FRISCO, Texas – The Southland Conference announced its annual football awards and all-conference teams on Tuesday, highlighted by Player of the Year Zach Calzada of UIW and Coach of the Year Clint Killough of UIW.
Conference champion UIW led the way with 15 selections to the all-conference team, including nine first team selections. Southeastern also had 15 selections, including six first team selections.
SFA and Lamar each had eight selections on the team, while Nicholls and McNeese had five selections. HCU and East Texas A&M each added four selections.
The incredible Zach Calzada leads the FCS in passing touchdowns with 33 and sits at No. 6 in FCS for passing yards (3,351) and passing yards per game (279.25). He adds four rushing touchdowns and has amassed over 3,500 yards of total offense, to make him No. 8 in FCS for total offense. Calzada is second in the nation in points responsible for coming in at 18.7. Calzada threw for 300 yards or more five times this season and had two or more touchdown passing in 10 out of 12 games. Twice this season, he threw for five touchdowns against Nicholls and Lamar. He also set a season-high 402 passing yards in the win against against Lamar.
Some of his most impressive contests even came against ranked teams, tossing 351 yards and three scores agianst at-the-time No. 1 South Dakota State on the road and 366 yards passing and three scores against at-the-time No. 8 Southern Illinois. Additionally, Calzada added 222 rushing yards and four scores, proving to be a threat with his feet all season long.
Calzada becomes only the second UIW player to earn Southland Player of the Year, joining Lindsey Scott Jr. in 2022. Scott went on to win the Walter Payton Award, an award Calzada is a finalist for this season.
Jalen Walthall arrived on the scene and showed out to earn Southland Offensive Player of the Year. Walthall is second in FCS with his 14 receiving touchdowns while leading the nation most of the season. He's amassed over 1,000 receiving yards at 1,149 yards on 70 catches to put him No. 4 in FCS in receiving yards. Incredibly, Walthall has at least one touchdown catch in 10 of the 12 games he's played in this season and at least four catches in 10 contests. Walthall has amassed 100 yards receiving in six games and has five multi-touchdown games, including a 7-catch, 137-yard, two-touchdown catch against South Dakota State. The playmaker was featured on #SCTop10 earlier this year for an insane catch against Nicholls and went viral for "The Walt," a touchdown celebration against HCU.
Brandon Tucker had a breakout season in 2024 to earn Southland Defensive Player of the Year. Tucker set the program's record for most tackles in a season with 141, which was second in the conference and second in the country. He also led the conference with 15 tackles for loss. He was also fourth in forced fumbles with two and had two fumble recoveries as well. Tucker had 10 or more tackles in 11 of the 12 contests he played in as well as a tackle for loss in 10 of the 12 games. Tucker had 14 or more tackles in three games this season, including an incredible 19 tackle effort in an upset with over SFA. Tucker is the first player in East Texa A&M history to earn SLC Defensive Player of the Year.
Evan Roussel was the backbone of the Nicholls offensive front as he earned Southland Offensive Lineman of the Year. A five-year starter, Roussel was selected to the All-SLC team in each season which includes four first-team nods. He was a Phil Steele FCS Midseason All-American this year as he helped pave the way for five 100-yard rushing performances. Roussel is the third Colonel to garner offensive lineman of the year since 2019. Nicholls has brought home four of the last six awards with current offensive line coach PJ Burkhalter winning it three times from 2019-21 and Mark Barthelemy earning the honor last season in 2023.
Miequle Brock played in nine games as a true freshman and ranked second in the SLC with 113.0 all-purpose yards to earn Southland Freshman of the Year. He rushed for 479 yards and three touchdowns and had 213 yards receiving and two TDs. Brock had the second-highest yard-per-carry average in the Southland at 6.4, helped by 68- and 66-yard rushing touchdowns. In his first career game, Brock exploded for 132 yards rushing and two touchdowns on just eight carries against Mississippi Valley State. Brock is the third consecutive Colonel to win the SLC's rookie award, joining teammates Eli Ennis (2022) and Rasheed Lovelace (2023). Nicholls is the first program to receive the honor in three straight seasons since McNeese (1991-93).
