JONESBORO (12/6/06) - For the second consecutive year ten Arkansas State football players have been named to the All-Sun Belt Conference Team, which was announced Wednesday by the league office, and running back Reggie Arnold was named Freshman of the Year.
Senior center Tanner Jenkins and junior safety Tyrell Johnson represented the Indians on the First Team, while Reggie Arnold (RB, Fr.), Matt Mandich (OL, So.), Jamarrow James (DL, Sr.), Koby McKinnon (LB, Jr.), Devrett Wade (LB, Sr.) and Khayyam Burns (DB, Jr.) were all Second Team selections. Senior fullback Oren O'Neal and senior defensive end Jonathan Najm were named Honorable Mention.
Arnold, who is the third leading rusher in the nation among all freshmen and finished the season with 1,076 yards, became the first Arkansas State player to ever be named the Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year. ASU's ten players on the all-conference team ties its most ever as a member of the SBC, also placing ten players on the list in 2002 and 2005. ASU placed the second most players on the All-Sun Belt Team, behind just Middle Tennessee with 13.
During head coach Steve Roberts' five years as head coach at ASU, the Indians have picked up 44 all-conference selections and he has had a player named the league's Freshman of the Year, Offensive Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year. Roberts was named the Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year in 2005.
Four of ASU's 10 players are repeat All-Sun Belt performers, including Jenkins, Johnson, Mandich and Wade. Johnson has now been named all-conference all three years of his career, while Jenkins, Mandich and Wade are all two-time selections.
Jenkins started all 11 games he played at center for the Indians and anchored an offensive line that helped ASU rank second in the Sun Belt Conference in rushing and fourth in total offense. Jenkins was a Preseason All-Sun Belt selection and was on the 2006 Dave Rimington Trophy List, Rotary Lombardi Watch List and the Outland Trophy Watch List.
Johnson led the Indians in tackles for the second consecutive year with 63 despite opposing offenses being on the field for an average of just 26:43. The preseason All-Sun Belt Conference selection recorded a season-high 10 tackles in the last game of the season and 19 over the last two games combined. He had seven games with five or more tackles and four games with eight or more tackles. He finished the year with one interception and four pass break-ups.
A Second Team All-Sun Belt Conference selection as a freshman, Mandich started every game at left tackle and has now started every game (24 total) of his career. Mandich was also a big part of an ASU offensive line that helped the Indians rank second in the Sun Belt Conference in rushing and fourth in total offense.
Senior linebacker Devrett Wade was named the Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Week once and finished the year with 48 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss (for 30 yards) and one forced fumble. Wade recorded a season-high 11 tackles in a victory over ULM, the same game he was recognized as the league's defensive player of the week, but also had five games with at least four tackles. Wade started every game for ASU at linebacker.
Arnold, James, McKinnon, Burns, O'Neal and Najm were all first-time selections to the team.
A two-time Sun Belt Conference Offensive Player of the Week, Arnold became the 13th player in ASU history to rush for over 1,000 yards and ranks No. 3 in the Sun Belt Conference in rushing. Arnold, who started every game at running back, rushed for over 100 yards in five games, including a career-high of 156 yards. He posted at least 140 yards in three games.
James started every game for ASU and was named the Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Week once. He was recognized as the league's defensive player of the week after he posted seven tackles and three tackles for a loss, both career highs, in a victory over Army. Out of James' 28 tackles 19 were solo. He posted at least one tackle in nine games and had three or more tackles in three games. He also had 7.5 tackles for a loss (of 34 yards) and tallied one sack.
McKinnon had a career year with 57 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, two interceptions (for 56 yards), two pass break ups, and one forced fumble. McKinnon started every game for ASU and posted a career-high 11 tackles in a victory over Louisiana-Monroe. He posted at least seven tackles in four games and four or more tackles in six games.
Burns is a three-year starter for ASU and started every game this season. The 2005 All-Sun Belt Conference selection finished with 60 tackles (2nd most on the team), a team-high four interceptions for 116 yards and a touchdown, two fumble recoveries for 19 yards, seven pass break-ups, and 1.5 tackles for loss. He ranks third in the Sun Belt Conference in passes defended, sixth in interceptions and 20th in tackles. Burns recorded a season-high eight tackles in three different games and posted four or more tackles in nine contests. One of his four interceptions went for 51 yards and a touchdown against Oklahoma State.
