FRISCO, Texas – After earning honorable mention as a sophomore last season, Nicholls State University defensive back
B.T. Sanders has been named Second Team All-Southland as the league office announced Tuesday its 2015 football postseason awards.
Sanders was one of four Colonels recognized by the league as three others were named honorable mention. Receiving honorable mention were freshman offensive lineman
Ryan Hanley, senior running back
Michael Henry and sophomore linebacker
Hezekiah White.
A native of Foley, Ala., Sanders anchored the Colonels' top-rated pass defense which allowed just 178.2 yards passing per game, ranking 17th in the FCS. Sanders started all 11 games at safety and finished 16th in the conference with 75 tackles, including 48 solo stops. He tallied double figures in tackles twice this year with a season-best 13 in the win at Lamar.
Despite being lined up in the defensive backfield, Sanders recorded 5.0 tackles for loss, highlighted by a sack-forced fumble against McNeese State. Along with four pass break ups, Sanders was one of three Colonels in the secondary to forced three fumbles, which ranked second in the Southland. He also recovered a fumble against Stephen F. Austin and returned it 27 yards.
Hanley, a native of Metairie, started the last eight games at center as a true freshman. Appearing in all 11 games, Hanley was a key figure in the Colonels' rushing attack which racked up a season-high 415 yards at Lamar.
Henry, a 2014 Second Team All-Southland selection, finished up his career at Nicholls with a strong senior campaign. A native of Baton Rouge, Henry ranked ninth in the Southland in rushing yards, averaging 69.8 per contest. For the season, he rushed for 768 yards and seven touchdowns, highlighted by a career-high 154 yards rushing against Northwestern State. Henry also recorded his first career touchdown reception against the Demons and totaled eight TDs on the season, which was the ninth most in the Southland. He leaves Nicholls ranked seventh on the all-time rushing list with 1,934 yards.
Rounding out the honorable mentions was White, who started all 11 games at linebacker. A native of Boutte, White finished the season ranked sixth in the conference with 96 tackles, averaging 8.7 per game. He also ranked in the top 10 of the league in tackles for loss as he led the Colonel defense with 9.5 on the year, good for eighth best in the Southland. At Stephen F. Austin, he recorded 1.5 sacks and finished with 10 tackles, which was one of three double-digit tackle efforts on the season. He was also credited with a fumble recovery in the Colonels' matchup against Colorado.
The complete list of the Southland honorees are listed below:
2015 Southland Conference Individual Superlative WinnersPlayer of the Year: Kade Harrington, Lamar (RB)Offensive Player of the Year: Jared Johnson, Sam Houston State (QB)Defensive Player of the Year: Wallace Scott, McNeese State (DB)Offensive Lineman of the Year: Donald Jackson III, Sam Houston State (OT)Freshman of the Year: Jabari Butler, Abilene Christian (CB)Newcomer of the Year: Myke Tavarres, UIW (LB)Coach of the Year: Matt Viator, McNeese State2015 All-Southland Conference Football Teams
