
Down Lineman – Rodney Coe, Akron
Down Lineman – JT Jones, Miami
Down Lineman – Trent Voss, Toledo
Defensive Back – Asantay Brown, Western Michigan
Defensive Back – Marlon Moore, Northern Illinois
Defensive Back – Boise Ross, Buffalo
Defensive Back – DeJuan Rogers, Toledo
Punter – Logan Laurent, UMass
2015 All-MAC Third Team Specialists
Position – Name - School
Kickoff Return Specialist – KeVonn Mabon, Ball State
Punt Return Specialist – Ryan Burbrink, Bowling Green &@
& 2014 First-Team All-MAC
+ 2014 Second-Team All-MAC
% 2014 Third-Team All-MAC
^ 2013 First-Team All-MAC
@ 2013 Second-Team All-MAC
# 2013 Third-Team All-MAC
! 2012 Third-Team All-MAC
Campbell, who led the Rockets for the last four seasons as head coach at Toledo was 35-15 in four seasons as head coach of the Rockets, including 24-8 in MAC play. Campbell, who turned 36 on Nov. 29, was named the new head coach at Iowa State. Campbell led the Rockets to a 9-2 overall record this season, 6-2 in the MAC as co-West Division Champions and were ranked as high as No. 19 in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll at one point in the season. Campbell took over after former Toledo head coach Tim Beckman assumed the head coaching duties at Illinois. Campbell's first game as head coach was a 42-41 victory over Air Force in the 2011 Military Bowl. Campbell also led Toledo to the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl in 2012 and the GoDaddy Bowl in 2014 with a 63-44 win over Arkansas State.
Bogan, a redshirt freshman led the Broncos rushing attack with 836 yards on 143 carries (5.8 avg.) and 12 touchdowns. Bogan appeared in all 12 games this season as Western Michigan finished with a 7-5 overall record, including a 6-2 league mark as co-West Division Champions. A native of Union, N.J., Bogan ranked ninth in the MAC with an average of 69.7 yards rushing per game.
Brown, a native of Belle Glade, Fla., played in all 12 games this past year and led the Zips to the teams first year of bowl eligibility since 2005 with a 7-5 overall record. Brown led Akron with 108 tackles, 17.5 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks. Brown also added one interception, two passes defensed and three forced fumbles for the Zips. Among the MAC, Brown led the league in sacks, tackles for loss and ranked seventh in total tackles. His 10.5 sacks ranks tied for eighth in the nation and his 17.5 tackles for loss ranks tied for 13th in the country.
Turner, a native of Akron, Ohio, collected 37 kick returns this past season for 948 yards for a 25.6 average and one touchdown. Turner led the MAC with his 948 kickoff return yards, was tied for the league-lead with one touchdown and ranked second with his 25.6 return average.
Northern Illinois led the way in 2015 with eight First-Team selections, followed by Bowling Green with five First-Team selections and Toledo with four honorees. Overall, Bowling Green, Northern Illinois and Western Michigan set the pace with 11 All-MAC honorees, followed by Toledo with 10 honorees, while Central Michigan had eight honorees.
Akron's Jatavis Brown was the only three-time First Team All-MAC honoree in this year's honors. There were a total of seven students named to their second consecutive First-Team selection: offensive lineman Andrew Ness (Northern Illinois), offensive lineman Nick Beamish (Central Michigan), wide receiver Roger Lewis (Bowling Green), wide receiver Corey Davis (Western Michigan), wide receiver Tajae Sharpe (UMass) and defensive back Nate Holley (Kent State).
