FRISCO, Texas – Leading the way for one of the nation's best rushing attacks, the Nicholls State University football team's offensive line took up three spots on the All-Southland First Team, including
P.J. Burkhalter who repeated as Offensive Lineman of the Year, as the league office announced its spring football honors for 2021.
In all, 10 Colonels were named All-Southland with six on first team, two on second and two on third. Along with Burkhalter, wide receiver
Dai'Jean Dixon and safety
Kevin Moore III were repeat first-team selections from 2019. Offensive linemen
Jair Joseph and
Evan Roussel garnered first team as did tight end
David Mosley.
Second-team honorees were running back
Julien Gums and defensive back
Pig Cage. Making third team for Nicholls was slot receiver
K.J. Franklin and kick returner
Dontaze Costly.
An All-American selection in 2019, Burkhalter is the first player to earn the top billing for the offensive line in back-to-back seasons since it was implemented in 2012. He played all seven games at guard for the offense which ranked third in the FCS in rushing yards at 263.4 per game and first in scoring (48.7 ppg).
Joseph played at right tackle and moved up a team after landing on the second squad in '19. Roussel handled the center duties as a true freshman and Mosley was a key blocker at tight end. Returning to the position after playing on the offensive line in 2019, Mosley contributed with three receptions for 22 yards.
Dixon earned first team after collecting seven touchdown catches and 514 yards on 35 receptions, averaging 73.4 yards per game. The New Orleans native had a season-high 115 yards on seven catches in the win at Northwestern State, with two of the grabs going for touchdowns. Dixon had a historic spring for the Red and Gray, breaking Mark Carrier's career program records for receptions, receiving yards, and touchdown receptions.
Gums saw action in five-and-half games, rushing for 467 yards and eight touchdowns on 91 carries. He posted two 100-yard games, highlighted by a 156-yard night at Northwestern State. In the season finale against Southeastern Louisiana, Gums tied the single-game school record with four rushing touchdowns.
Rounding out the offensive honorees was slot receiver
K.J. Franklin. In his sophomore season, Franklin totaled 303 yards and two scores on 23 receptions. He also carried the ball four times for 68 yards.
Moore made it two-for-two with his second first-team nod in as many seasons. The Lafayette native led Nicholls with 48 tackles and had two forced fumbles and one sack. Moore also logged his third career interception, picking off a pass on the first drive against eventual league champion Sam Houston.
Cage landed on second team after ranking second in the Southland with 11.0 tackles for loss. For the season, he racked up 30 tackles, 2.5 sacks, one forced fumble and one interception. Cage was recognition nationally on Monday, being named finalist for the FCS Jerry Rice Award which is presented to the division's top freshman player.
Costly earned third team after being one of only 16 players in the FCS to return a kickoff for a touchdown this season. In the win against UIW, Costly went 90 yards for the first Colonel kickoff return for a TD since 2013.
The All-Southland Conference team was voted on only by head coaches and sports information directors the seven members which played in the spring. Voting for one's own athletes is not permitted.