O'Neal missed three games in 2006 due to injury, but was ASU's starting fullback in all nine games played and while he was used primarily as a blocker, recorded 59 yards rushing on eight carries (7.4 yard average) and 16 receiving yards on three catches (5.3 yard average). CBSSportsline.com's former National Walk-On of the Year, O'Neal started 41 career games at ASU after originally walking on to the team. For his career, O'Neal posted 289 yards on limited carries from his fullback position.
Najm played in nine games, including the final four as a starter, and finished with 30 tackles, three tackles for loss (of 15 yards), one sack, one forced fumble and one interception. He recorded a career-high six tackles against Florida Atlantic and his interception return went for 22 yards. Najm posted at least three tackles in four games and had at least one tackle in his final eight games.
2006 ALL-SUN BELT CONFERENCE TEAM
Player of the Year: Omar Haugabook (Troy, Jr., QB)
Offensive Player of the Year: Omar Haugabook (Troy, Jr., QB)
Defensive Player of the Year: Keyonvis Bouie (FIU, Sr., LB)
Newcomer of the Year: Omar Haugabook (Troy, Jr., QB)
Freshman of the Year: Reggie Arnold (ASU, Fr.)
Coach of the Year: Rick Stockstill, MT
First Team Offense
QB: Omar Haugabook (Troy, Jr.), RB: Tyrell Fenroy (ULL, So.), RB: Calvin Dawson (ULM, Jr.), WR: Johnny Quinn (UNT, Sr.), WR: Gary Banks (Troy, Jr.), TE: Samuel Smith (FIU, Sr.), OL: Tanner Jenkins (ASU, Sr.), OL: Nello Faulk (FAU, Sr.), OL: Brandon Cox (ULL, Sr.), OL: Dylan Lineberry (UNT, Sr.), OL: Zach Yenser (Troy, Sr.)
First Team Defense
DL: Josh Pinnick (FAU, Jr.), DL: Antwan Barnes (FIU, Sr.), DL: Erik Walden (MT, Jr.), DL: Tavares Jones (MT, Jr.), LB: Alexander Bostic III (FIU, Sr.), LB: Keyonvis Bouie (FIU, Sr.), LB: J.K. Sabb (MT, Sr.), DB: Tyrell Johnson (ASU, Jr.), DB: Kevin Payne (ULM, Sr.), DB: Damon Nickson (MT, Jr.), DB: Brannon Condren (Troy, Sr.)
First Team Specialists
K: Drew Edmiston (ULL, So.), P: Colby Smith (MT, Sr.), RS: Damon Nickson (MT, Jr.), All Purpose: Desmond Gee (MT, Fr.)
Second Team Offense
QB: Clint Marks (MT, Sr.), RB: Reggie Arnold (ASU, Fr.), RB: Eugene Gross (MT, Sr.), WR: Chandler Williams (FIU, Sr.), WR: LaGregory Sapp (ULM, So.), TE: Zeek Zacharie (ULM, So.), OL: Matt Mandich (ASU, So.), OL: Franklin Dunbar (MT, So.), OL: Germayle Franklin (MT, Sr.), OL: Kyle Cunningham (ULM, Jr.), OL: Kirbie Bodiford (Troy, Sr.)
Second Team Defense
DL: Jamarrow James (ASU, Sr.), DL: Jervonte Jackson (FAU, So.), DL: Jeremiah Chapman (UNT, Jr.), DL: Franklin Lloyd (Troy, Sr.), LB: Koby McKinnon (ASU, Jr.), LB: Devrett Wade (ASU, Sr.), LB: Justin Rainey (MT, Sr.), DB: Khayyam Burns (ASU, Jr.), DB: Taheem Acevedo (FAU, Jr.), DB: Kris Bartels (FAU, Jr.), DB: Lionell Singleton (FIU, Jr.)
Second Team Specialists
K: Cole Wilson (ULM, Jr.), P: Truman Spencer (UNT, So.), RS: Leodis McKelvin (Troy, Jr.), All Purpose: Michael Desormeaux (ULL, So.)
Honorable Mention: Oren O'Neal (ASU, Sr., RB), Jonathan Najm (ASU, Sr., DL), Charles Pierre (FAU, So., RB), Cergile Sincere (FAU, Jr., LB), Josh Padrick (FIU, Sr., QB), Ashlyn Parker (FIU, Fr., WR), Rodney Hardeway (ULL, Jr., DL), Jesse Newman (ULL, Jr., OL), Adam Hill (ULM, Jr., OL), Josh Thompson (ULM, So., DB), Maurice Holman (UNT, Jr., LB), Aaron Weathers (UNT, Jr., DB), Kenny Cattouse (Troy, Jr., RB), Boris Lee (Troy, Fr., LB)
