ROCK HILL, S.C. --- Five Tusculum University student-athletes have been named to the 2021 All-South Atlantic Conference Football Team announced league officials Thursday.
Thomas Mahoney was named to the All-SAC first team, while Justice Parham, Cortney Jackson, Nelson Louis and Jordan Taylor garnered second team recognition.
The All-SAC Team is selected by a vote of the league's head football coaches.
Mahoney, a 6-1, 315-pound junior from Glen Hills, Pennsylvania, has been the anchor of the Tusculum offensive line for the past two seasons where he has started in 16 consecutive games at center for the Pioneers. He has graded out above 90 percent in several games and was one of the team leaders in pancake blocks. The Pioneers finished fourth in the league in total offense averaging 400.5 yards per game including 257 passing yards per game (2nd in SAC / 32nd in NCAA II). The Pioneers also posted 143.5 rushing yards per game as its 1,578 total rushing yards were the 10th-most in a TU single-season.
Parham, a 6-0, 190-pound junior wide receiver from Tarpon Springs, Florida, led the league in receiving yards (797 – 45th in NCAA II) and receiving yards per game (72.5) for a second straight year. His eight touchdown catches were second in the conference (42nd in NCAA II) and tied for seventh-most in a season for the Pioneers. He recorded a touchdown catch in seven of his 11 starts this year. He also passed for a touchdown
In his 16-game career at Tusculum so far, Parham has amassed 1,161 yards (19th in TU history) on 69 receptions including 12 touchdowns, which are ranked 10th in program history. His 16.83 career yards per reception average is currently seventh in the school record book.
Jackson, a 6-1, 210-pound running back led the Pioneers in rushing yards (557 – 8th in SAC), rushing average (50.6 – 9th in SAC) and rushing touchdowns (7 – 5th in SAC). The Abbeville, South Carolina junior ran for a season-best 108 yards and two touchdowns in a 41-17 homecoming win over Barton College. He scored a touchdown in five straight games from (Sep. 25 – Oct. 23). He also made five receptions for 48 yards in his 11 outings in the offensive backfield.
Louis, a 6-2, 255-pound junior from Moultrie, Georgia, posted 30 tackles including nine for loss with a team-best seven sacks. Louis started at defensive end for eight games before missing the last three contests due to injury. He a recorded a season-high six tackles each against Wingate and Limestone. He opened the season with three sacks at St. Augustine's including a forced fumble resulting in a touchdown. He also forced a fumble on a sack at Wingate and posted two sacks in a league win over UVA Wise.
Louis, the 2018 SAC Defensive Freshman of the Year, has accounted for 94 career tackles including 20 sacks, which are the second most in school history.
Taylor rounds out the All-SAC honorees for the Pioneers. The 5-10, 170-pound sophomore from Miami, Florida, started in all 11 games at cornerback where he made 44 tackles including five for loss and led the team with seven passes defended (1 interception, 6 pass break-ups). He also forced two fumbles and blocked a field goal on special teams. He accounted for seven tackles each at Wingate and Mars Hill and was credited with five stops apiece in back-to-back wins over UVA Wise and Barton. In the Wise game, he also four passes defended (INT, 3 break-ups) are tied for the fifth-most by a Pioneer.
Tusculum finished the season with a 5-6 overall record and finished sixth in the final conference standings with a 3-5 league worksheet.
2021 All-South Atlantic Conference Football Team
First Team Offense
QB - Grayson Willingham, Lenoir-Rhyne
RB - Dwayne McGee, Lenoir-Rhyne
RB - Mario Anderson, Newberry
RB - Nijere Peoples, Wingate
WR - CJ Thompson, Mars Hill
WR - Bryson Woodruff, Newberry
WR - Devin Heckstall, UVA Wise
OL - Blake Jefferson, Lenoir-Rhyne
OL - Andrew Strickland, Wingate
OL - Thomas Mahoney, Tusculum
OL - Alec Blackmon, Newberry
OL - Leondre Andreas, Mars Hill
TE - Ty Snelson, Mars Hill
PK - McLean Robertson, Wingate
LS - Tyler Keaton, Lenoir-Rhyne
RS - Leonte Dundley, Carson-Newman
First Team Defense
DL - Amari Houston, Lenoir-Rhyne
DL - Dan Louba, Lenoir-Rhyne
DL - TyRan Dixon, Newberry
DL - Chavon Fields, UVA Wise
LB - Dexter Fitzpatrick, Mars Hill
LB - Landon Honeycutt, Mars Hill
LB - Nick Yearwood, Newberry
LB - Jaquan Edwards, Wingate
DB - Anthony Blue, Newberry
DB - Tristan Rankin, Mars Hill
DB - Eric Jackson, Lenoir-Rhyne
DB - Markel Dailey, UVA Wise
P - Ethan Evans, Wingate
Second Team Offense
QB - Dre Harris, Newberry
RB - Courtney Jackson, Tusculum
RB - Troy Dendy, Carson-Newman
RB - Jaevon Gillespie, UVA Wise
WR - Deondre Lester, Lenoir-Rhyne
WR - Justice Parham, Tusculum
WR - Dareke Young, Lenoir-Rhyne
OL - Cameron Thomason, Limestone
OL - Cam Williams, Newberry
OL - Justin Bullock, Mars Hill
OL - Bryce Heidinger, Lenoir-Rhyne
OL - Ian Brinson, Lenoir-Rhyne
TE - Ryder Martin, Wingate
PK - Chase Allbaugh, Lenoir-Rhyne
LS - Blake Arnoult, Newberry
RS - Ryan Carter, Lenoir-Rhyne
Second Team Defense
DL - Nelson Louis, Tusculum
DL - Andre Jefferson, Lenoir-Rhyne
DL - Jordon Anderson, Wingate
DL - Ty Kelly, Newberry
LB - Jon Ross Maye, Lenoir-Rhyne
LB - Preston Joseph, Lenoir-Rhyne
LB - AJ Valentine, Newberry
LB - Rondrow Pebbles, Carson-Newman
DB - David Vereen, Newberry
DB - Jordan Taylor, Tusculum
DB - Kris Williams, Limestone
DB - Marcus Morgan, Newberry
P - Clayton Crile, Catawba
SAC Offensive Player of the Year: Dwayne McGee, Lenoir-Rhyne
SAC Defensive Player of the Year: Amari Houston, Lenoir-Rhyne
SAC Offensive Freshman of the Year: Dwayne McGee, Lenoir-Rhyne
SAC Defensive Freshman of the Year: Tristan Rankin, Mars Hill
Jacobs Blocking Trophy: Andrew Strickland, Wingate
SAC Coach of the Year: Todd Knight, Newberry
