BATON ROUGE – Linebacker Kendell Beckwith‘s outstanding season earned him the nod as the state defensive player of the year on the Louisiana Sports Writers Association All-Louisiana state college football team.
The LSWA team is selected by a panel of LSWA members based on nominations from the sports information and communications directors of the state’s football player schools. The media relations representative from each school could vote, but could not vote for nominees from their own schools.
Broderick Fobbs, who led Grambling to the SWAC championship and the Celebration Bowl, was named the Coach of the Year, while Louisiana Tech quarterback Ryan Higgins was named the state’s Offensive Player of the Year after leading the Bulldogs to the Armed Forces Bowl. The Freshman of the Year honor went to UL Lafayette defensive lineman Joe Dillon. The Cajuns played in the New Orleans Bowl this year. The Newcomer of the Year award for first-year Louisiana non-freshman was quarterback James Tabary of McNeese State.
Beckwith, senior from Clinton, Louisiana, was a finalist for the Butkus Award, earning second team All-America honors. He led LSU in tackles (91) and was ranked second in the league in tackles per game (9.1). He had double figure tackles in four games including 16 against Alabama and 15 versus Southern Miss.
LSU players on the first team including offensive lineman Will Clapp and Ethan Pocic with Derrius Guice named one of the two running backs along with Lenard Tillery of Southern.
With Beckwith on the first team defense were defensive backs Jamal Adams and Tre’Davious White.
Two Tigers, offensive lineman Josh Boutte and running back Leonard Fournette made the state’s second team offense while Davon Godchaux and Arden Key were on the second team defense. Josh Growden was named the second team punter.
Here is the complete LSWA team:
LSWA All-LOUISIANA COLLEGE FOOTBALL TEAM
FIRST TEAM OFFENSE
POS/NAME, SCHOOL/CLASS/HOMETOWN/NOTES
OL/Chandler Arceneaux, Nicholls/So./Bourg, La./All-SLC 1st Team; 11 starts RT
OL/Darrell Brown, Louisiana Tech/Sr./Abilene, Texas/All-C-USA 1st Team; starter LT
OL/Will Clapp, LSU/So./New Orleans, La./All-SEC 1st Team; 10 games LT
OL/Taylor Gadbois, Southeastern/Sr./Dallas Georgia/All-SLC 1st Team; LT
OL/Ethan Pocic, LSU/Sr./Lamont, Ill./First Team A-A, Rimington Finalist (center)
TE/Juwaan Rogers, Southeastern/Sr./Amite, La./All-SLC 1st Team; 3 TDs, 15 receptions
WR/Carlos Henderson, Louisiana Tech/Jr./New Orleans, La./C-USA POY, 1,406 yds, 17 TDs
WR/Trent Taylor, Louisiana Tech/Sr./Shreveport, La./All-C-USA 1st Team; 1,570 yards, 10 TDs
RB/Derrius Guice, LSU/So., Baton Rouge, La./All-SEC 1st Team; 1,249 yards, 12 TDs
RB/Lenard Tillery, Southern/Sr., Baton Rouge, La./All-SWAC 1st team; 1,665 yards, 13 TDs
QB/Ryan Higgins, Louisiana Tech/Sr., Hutto, Texas/C-USA POY; 4,208 yards, 37 TDs
DEFENSE
POS/NAME, SCHOOL/CLASS/HOMETOWN/NOTES
DL/Jaylon Ferguson, Louisiana Tech/So./St. Francisville, La./All-C-USA 1st Team, 14.5 sacks, 16 TFL
DL/Sully Laiche, Nicholls/Fr./Gramercy, La./All-SLC 1st Team; 9.5 sacks, 13.0 TFL
DL/Donovan McCray, Grambling/Sr./Baton Rouge, La./SWAC Def. POY, 5 sacks, 11.5 TFL
DL/Tanzel Smart, Tulane/Sr./Baton Rouge, La./All-AAC 1st Team; 5.5 sacks, 18.5 TFL 1 int.
LB/Kendell Beckwith, LSU/Sr./Clinton, La./Second Team A-A; 91 tackles, 6 TFL, 1 FR
LB/Nico Marley, Tulane/Sr./Weston, Fla./All-AAC 1st Team; 88 tackles, 3.0 sacks, 14.0 TFL, 1 int.
