Cleveland, Ohio – A total of 26 repeat selections from last year’s All-MAC teams highlight this year’s postseason football awards in the Mid-American Conference.
Western Michigan Head Coach P.J. Fleck was named MAC Head Coach of the Year, while Western Michigan true freshman running back Jarvion Franklin was honored as both the MAC Offensive Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year. Miami defensive back Quinten Rollins was named MAC Defensive Player of the Year and Ball State kicker Scott Secor was named MAC Special Teams Player of the Year. Toledo senior offensive lineman Greg Mancz was tabbed as the winner of the 33rd Vern Smith Leadership Award.
2014 MAC Specialty Award Winners
Coach of the Year: P.J. Fleck, Western Michigan
Freshman of the Year: RB Jarvion Franklin, Western Michigan
Offensive Player of the Year: RB Jarvion Franklin, Western Michigan
Defensive Player of the Year: DB Quinten Rollins, Miami
Special Teams Player of the Year: K Scott Secor, Ball State
Vern Smith Leadership Award Winner: OL Greg Mancz, Toledo
Western Michigan Head Coach P.J. Fleck was named MAC Head Coach of the Year, while Western Michigan true freshman running back Jarvion Franklin was honored as both the MAC Offensive Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year. Miami defensive back Quinten Rollins was named MAC Defensive Player of the Year and Ball State kicker Scott Secor was named MAC Special Teams Player of the Year. Toledo senior offensive lineman Greg Mancz was tabbed as the winner of the 33rd Vern Smith Leadership Award.
2014 MAC Specialty Award Winners
Coach of the Year: P.J. Fleck, Western Michigan
Freshman of the Year: RB Jarvion Franklin, Western Michigan
Offensive Player of the Year: RB Jarvion Franklin, Western Michigan
Defensive Player of the Year: DB Quinten Rollins, Miami
Special Teams Player of the Year: K Scott Secor, Ball State
Vern Smith Leadership Award Winner: OL Greg Mancz, Toledo
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Fleck, in his second year as head coach of Western Michigan orchestrated a dramatic turnaround for the Broncos program taking a 1-11 team last year to record an 8-4 overall record, 6-2 in the MAC West Division and contending for a Division title entering the final week of the regular season. Fleck led the Broncos to the most wins for the program since 2008 and bowl eligible for the first time since the 2011 season. Fleck becomes the first Bronco head coach to earn this honor since Bill Cubit in 2005.
Franklin, a true freshman running back at Western Michigan set the MAC single-season rushing record in MAC history with 1,525 yards rushing and his 24 rushing touchdowns ranks third all-time in a single-season in league history. Franklin’s 24 rushing touchdowns also ranked tied for second in the country and his 1,525 rushing yards ranked ninth overall in the nation. Franklin becomes the first player in MAC history to be named both Offensive Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year. The only other freshman to garner two postseason awards was Kent State defensive tackle Roosevelt Nix, who earned Defensive Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year in 2010.
Rollins, a native of Wilmington, Ohio, played his first year of football as a senior after he finished his basketball career at Miami. Rollins led the MAC and ranked fourth in the nation with seven interceptions in 12 games this season. Rollins added 72 tackles, four tackles for loss and 16 passes defensed. His 16 passes defensed ranked fourth in the league and his 72 tackles was fourth on the team. Rollins finished his collegiate basketball career at Miami as the program’s career leader in the following categories: second in steals (214), fourth in assists (391), seventh in games started (106) and ninth in minutes played (3,448).
Secor, a native of New Lenox, Ill., led all MAC kickers with 109 points on the year and ranked 20th in the nation in scoring (109 points and 9.1 avg.). Secor converted 25-of-30 field goal attempts this year, which tied the MAC single-season record for field goals made in a single-season. During his four-year collegiate career in Muncie, Secor converted 44-of-54 field goal attempts and his 81.48% career accuracy ranks fourth in MAC history.