Sam Vidlak arrived on the scene and made an immediate impact in getting SFA back to its winning ways, earning the Southland Newcomer of the Year. Vidlak transferred to SFA from Montana and played in nine games for the Lumberjacks this season before suffering a season-ending injury against Nicholls in the Lumberjacks win. Vidlak went 174-for-257 with 2,387 passing yards and 27 passing touchdowns through nine games, which led FCS at the time. Vidlak threw for 300 or more yards three times and had two five-touchdown performances against North American and HCU. Vidlak is the first to claim the award since BJ Thompson in 2020 and the sixth Lumberjack all time.
In only his second year as head coach, Clint Killough ended the regular season with the highest playoff seed in program history to earn Southland Coach of the Year. The No. 6 Cardinals etched themselves in history as the only football team to finish the regular season undefeated in conference play. He led the Cardinal offense that saw over 5,000 total yards of offense, with leaders the FCS in passing and receiving touchdowns the majority of the season behind Calzada and Walthall. On the defensive end, the Cardinals finished the season ranked No. 2 in fumbles recovered, No. 5 in the FCS for defensive touchdowns and No. 8 for red zone defense. UIW ended regular season 10-2 overall, with losses to two ranked opponents, and 7-0 at home, including a 9-game win streak.
2024 Southland Conference Football Individual Superlative Winners
Player of the Year: Zach Calzada
Offensive Player of the Year: Jalen Walthall, UIW
Defensive Player of the Year: Brandon Tucker, East Texas A&M
Offensive Lineman of the Year: Evan Roussel, Nicholls
Newcomer of the Year: Sam Vidlak, SFA
Freshman of the Year: Miequle Brock, Nicholls
Coach of the Year: Clint Killough, UIW
2024 Southland Conference Football First Team All-Conference Offense
| Pos. |
Name |
School |
Class |
Hometown |
| QB |
Zach Calzada |
UIW |
Gr. |
Buford, Ga. |
| RB |
Antonio Martin Jr. |
Southeastern |
So. |
Atlanta, Ga. |
| RB |
DeKalon Taylor |
UIW |
Jr. |
Longview, Texas |
| TE/HB |
Logan Compton |
UIW |
Jr. |
Tomball, Texas |
| WR |
Jalen Walthall |
UIW |
R-Jr. |
Missouri City, Texas |
| WR |
Kylon Harris |
SFA |
Jr. |
Reserve, La. |
| WR |
Darius Lewis |
Southeastern |
R-Sr. |
New Orleans, La. |
| OL |
Evan Roussel |
Nicholls |
Sr. |
Lutcher, La. |
| OL |
Brockhim Wicks |
Southeastern |
R-Sr. |
Plaquemine, La. |
| OL |
Traveon Newsome |
UIW |
R-Jr. |
Acres Home, Texas |
| OL |
Mason Williams |
UIW |
Gr. |
Franklin, Tenn. |
| OL |
Cole Leclair |
McNeese |
Sr. |
Middleburg, Fla. |
| PK |
Chris Campos |
SFA |
Sr. |
Nacogdoches, Texas |
| P |
Finn Lappin |
McNeese |
Sr. |
Melbourne, Australia |
| LS |
Jovoni Borbon |
McNeese |
Gr. |
Sierra Vista, Ariz. |
2024 Southland Conference Football First Team All-Conference Defense
| Pos. |
Name |
School |
Class |
Hometown |
| DL |
Declan Williams |
UIW |
Jr. |
Hamilton, Texas |
| DL |
Warren Peeples |