2015 MAC Specialty Award Winners
Coach of the Year: Matt Campbell, Toledo
Freshman of the Year: RB Jamauri Bogan, Western Michigan
Offensive Player of the Year: QB Matt Johnson, Bowling Green
Defensive Player of the Year: LB Jatavis Brown, Akron
Special Teams Player of the Year: KR Aregeros Turner, Northern Illinois
Vern Smith Leadership Award Winner: QB Matt Johnson, Bowling Green
2015 FIRST TEAM ALL-MAC
2015 All-MAC First Team Offense
Position – Name - School
Quarterback – Matt Johnson, Bowling Green
Offensive Linemen – Storm Norton, Toledo
Offensive Linemen – Andrew Ness, Northern Illinois &
Offensive Lineman – Willie Beavers, Western Michigan +
Offensive Linemen – Nick Beamish, Central Michigan &
Offensive Linemen – Aidan Conlon, Northern Illinois
Tight End – Matt Weiser, Buffalo
Wide Receiver – Roger Lewis, Bowling Green &
Wide Receiver – Corey Davis, Western Michigan &@
Wide Receiver – Tajae Sharpe, UMass &
Wide Receiver – Daniel Braverman, Western Michigan %
Running Back – Joel Bouagnon, Northern Illinois
Running Back – Travis Greene, Bowling Green @
Placekicker – Christian Hagan, Northern Illinois
2015 All-MAC First Team Defense
Position – Name - School
Outside Linebacker – Jatavis Brown, Akron &^
Outside Linebacker – Sean Wiggins, Ball State
Inside Linebacker – Boomer Mays, Northern Illinois +
Inside Linebacker – Austin Valdez, Bowling Green
Down Lineman – Orion Jones, Toledo +
Down Lineman – Perez Ford, Northern Illinois +
Down Lineman – Joshua Posley, Ball State
Down Lineman – Terence Waugh, Kent State
Defensive Back – Shawun Lurry, Northern Illinois
Defensive Back – Nate Holley, Kent State &
Defensive Back – Cheatham Norrils, Toledo
Defensive Back – Demetrius Monday, Kent State
Punter – Joe Davidson, Bowling Green
2015 All-MAC First Team Specialists
Position – Name - School
Kickoff Return Specialist – Aregeros Turner, Northern Illinois
Punt Return Specialist – Corey Jones, Toledo
2015 SECOND TEAM ALL-MAC
2015 All-MAC Second Team Offense
Position – Name - School
Quarterback – Cooper Rush, Central Michigan
Offensive Lineman – Alex Huettel, Bowling Green +@
Offensive Lineman – Jacob Richard, Ball State %#
Offensive Lineman – Levon Myers, Northern Illinois
Offensive Lineman – Jacob Bennett, Bowling Green
Offensive Lineman – John Kling, Buffalo
Tight End – Ben McCord, Central Michigan
Wide Receiver – Jordan Williams, Ball State +#
Wide Receiver – Kenny Golladay, Northern Illinois
Wide Receiver – Gehrig Dieter, Bowling Green
Wide Receiver – Alonzo Russell, Toledo %#!
Running Back – Kareem Hunt, Toledo &
Running Back – Terry Swanson, Toledo
Placekicker – Brian Eavey, Central Michigan
2015 All-MAC Second Team Defense
Position – Name - School
Outside Linebacker – Trent Greene, Bowling Green
Outside Linebacker – Brandon Berry, Buffalo
Inside Linebacker – Great Ibe, Eastern Michigan +
Inside Linebacker – Jovan Santos-Knox, UMass &
Down Lineman – Allen Covington, Toledo
Down Lineman – Blake Serpa, Central Michigan
Down Lineman – Bryson Albright, Miami
Down Lineman – Cody Grice, Akron &
Defensive Back – Darius Phillips, Western Michigan
Defensive Back – Kavon Frazier, Central Michigan
Defensive Back – Ian Wells, Ohio
Defensive Back – Ronald Zamort, Western Michigan %
Punter – Anthony Melchiori, Kent State &@
2015 All-MAC Second Team Specialists
Position – Name - School
Kickoff Return Specialist – Darius Phillips, Western Michigan %
Punt Return Specialist – Trey Dudley-Giles, UMass
2015 THIRD TEAM ALL-MAC
2015 All-MAC Third Team Offense
Position – Name - School
Quarterback – Zach Terrell, Western Michigan +
Offensive Lineman – Taylor Moton, Western Michigan
Offensive Lineman – Ramadan Ahmeti, Central Michigan
Offensive Lineman – Mike McQueen, Ohio
Offensive Lineman – Lucas Powell, Ohio %
Offensive Lineman – Isaiah Williams, Akron
Tight End – Rodney Mills, UMass
Wide Receiver – Jesse Kroll, Central Michigan
Wide Receiver – Ronnie Moore, Bowling Green
Wide Receiver – Sebastian Smith, Ohio
Wide Receiver – KeVonn Mabon, Ball State %
Running Back – Jamauri Bogan, Western Michigan
Running Back – Darius Jackson, Eastern Michigan
Placekicker – Andrew Haldeman, Western Michigan
2015 All-MAC Third Team Defense
Position – Name - School
Outside Linebacker – Okezie Alozie, Buffalo
Outside Linebacker – Trey Seals, UMass
Inside Linebacker – Matt Dellinger, Kent State
Inside Linebacker – Quentin Poling, Ohio
Down Lineman – Jamal Marcus, Akron
Down Lineman – Rodney Coe, Akron
Down Lineman – JT Jones, Miami
Down Lineman – Trent Voss, Toledo
Defensive Back – Asantay Brown, Western Michigan
Defensive Back – Marlon Moore, Northern Illinois
Defensive Back – Boise Ross, Buffalo
Defensive Back – DeJuan Rogers, Toledo
Punter – Logan Laurent, UMass
2015 All-MAC Third Team Specialists
Position – Name - School
Kickoff Return Specialist – KeVonn Mabon, Ball State
Punt Return Specialist – Ryan Burbrink, Bowling Green &@
& 2014 First-Team All-MAC
+ 2014 Second-Team All-MAC
% 2014 Third-Team All-MAC
^ 2013 First-Team All-MAC
@ 2013 Second-Team All-MAC
# 2013 Third-Team All-MAC
! 2012 Third-Team All-MAC
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