A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, Mancz was voted by the Conference head coaches as the 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. Mancz has been an anchor on the Rockets offensive line as Toledo ended the regular season with a 8-4 record, 7-1 as Co-Champions of the West Division. Mancz and the Toledo offensive line propelled the Rockets as the top ranked offense in the MAC in total offense (486.3 ypg) and rush offense (247.3 ypg), and ranked second in scoring offense (34.4 ppg) in the league. Mancz and the offensive line paved the way for sophomore running back Kareem Hunt to lead the MAC in yards rushing per game (151.1).
Central Michigan led the way in 2014 with five First-Team selections, followed by Northern Illinois and UMass with four and Toledo and Western Michigan with three each. Overall, Toledo and Western Michigan set the pace with 11 All-MAC honorees, followed by Northern Illinois with 10 honorees, while Ball State and Central Michigan each had eight honorees.
There were a total of four student-athletes named to their second consecutive First-Team selection: offensive lineman Tyler Loos (Northern Illinois), wide receiver Titus Davis (Central Michigan) and outside linebackers Jatavis Brown (Akron) and Junior Sylvestre (Toledo).
2014 FIRST TEAM ALL-MAC
2014 All-MAC First Team Offense
Position – Name - School
Quarterback – Blake Frohnapfel, UMass
Offensive Linemen – Greg Mancz, Toledo @!
Offensive Linemen – Nick Beamish, Central Michigan
Offensive Linemen – Andy Phillips, Central Michigan @
Offensive Linemen – Andrew Ness, Northern Illinois
Offensive Lineman – Tyler Loos, Northern Illinois ^+
Tight End – Jean Sifrin, UMass
Wide Receiver – Tajae Sharpe, UMass
Wide Receiver – Titus Davis, Central Michigan ^+%
Wide Receiver – Corey Davis, Western Michigan @
Wide Receiver – Roger Lewis, Bowling Green
Running Back – Jarvion Franklin, Western Michigan
Running Back – Kareem Hunt, Toledo
Placekicker – Scott Secor, Ball State #
2014 All-MAC First Team Defense
Position – Name - School
Outside Linebacker – Jatavis Brown, Akron ^
Outside Linebacker – Junior Sylvestre, Toledo ^
Inside Linebacker – Justin Cherocci, Central Michigan #
Inside Linebacker – Jovan Santos-Knox, UMass
Down Lineman – Jason Meehan, Northern Illinois
Down Lineman – Leterrius Walton, Central Michigan
Down Lineman – Pat O’Connor, Eastern Michigan
Down Lineman – Cody Grice, Akron
Defensive Back – Quinten Rollins, Miami
Defensive Back – Nate Holley, Kent State
Defensive Back – Donald Celiscar, Western Michigan #
Defensive Back – Paris Logan, Northern Illinois
Punter – Anthony Melchiori, Kent State @
2014 All-MAC First Team Specialists
Position – Name - School
Kickoff Return Specialist – Eric Patterson, Ball State
Punt Return Specialist –Ryan Burbrink, Bowling Green @
2014 SECOND TEAM ALL-MAC
2014 All-MAC Second Team Offense
Position – Name - School
Quarterback – Zach Terrell, Western Michigan
Offensive Lineman – Alex Huettel, Bowling Green @
Offensive Lineman – Willie Beavers, Western Michigan
Offensive Lineman – Josh Hendershot, Toledo
Offensive Lineman – Jake Silas, Buffalo
Offensive Lineman – Jeff Myers, Toledo #
Tight End – Casey Pierce, Kent State
Wide Receiver – Da’Ron Brown, Northern Illinois @
Wide Receiver – David Frazier, Miami
Wide Receiver – Corey Jones, Toledo
Wide Receiver – Jordan Williams, Ball State #
Running Back – Anthone Taylor, Buffalo
Running Back – Thomas Rawls, Central Michigan
Placekicker – Jeremiah Detmer, Toledo ^!