Southeastern |
Sr. |
Stone Mountain, Ga. |
| DL |
Rasheed Lovelace |
Nicholls |
So. |
Pensacola, Fla. |
| DL |
Zack Bernard |
Nicholls |
Sr. |
Mandeville, La. |
| LB |
Brandon Tucker |
East Texas A&M |
R-So. |
DeSoto, Texas |
| LB |
Eli Ennis |
Nicholls |
Jr. |
Ohatchee, Ala. |
| LB |
Jake Dalmado |
Nicholls |
Jr. |
Mandeville, La. |
| DB |
Darius Sanders |
UIW |
Sr. |
Amarillo, Texas |
| DB |
Max Epps |
East Texas A&M |
R-Sr. |
Spring, Texas |
| DB |
Mason Chambers |
UIW |
Sr. |
San Antonio, Texas |
| DB |
Keydrain Calligan |
Southeastern |
Gr. |
New Iberia, La. |
| DB |
Jeremiah Walker |
SFA |
Sr. |
Houston, Texas |
| KR |
Brandon Hayes |
Southeastern |
Jr. |
Hattiesburg, Miss. |
| PR |
Darius Lewis |
Southeastern |
R-Sr. |
New Orleans, La. |
2024 Southland Conference Football Second Team All-Conference Offense
| Pos. |
Name |
School |
Class |
Hometown |
| QB |
Sam Vidlak |
SFA |
Jr. |
Applegate, Ore. |
| RB |
Khalan Griffin |
Lamar |
Sr. |
Tyler, Texas |
| RB |
Joshon Barbie |
McNeese |
Jr. |
Slidell, La. |
| TE/HB |
Devyn Gibbs |
Lamar |
Jr. |
Mabank, Texas |
| WR |
Roy Alexander |
UIW |
Gr. |
Fort Myers, Fla. |
| WR |
AJ Wilson |
HCU |
R-So. |
Huntsville, Texas |
| WR |
Kyndon Fuselier* |
Lamar |
Jr. |
Nederland, Texas |
| WR |
Christian Jourdain* |
East Texas A&M |
Sr. |
New Orleans, La. |
| OL |
Nolan Hay |
UIW |
Jr. |
Katy, Texas |
| OL |
Rasheed Jackson |
UIW |
So. |
Columbus, Ohio |
| OL |
Dion Daniels |
HCU |
Sr. |
Tyler, Texas |
| OL |
Elias Ripley |
Lamar |
Sr. |
Cedar Rapids, Iowa |
| OL |
Jevale Roberson* |
Lamar |
Sr. |
Cleveland, Texas |
| OL |
Kortez Winslow* |
Lamar |
R-Fr. |
Houston, Texas |
| OL |
Nate Adams* |
SFA |
Jr. |
Flower Mound, Texas |
| PK |
Dillon Fedor* |
HCU |
Sr. |
Raceland, La. |
| PK |
Riley Callaghan* |
Southeastern |
Jr. |
Ashburn, Va. |
| P |
Alec Mahler |
Southeastern |
R-So. |
Vacherie, La. |
| LS |
Will Davidson |
Southeastern |
Fr. |
Marietta, Ga. |
2024 Southland Conference Football Second Team All-Conference Defense
| Pos. |
Name |
School |
Class |
Hometown |
| DL |
Aaron Austin |
SFA |
Jr. |
Crowley, Texas |
| DL |
Edward Bobino III |
SFA |
Sr. |
Huntsville, Texas |
| DL |
Kaleb Proctor |
Southeastern |
Jr. |
Oak Grove, La. |
| DL |
Devin Grant* |
UIW |
R-Jr. |
San Antonio, Texas |
| DL |
Caleb Williams* |
Lamar |
Sr. |
Houston, Texas |
| DL |
Shemar Pearl* |
Southeastern |
R-Sr. |
Plano, Texas |
| LB |
KK Reno |
Southeastern |
Jr. |
New Iberia, La. |
| LB |
Mister Williams |
UIW |
R-Jr. |
Canoga Park, Calif. |
| LB |
Micah Davey |
McNeese |
R-Jr. |
Baton Rouge, La. |
| DB |
Jaden Rios |
East Texas A&M |
R-Jr. |
Frisco, Texas |
| DB |
Charles Demmings |
SFA |
Jr. |
Mesquite, Texas |
| DB |
Kristian Pugh |
Lamar |
Jr. |
Beaumont, Texas |
| DB |
Khamron Ford |
Southeastern |
Sr. |
Olive Branch, Miss. |
| DB |
Coryell Pierce |
Southeastern |
Sr. |
New Orleans, La. |
| KR |
Champ Dozier |
HCU |
R-Fr. |
Dallas, Texas |
| PR |
DeKalon Taylor |
UIW |
Jr. |
Longview, Texas |
* = Denotes tie for final spot