2020 Southland Conference Spring Football Individual Superlative Winners
Player of the Year: Eric Schmid, Sam Houston
Offensive Player of the Year: Cole Kelley, Southeastern Louisiana
Defensive Player of the Year: Isaiah Chambers, McNeese
Newcomer of the Year: Jequez Ezzard, Sam Houston
Freshman of the Year: Cameron Ward, UIW
Offensive Lineman of the Year: P.J. Burkhalter, Nicholls
Coach of the Year: K.C. Keeler, Sam Houston
2020 Southland Conference Spring Football First Team All-Conference Offense
| Pos. |
Name |
School |
Class |
Hometown |
| QB |
Eric Schmid |
Sam Houston |
Jr. |
The Woodlands, Texas |
| RB |
Kevin Brown |
UIW |
Sr. |
Mount Pleasant, S.C. |
| RB |
Scooter Adams |
Northwestern State |
Jr. |
Halletsville, Texas |
| TE/HB |
David Mosley |
Nicholls |
Sr. |
New Orleans, La. |
| WR |
Jequez Ezzard |
Sam Houston |
Gr. |
College Park, Ga. |
| WR |
Dai'Jean Dixon3 |
Nicholls |
Sr. |
New Orleans, La. |
| WR |
CJ Turner |
Southeastern Louisiana |
R-Jr. |
LaPlace, La. |
| OL |
PJ Burkhalter2 |
Nicholls |
Sr. |
Franklinton, La. |
| OL |
Colby Thomas2 |
Sam Houston |
Sr. |
Manvel, Texas |
| OL |
Jair Joseph2 |
Nicholls |
Sr. |
Belle Rose, La. |
| OL |
Jalen Bell |
Southeastern Louisiana |
Sr. |
Amory, Miss. |
| OL |
Evan Roussel |
Nicholls |
Fr. |
Gramercy, La. |
| PK |
Seth Morgan |
Sam Houston |
Fr. |
Houston, Texas |
| P |
Matt McRobert2 |
Sam Houston |
R-Sr. |
Berowra, Australia |
2020 Southland Conference Spring Football First Team All-Conference Defense
| Pos. |
Name |
School |
Class |
Hometown |
| DL |
Isaiah Chambers |
McNeese |
Gr. |
Houston, Texas |
| DL |
Jahari Kay |
Sam Houston |
Sr. |
Berkeley, Calif. |
| DL |
Joseph Wallace2 |
Sam Houston |
Sr. |
Dallas, Texas |
| DL |
Jevon Leon2 |
Sam Houston |
So. |
Houston, Texas |
| LB |
Quentin Brown |
Sam Houston |
R-Jr. |
Conroe, Texas |
| LB |
Kelechi Anyalebechi2 |
UIW |
Jr. |
Pearland, Texas |
| LB |
Jomard Valsin |
Northwestern State |
Jr. |
Port Arthur, Texas |
| DB |
Zyon McCollum3 |
Sam Houston |
Sr. |
Galveston, Texas |
| DB |
Ferlando Jordan2 |
Southeastern Louisiana |
R-Jr. |
Atlanta, Ga. |
| DB |
Kevin Moore III2 |
Nicholls |
Sr. |
Lafayette, La. |
| DB |
Jaylen Thomas2 |
Sam Houston |
Sr. |
Houston, Texas |
| DB |
Andre Sam |
McNeese |
Jr. |
Iowa, La. |
| KR |
Ce'Cori Tolds |
UIW |
Jr. |
Houston, Texas |
| PR |
Jequez Ezzard |
Sam Houston |
Gr. |
College Park, Ga. |
2020 Southland Conference Spring Football Second Team All-Conference Offense
| Pos. |
Name |
School |
Class |
Hometown |
| QB |
Cole Kelley |
Southeastern Louisiana |
Sr. |
Lafayette, La. |
| RB |
Ramon Jefferson |
Sam Houston |
R-Jr. |
Bronx, N.Y. |
| RB |
Julien Gums2 |
Nicholls |
Jr. |
New Orleans, La. |
| TE/HB |
Isaac Schley |
Sam Houston |
R-Sr. |
Littleton, Colo. |
| WR |
Robert Ferrel |
UIW |
Jr. |
Sparks, Nev. |
| WR |
Ife Adeyi |
Sam Houston |
So. |
Mansfield, Texas |
| WR |
Javon Antonio |
Northwestern State |
Jr. |
LaPlace, La. |
| OL |
Ethan McMullan |
Southeastern Louisiana |
Sr. |
Decatur, Miss. |
| OL |
Caleb Johnson |
UIW |
Jr. |
Mount Pleasant, Texas |
| OL |
Khalil Corbett-Canada |
Northwestern State |
Jr. |
Harker Heights, Texas |