2014 All-MAC Second Team Defense
Position – Name - School
Outside Linebacker – Gabe Martin, Bowling Green @&
Outside Linebacker – Adam Redden, Buffalo #
Inside Linebacker – Boomer Mays, Northern Illinois
Inside Linebacker – Great Ibe, Eastern Michigan
Down Lineman – Orion Jones, Toledo
Down Lineman – Treyvon Hester, Toledo #
Down Lineman – Nordly Capi, Akron
Down Lineman – Perez Ford, Northern Illinois
Defensive Back – Randall Jette, UMass
Defensive Back – Nick Johnson, Bowling Green
Defensive Back – Jordan Haden, Toledo
Defensive Back – Dechane Durante, Northern Illinois #
Punter – Zach Paul, Akron #
2014 All-MAC Second Team Specialists
Position – Name - School
Kickoff Return Specialist – Devin Campbell, Buffalo
Punt Return Specialist – Daz Patterson, Ohio
2014 THIRD TEAM ALL-MAC
2014 All-MAC Third Team Offense
Position – Name - School
Quarterback – Andrew Hendrix, Miami
Offensive Lineman – James Kristof, Western Michigan
Offensive Lineman – Lucas Powell, Ohio
Offensive Lineman – Jake Richard, Ball State #
Offensive Lineman – Andre Davis, Buffalo
Offensive Lineman – Zach Lewis, Miami
Tight End – Tyreese Russell, Eastern Michigan @
Wide Receiver – Daniel Braverman, Western Michigan
Wide Receiver – Alonzo Russell, Toledo #!
Wide Receiver – Ron Willoughby, Buffalo
Wide Receiver – KeVonn Mabon, Ball State
Running Back – Cameron Stingily, Northern Illinois
Running Back – Jahwan Edwards, Ball State @!
Placekicker – Tyler Tate, Bowling Green
2014 All-MAC Third Team Defense
Position – Name - School
Outside Linebacker – Jovon Johnson, Ohio
Outside Linebacker – Rasheen Lemon, Northern Illinois
Inside Linebacker – Stanley Andre, UMass
Inside Linebacker – Lee Skinner, Buffalo
Down Lineman – Bryan Thomas, Bowling Green
Down Lineman – Tarell Basham, Ohio
Down Lineman – Joe Ostman, Central Michigan
Down Lineman – Darnell Smith, Ball State
Defensive Back – Eric Patterson, Ball State
Defensive Back – Tony Annese, Central Michigan
Defensive Back – Ronald Zamort, Western Michigan
Defensive Back – Justin Currie, Western Michigan
Punter – J. Schroeder, Western Michigan
2014 All-MAC Third Team Specialists
Position – Name - School
Kickoff Return Specialist – Darius Phillips, Western Michigan
Punt Return Specialist – Fred McRae, Miami
^ 2013 First-Team All-MAC
@ 2013 Second-Team All-MAC
# 2013 Third-Team All-MAC
& 2012 First-Team All-MAC
+ 2012 Second-Team All-MAC
! 2012 Third-Team All-MAC
% 2011 Third-Team All-MAC
Franklin, a true freshman running back at Western Michigan set the MAC single-season rushing record in MAC history with 1,525 yards rushing and his 24 rushing touchdowns ranks third all-time in a single-season in league history. Franklin’s 24 rushing touchdowns also ranked tied for second in the country and his 1,525 rushing yards ranked ninth overall in the nation. Franklin becomes the first player in MAC history to be named both Offensive Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year. The only other freshman to garner two postseason awards was Kent State defensive tackle Roosevelt Nix, who earned Defensive Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year in 2010.