First-Team Offense| Pos. | Name | University | Ht. | Wt. | Cl. | Hometown |
| QB | Jared Johnson | Sam Houston State | 6-1 | 215 | Jr. | Grand Prairie, Texas |
| RB | Kade Harrington | Lamar | 5-9 | 190 | Jr. | Kingwood, Texas |
| RB | Corey Avery | Sam Houston State | 5-10 | 190 | So. | Dallas, Texas |
| TE/HB | Cole Wick | UIW | 6-7 | 255 | Sr. | Hallettsville, Texas |
| WR | Ed Eagan2 | Northwestern State | 5-10 | 193 | Sr. | New Orleans, La. |
| WR | Desmond Smith | Central Arkansas | 6-1 | 201 | Jr. | Bentonville, Ark. |
| WR | Reggie Begelton3 | Lamar | 6-2 | 200 | Sr. | Beaumont, Texas |
| OL | Donald Jackson III3 | Sam Houston State | 6-2 | 290 | Sr. | Kilgore, Texas |
| OL | Quinton Marsh2 | McNeese State | 6-3 | 310 | Sr. | Dickinson, Texas |
| OL | Kyle Stouffer | Central Arkansas | 6-7 | 316 | Sr. | Dallas, Texas |
| OL | Cody Elenz | Lamar | 6-4 | 290 | Sr. | Copperas Cove, Texas |
| OL | Bret Treadway | Lamar | 6-3 | 280 | Jr. | Silsbee, Texas |
| AP | Ed Eagan2 | Northwestern State | 5-10 | 193 | Sr. | New Orleans, La. |
| PK | Chris Moore | Northwestern State | 6-0 | 215 | Sr. | Plano, Texas |
First-Team Defense| Pos. | Name | University | Ht. | Wt. | Cl. | Hometown |
| DL | Jonathan Woodard4 | Central Arkansas | 6-6 | 271 | Sr. | Brentwood, Tenn. |
| DL | P.J. Hall2 | Sam Houston State | 6-1 | 280 | So. | Seguin, Texas |
| DL | Isaiah Golden | McNeese State | 6-2 | 335 | So. | Carthage, Texas |
| DL | Larance Hale | Lamar | 6-2 | 280 | Jr. | Tatum, Texas |
| LB | Myke Tavarres | UIW | 6-2 | 220 | Sr. | Lake Oswego, Ore. |
| LB | Bo Brown3 | McNeese State | 6-1 | 216 | Sr. | Katy, Texas |
| LB | Sam Denmark | Abilene Christian | 6-1 | 230 | So. | Las Cruces, N.C. |
| DB | Wallace Scott2 | McNeese State | 6-1 | 211 | Sr. | Weyanoke, La. |
| DB | Harlan Miller3 | Southeastern La. | 6-1 | 180 | Sr. | Kentwood, La. |
| DB | Trenier Orr2 | Sam Houston State | 5-11 | 180 | Sr. | Orlando, Fla. |
| DB | Tremon Smith | Central Arkansas | 6-0 | 185 | So. | Anniston, Ala. |
| DB | Jabari Butler | Abilene Christian | 5-11 | 180 | Fr. | Potomac, Md. |
| P | Jean Breaux | McNeese State | 5-10 | 172 | Sr. | Scott, La. |
| KR | Ed Eagan2 | Northwestern State | 5-10 | 193 | Sr. | New Orleans, La. |
| PR | Harlan Miller3 | Southeastern La. | 6-1 | 180 | Sr. | Kentwood, La. |
Second-Team Offense| Pos. | Name | University | Ht. | Wt. | Cl. | Hometown |
| QB | Daniel Sams | McNeese State | 6-2 | 198 | Sr. | Slidell, La. |
| RB | Blake Veasley | Central Arkansas | 6-0 | 205 | Sr. | Cherry Valley, Ark. |
| RB | Ryan Ross | McNeese State | 5-9 | 205 | So. | Richwood, Texas |
| TE/HB | Zach Hetrick | McNeese State | 6-3 | 250 | Jr. | Baton Rouge, La. |
| WR | Kent Shelby | McNeese State | 6-3 | 194 | So. | New Orleans, La. |
| WR | Gerald Thomas | Sam Houston State | 5-10 | 183 | Sr. | The Colony, Texas |
| WR | Yedidiah Louis | Sam Houston State | 5-8 | 187 | So. | Richardson, Texas |
| OL | Codey Funk2 | Abilene Christian | 6-6 | 325 | Sr. | Gridley, Ill. |
| OL | Ben Jones | McNeese State | 6-5 | 283 | Sr. | Nederland, Texas |
| OL | Pace Murphy2 | Northwestern State | 6-6 | 296 | Sr. | Houston, Texas |
| OL | Joe Graves | Southeastern La. | 6-3 | 320 | Sr. | Covington, La. |