| OL |
Prince Pines |
Sam Houston |
So. |
Baton Rouge, La. |
| OL |
Ethan Hagler |
Sam Houston |
So. |
Cove, Texas |
| PK |
Mateo Rengifo |
Southeastern Louisiana |
Jr. |
Lawrenceville, Ga. |
| P |
Austin Dunlap |
Southeastern Louisiana |
So. |
Slidell, La. |
2020 Southland Conference Spring Football Second Team All-Conference Defense
| Pos. |
Name |
School |
Class |
Hometown |
| DL |
Trace Mascorro2 |
Sam Houston |
Sr. |
Refugio, Texas |
| DL |
Mason Kinsey |
McNeese |
R-So. |
Mansfield, Texas |
| DL |
Cameron Preston |
UIW |
Jr. |
Crowley, Texas |
| DL |
Darrius Harry |
Southeastern Louisiana |
R-Fr. |
New Orleans, La. |
| LB |
Trevor Williams |
Sam Houston |
Jr. |
College Station, Texas |
| LB |
Alexis Ramos2 |
Southeastern Louisiana |
Sr. |
Salinas, Calif. |
| LB |
Markel Perry |
Sam Houston |
R-Jr. |
Beaumont, Texas |
| DB |
Tristin McCollum |
Sam Houston |
Sr. |
Galveston, Texas |
| DB |
Donnell Ward-Magee |
Southeastern Louisiana |
Jr. |
New Orleans, La. |
| DB |
Chris Joyce |
McNeese |
So. |
Hampton, Ga. |
| DB |
Pig Cage |
Nicholls |
Fr. |
Kenner, La. |
| DB |
Shawn Holton |
UIW |
So. |
Fort Worth, Texas |
| KR |
Donovan Duvernay |
Northwestern State |
Sr. |
Garland, Texas |
| PR |
Robert Ferrel |
UIW |
Jr. |
Sparks, Nev. |
2020 Southland Conference Spring Football Third Team All-Conference Offense
| Pos. |
Name |
School |
Class |
Hometown |
| QB |
Cameron Ward |
UIW |
Fr. |
West Columbia, Texas |
| RB |
Marcus Cooper |
Southeastern Louisiana |
R-Jr. |
Altair, Texas |
| RB |
Noah Smith |
Sam Houston |
So. |
Houston, Texas |
| TE/HB |
Damien Dawson |
Southeastern Louisiana |
R-Sr. |
Franklinton, La. |
| WR |
Austin Mitchell2 |
Southeastern Louisiana |
R-Sr. |
Plaquemine, La. |
| WR |
KJ Franklin |
Nicholls |
So. |
Prairieville, La. |
| WR |
Josh Matthews |
McNeese |
Jr. |
Baton Rouge, La. |
| OL |
Rendon Miles-Character |
Southeastern Louisiana |
Sr. |
New Orleans, La. |
| OL |
Drew Jones |
Southeastern Louisiana |
Sr. |
Des Allemands, La. |
| OL |
Nash Jones |
UIW |
Fr. |
Nacogdoches, Texas |
| OL |
Jakob Sell |
Northwestern State |
Jr. |
Dallas, Texas |
| OL |
Reid Francis |
UIW |
R-Fr. |
College Station, Texas |
| PK |
Carson Mohr |
UIW |
So. |
The Woodlands, Texas |
| P |
Scotty Roblow |
Northwestern State |
R-Fr. |
Shreveport, La. |
2020 Southland Conference Spring Football Third Team All-Conference Defense
| Pos. |
Name |
School |
Class |
Hometown |
| DL |
Blaine Hoover |
UIW |
R-Jr. |
Bedias, Texas |
| DL |
Chance Main |
UIW |
Jr. |
Cherryvale, Kan. |
| DL |
Tylo Phillips |
Lamar |
Jr. |
Collinsville, Miss. |
| LB |
Isaiah Paul |
UIW |
R-Fr. |
San Antonio, Texas |
| LB |
Herman Christophe |
Southeastern Louisiana |
So. |
Plaquemine, La. |
| LB |
Blake Stephenson |
Northwestern State |
Sr. |
Deer Park, Texas |
| DB |
Anthony Ruffin |
Lamar |
So. |
Houma, La. |
| DB |
Jack Henderson |
Southeastern Louisiana |
Fr. |
Mandeville, La. |
| DB |
P.J. Herrington |
Northwestern State |
Jr. |
Natchez, Miss. |
| DB |
Elliott Davison |
UIW |
Fr. |
Flint, Texas |
| DB |
William Hooper |
Northwestern State |
Jr. |
Montgomery, Ala. |
| KR |
Dontaze Costly |
Nicholls |
Jr. |
Vacherie, La. |