Rollins, a native of Wilmington, Ohio, played his first year of football as a senior after he finished his basketball career at Miami. Rollins led the MAC and ranked fourth in the nation with seven interceptions in 12 games this season. Rollins added 72 tackles, four tackles for loss and 16 passes defensed. His 16 passes defensed ranked fourth in the league and his 72 tackles was fourth on the team. Rollins finished his collegiate basketball career at Miami as the program’s career leader in the following categories: second in steals (214), fourth in assists (391), seventh in games started (106) and ninth in minutes played (3,448).
Secor, a native of New Lenox, Ill., led all MAC kickers with 109 points on the year and ranked 20th in the nation in scoring (109 points and 9.1 avg.). Secor converted 25-of-30 field goal attempts this year, which tied the MAC single-season record for field goals made in a single-season. During his four-year collegiate career in Muncie, Secor converted 44-of-54 field goal attempts and his 81.48% career accuracy ranks fourth in MAC history.
A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, Mancz was voted by the Conference head coaches as the 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. Mancz has been an anchor on the Rockets offensive line as Toledo ended the regular season with a 8-4 record, 7-1 as Co-Champions of the West Division. Mancz and the Toledo offensive line propelled the Rockets as the top ranked offense in the MAC in total offense (486.3 ypg) and rush offense (247.3 ypg), and ranked second in scoring offense (34.4 ppg) in the league. Mancz and the offensive line paved the way for sophomore running back Kareem Hunt to lead the MAC in yards rushing per game (151.1).
Central Michigan led the way in 2014 with five First-Team selections, followed by Northern Illinois and UMass with four and Toledo and Western Michigan with three each. Overall, Toledo and Western Michigan set the pace with 11 All-MAC honorees, followed by Northern Illinois with 10 honorees, while Ball State and Central Michigan each had eight honorees.
There were a total of four student-athletes named to their second consecutive First-Team selection: offensive lineman Tyler Loos (Northern Illinois), wide receiver Titus Davis (Central Michigan) and outside linebackers Jatavis Brown (Akron) and Junior Sylvestre (Toledo).
2014 FIRST TEAM ALL-MAC
2014 All-MAC First Team Offense
Position – Name - School
Quarterback – Blake Frohnapfel, UMass
Offensive Linemen – Greg Mancz, Toledo @!
Offensive Linemen – Nick Beamish, Central Michigan
Offensive Linemen – Andy Phillips, Central Michigan @
Offensive Linemen – Andrew Ness, Northern Illinois
Offensive Lineman – Tyler Loos, Northern Illinois ^+
Tight End – Jean Sifrin, UMass
Wide Receiver – Tajae Sharpe, UMass
Wide Receiver – Titus Davis, Central Michigan ^+%
Wide Receiver – Corey Davis, Western Michigan @
Wide Receiver – Roger Lewis, Bowling Green
Running Back – Jarvion Franklin, Western Michigan
Running Back – Kareem Hunt, Toledo
Placekicker – Scott Secor, Ball State #
2014 All-MAC First Team Defense
Position – Name - School
Outside Linebacker – Jatavis Brown, Akron ^
Outside Linebacker – Junior Sylvestre, Toledo ^
Inside Linebacker – Justin Cherocci, Central Michigan #
Inside Linebacker – Jovan Santos-Knox, UMass
Down Lineman – Jason Meehan, Northern Illinois
Down Lineman – Leterrius Walton, Central Michigan
Down Lineman – Pat O’Connor, Eastern Michigan
Down Lineman – Cody Grice, Akron
Defensive Back – Quinten Rollins, Miami
Defensive Back – Nate Holley, Kent State
Defensive Back – Donald Celiscar, Western Michigan #
Defensive Back – Paris Logan, Northern Illinois
Punter – Anthony Melchiori, Kent State @
2014 All-MAC First Team Specialists
Position – Name - School
Kickoff Return Specialist – Eric Patterson, Ball State
Punt Return Specialist –Ryan Burbrink, Bowling Green @
2014 SECOND TEAM ALL-MAC
2014 All-MAC Second Team Offense
Position – Name - School
Quarterback – Zach Terrell, Western Michigan
Offensive Lineman – Alex Huettel, Bowling Green @
Offensive Lineman – Willie Beavers, Western Michigan
Offensive Lineman – Josh Hendershot, Toledo
Offensive Lineman – Jake Silas, Buffalo
Offensive Lineman – Jeff Myers, Toledo #
Tight End – Casey Pierce, Kent State
Wide Receiver – Da’Ron Brown, Northern Illinois @
Wide Receiver – David Frazier, Miami
Wide Receiver – Corey Jones, Toledo
Wide Receiver – Jordan Williams, Ball State #
Running Back – Anthone Taylor, Buffalo
Running Back – Thomas Rawls, Central Michigan
Placekicker – Jeremiah Detmer, Toledo ^!