| OL | Byron Williams2 | Stephen F. Austin | 6-4 | 302 | Sr. | Dickinson, Texas |
| AP | Yedidiah Louis | Sam Houston State | 5-8 | 187 | So. | Richardson, Texas |
| PK | Jace Denker | Central Arkansas | 6-1 | 188 | Sr. | Bryant, Ark. |
Second-Team Defense| Pos. | Name | University | Ht. | Wt. | Cl. | Hometown |
| DL | Derek Floyd | Central Arkansas | 6-2 | 248 | Sr. | Dallas, Texas |
| DL | Cameron Smith | McNeese State | 6-3 | 238 | Sr. | Tamarac, Fla. |
| DL | Ashton Henderson | Southeastern La. | 6-1 | 320 | Sr. | Tulsa, Okla. |
| DL | John Franklin | Stephen F. Austin | 6-4 | 284 | So. | Greenville, Texas |
| LB | Ricky Wyatt | Central Arkansas | 5-11 | 222 | Sr. | Monroe, La. |
| LB | Herbert Harris | Southeastern La. | 6-1 | 225 | Sr. | Clinton, Miss. |
| LB | Ashari Goins | McNeese State | 5-10 | 200 | So. | Monroe, La. |
| DB | Mikell Everette | Sam Houston State | 5-11 | 185 | Sr. | Kent, Wash. |
| DB | Dominique Hill | McNeese State | 5-10 | 177 | So. | Mansfield, La. |
| DB | Jordan Batiste | Southeastern La. | 5-10 | 185 | Sr. | Gramercy, La. |
| DB | Kobie Douglas | UIW | 5-9 | 162 | Sr. | Plano, Texas |
| DB | B.T. Sanders | Nicholls | 6-0 | 190 | Jr. | Foley, Ala. |
| P | Lachlan Edwards2 | Sam Houston State | 6-5 | 215 | Sr. | Victoria, Australia |
| KR | Rodney Randle | Lamar | 5-10 | 200 | Fr. | Beaumont, Texas |
| PR | Jonathan Epps2 | Abilene Christian | 5-9 | 170 | Sr. | Fort Worth, Texas |
2 indicates two-time all-conference selection3 indicates three-time all-conference selection4 indicates four-time all-conference selection Honorable Mention:Quarterback: Trent Brittain, UIW; Zach Conque, Stephen F. Austin. Running Back: Michael Henry, Nicholls; De'Mard Llorens, Northwestern State; De'Andre Brown, Abilene Christian. Tight End/H-Back: Jamie Walker, Abilene Christian; DeAndre Jennings, Lamar. Wide Receiver: Cedric Gilbert, Abilene Christian; Jatavious Wilson, Central Arkansas. Offensive Linemen: Zach Stevens, Sam Houston State; Nathan Thompson, UIW; Bridge Blount, Sam Houston State; Stockton Mallet, Central Arkansas; Alec Willis, Central Arkansas; Justin Brock, Lamar; Nick Gorman, McNeese State; Ryan Hanley, Nicholls; Terrance Boyd, Northwestern State; Travis Romero, Southeastern Louisiana. Offensive All-Purpose: Kody Edwards, UIW. Defensive Linemen:LaMarcus Allen, Abilene Christian; Alex Jenkins, UIW; James DeLaRosa, Sam Houston State; A.J. Bowen, Southeastern Louisiana; Josh Bloom, Abilene Christian; Jammerio Gross, McNeese State; Jacobi Hunter, Sam Houston State; Kedrick Harrison, Stephen F. Austin. Linebackers:Justin Owens, Stephen F. Austin; Garrett Dolan, Houston Baptist; Josh Zellars, UIW; Logan Moss, Lamar; Hezekiah White, Nicholls; Jacob Merriman, Northwestern State; Myke Chatman, Sam Houston State; Tre' Bennett, Southeastern Louisiana. Defensive Back: Brent Spikes, McNeese State; Bobby Watkins, Central Arkansas; Micah Eugene Southeastern Louisiana; Xavier Bethany, Lamar; Devin Spurlock, Central Arkansas; Patrick Martin, Stephen F. Austin; Prince Sam, Houston Baptist; Robert Johnson, UIW. Kick Return Specialist: Kody Edwards, UIW; Byron Proctor, Abilene Christian. Punt Return Specialist: Jordan Hicks, UIW; Brandon Cox, Central Arkansas. ###