LB/Otha Peters, UL Lafayette/Sr./Covington, La./All-SBC 1st Team; 88 tackles, 11.0 TFL, 1 TD FR
DB/Jamal Adams, LSU/Jr./Lewisville, Texas/First Team A-A; 70 tackles, 6.5 TFL, I int.
DB/Danny Johnson, Southern/Jr./East Feliciana, La./All-SWAC 1st Team; 7 ints (1TD), 57 tackles, 9 PBU
DB/Tre’Davious White, LSU/Sr./Shreveport, La./First Team A-A; Thorpe Award finalist; 13 PBUs, 2 ints.
DB/Xavier Woods, Louisiana Tech/Sr./West Monroe, La./All-C-USA 1st Team; 81 Tackles, 6.5 TFL, 3 ints.
SPECIALISTS
POS/NAME, SCHOOL/CLASS/HOMETOWN/NOTES
K/Jonathan Barnes, Louisiana Tech/Jr./Baton Rouge, La./All-C-USA 2nd Team; 20-25 FG, 71-72 PATs
P/Steven Coutts, UL Lafayette/So./Brisbane, Australia/44.4 average, 68 long
RS/Carlos Henderson, Louisiana Tech/Jr./New Orleans, La./30.4 KOR average, TDs of 90, 92 yards
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR – Ryan Higgins, Louisiana Tech
Voting – Higgins 12, Derrius Guice (LSU) 9, Lenard Tillery (Southern) 2, Devante Kincaid (Grambling) 1.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR – Kendell Beckwith, LSU
Voting – Beckwith 19, Jaylon Ferguson (Louisiana Tech) 2, Aaron Tiller (Southern) 2, Donovan McCray (Grambling) 1.
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR – Joe Dillon, UL Lafayette
Voting – Dillon 13, Chase Fourcade (Nicholls) 10, Justin Pratt (McNeese) 1
NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR – James Tabary, McNeese
Voting – Tabary 13, Danny Etling (LSU) 8, Ronald Ollie (Nicholls) 2, Juwan Dickey (Southeastern) 1.
COACH OF THE YEAR – Broderick Fobbs, Grambling
Voting – Fobbs 15, Skip Holtz (Louisiana Tech) 6, Tim Rebowe (Nicholls) 2, Matt Viator (ULM) 1
SECOND TEAM OFFENSE
OL – Josh Boutte, LSU (Sr., New Iberia, La.); Joseph Brunson, Louisiana Tech (Sr., Ruston, La.); O’Shea Dugas, Louisiana Tech (So. Lafayette, La.); Justin Miller, Grambling (Gr., Ruston, La.); Jeff Savage, ULM (Sr., Smackover, Ark.). TE – Kam McKnight, Louisiana Tech (So., Ethel, La.). WR – Willie Quinn, Southern (Sr., Miami, Fla.); Chad Williams, Grambling (Sr., Baton Rouge, La.). RB – Leonard Fournette, LSU (Jr., New Orleans, La.); Elijah McGuire, UL Lafayette (Sr., Houma. La.). QB – Devante Kincaid, Grambling (Jr., Dallas, Texas).
SECOND TEAM DEFENSE
DL – Joe Dillon, UL Lafayette (Fr., Tylertown, Miss.); Davon Godchaux, LSU (Jr., Plaquemine, La.); Jammerio Gross, McNeese (Jr., Shreveport, La.); Aaron Tiller, Southern (Jr., Columbus, Ohio). LB – Arden Key, LSU (So., Atlanta, Ga.); Arkez Cooper, Grambling (Gr., Mansfield, La.); Allen Pittman, Nicholls (Fr., St. Rose, La.). DB – Jameel Jackson, Grambling (Gr., Pierce, Fla.); Parry Nickerson, Tulane (Jr., Algiers, La.); B. T. Sanders, Nicholls (Sr., Foley, Ala.); Javon Tillman, Southeastern (Jr., Oakland, Calif.).
SECOND TEAM SPECIALISTS
K – Stevie Artigue, UL Lafayette (So. Lafayette, La.). P – Josh Growden, LSU (Fr., Sydney, Australia); RS – Khalil Thomas, McNeese (Sr., Baton Rouge, La.).