2014 All-MAC Second Team Defense
Position – Name - School
Outside Linebacker – Gabe Martin, Bowling Green @&
Outside Linebacker – Adam Redden, Buffalo #
Inside Linebacker – Boomer Mays, Northern Illinois
Inside Linebacker – Great Ibe, Eastern Michigan
Down Lineman – Orion Jones, Toledo
Down Lineman – Treyvon Hester, Toledo #
Down Lineman – Nordly Capi, Akron
Down Lineman – Perez Ford, Northern Illinois
Defensive Back – Randall Jette, UMass
Defensive Back – Nick Johnson, Bowling Green
Defensive Back – Jordan Haden, Toledo
Defensive Back – Dechane Durante, Northern Illinois #
Punter – Zach Paul, Akron #
2014 All-MAC Second Team Specialists
Position – Name - School
Kickoff Return Specialist – Devin Campbell, Buffalo
Punt Return Specialist – Daz Patterson, Ohio
2014 THIRD TEAM ALL-MAC
2014 All-MAC Third Team Offense
Position – Name - School
Quarterback – Andrew Hendrix, Miami
Offensive Lineman – James Kristof, Western Michigan
Offensive Lineman – Lucas Powell, Ohio
Offensive Lineman – Jake Richard, Ball State #
Offensive Lineman – Andre Davis, Buffalo
Offensive Lineman – Zach Lewis, Miami
Tight End – Tyreese Russell, Eastern Michigan @
Wide Receiver – Daniel Braverman, Western Michigan
Wide Receiver – Alonzo Russell, Toledo #!
Wide Receiver – Ron Willoughby, Buffalo
Wide Receiver – KeVonn Mabon, Ball State
Running Back – Cameron Stingily, Northern Illinois
Running Back – Jahwan Edwards, Ball State @!
Placekicker – Tyler Tate, Bowling Green
2014 All-MAC Third Team Defense
Position – Name - School
Outside Linebacker – Jovon Johnson, Ohio
Outside Linebacker – Rasheen Lemon, Northern Illinois
Inside Linebacker – Stanley Andre, UMass
Inside Linebacker – Lee Skinner, Buffalo
Down Lineman – Bryan Thomas, Bowling Green
Down Lineman – Tarell Basham, Ohio
Down Lineman – Joe Ostman, Central Michigan
Down Lineman – Darnell Smith, Ball State
Defensive Back – Eric Patterson, Ball State
Defensive Back – Tony Annese, Central Michigan
Defensive Back – Ronald Zamort, Western Michigan
Defensive Back – Justin Currie, Western Michigan
Punter – J. Schroeder, Western Michigan
2014 All-MAC Third Team Specialists
Position – Name - School
Kickoff Return Specialist – Darius Phillips, Western Michigan
Punt Return Specialist – Fred McRae, Miami
^ 2013 First-Team All-MAC
@ 2013 Second-Team All-MAC
# 2013 Third-Team All-MAC
& 2012 First-Team All-MAC
+ 2012 Second-Team All-MAC
! 2012 Third-Team All-MAC
% 2011 Third-Team All-MAC
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