Coach of the Year: Lance Leipold, Buffalo
Offensive Player of the Year: Jaret Patterson, RB, Buffalo
Co-Defensive Players of the Year: Troy Hairston II, DE, Central Michigan // Brandon Martin, LB, Ball State
Special Teams Player of the Year: D’Wayne “Dee” Eskridge, WR/KOR, Western Michigan
Freshman of the Year: Lew Nichols III, RB, Central Michigan
Vern Smith Leadership Award Winner: Jaret Patterson, RB, Buffalo
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⬤ Leipold was named the MAC Coach of the Year for the second time in his career. He also won the award in 2018. Leipold has led Buffalo to a 5-0 record and a MAC East Division Championship. The Bulls lead the nation in scoring (51.8 ppg) and rushing yards per game (344.6). He is the first UB head coach to win the honor multiple times. Former head coach Turner Gill won the award in 2007.
⬤ Martin, who returned this year after sustaining a season-ending injury in the 2019 opener, ranks fourth nationally with 12.0 tackles per game. The redshirt junior from Indianapolis had 6.5 tackles for loss, including 5.0 in the past three games. Martin is the first Ball State player to win the defensive player of the year honor since Brad Maynard won it as a punter in 1996 and the first traditional defensive player to win the award for BSU since linebacker Greg Garnica did it three straight years from 1987-89.
⬤ Hairston leads the MAC in both sacks (5.5) and tackles-for-loss (12). Nationally, he ranks third in tackles-for-loss and 10th in sacks per game. Hairston is the third Chippewa to earn the MAC Defensive Player of the Year Award, joining Dan Bazuin (2005) and Ray Bentley (1982).
⬤ Eskridge was one of two players in the league with a kickoff return for a touchdown this season, while his 27.5 yards per kickoff return led the league among players with at least five returns. At receiver, Eskridge led the MAC in receiving yards (784), yards per game (130.7) and receiving touchdowns (eight). It marks the third time in the last five seasons a Bronco has collected Special Teams Player of the Year after Darius Phillips won it in 2016 and '17.
⬤ Nichols led the Chippewas with 508 yards rushing and he caught 10 passes for 109 yards and scored five touchdowns. He ranked seventh in the MAC in rushing yards per game (84.7) and was ninth in yards per carry (6.5). Nichols is the sixth Chippewa to earn the MAC Freshman of the Year Award and the first since Antonio Brown in 2007.