UCF inclusions
First team: Richie Grant (unanimous), Jaylon Robinson, Marlon Williams, Matthew Lee, Cole Schneider
Second team: Dillon Gabriel, Otis Anderson, Aaron Robinson
Honorable Mention: Lokahi Pauole
Press release:
IRVING, Texas -- Cincinnati quarterback Desmond Ridder and Tulsa linebacker Zaven Collins, who will be on opposing sides Saturday in the American Athletic Conference Championship Game, have been chosen as The American’s Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year, respectively, by the league’s 11 head coaches.
SMU kicker Chris Naggar was named The American’s Special Teams Player of the Year. A pair of freshman running backs – East Carolina’s Rahjai Harris and SMU’s Ulysses Bentley IV – were chosen as the conference’s Rookies of the Year. Cincinnati head coach Luke Fickell was tabbed by his counterparts as The American’s Coach of the Year.
Ridder, who is a semifinalist for the Maxwell Award as the nation’s most outstanding player, has been instrumental in Cincinnati’s 8-0 record. He has passed for 1,821 yards and 16 touchdowns while rushing for 526 yards and 11 TDs, engineering an offense that averages 40.9 points and 473.1 yards per game. He has accounted for 21 touchdowns in the Bearcats’ last five games, throwing 10 touchdown passes and rushing for 11 scores. Ridder, who was The American Rookie of the Year in 2018, is the first Cincinnati player to be chosen as the conference’s Offensive Player of the Year.
Collins was unanimously chosen as The American Defensive Player of the Year, becoming the first player in league history to earn unanimous player-of-the-year honors. A finalist for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy as the nation’s top defensive player and for the Butkus Award as the top linebacker, Collins has registered 51 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, four sacks and four interceptions, including two that were returned for touchdowns. Two of Collins’ four interceptions clinched wins for Tulsa, including a highlight-reel 96-yard pick six against Tulane in an overtime victory. He is the first player from Tulsa to be named as the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year.
Naggar is a semifinalist for the Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award and is the first SMU player to be selected as The American’s Special Teams Player of the Year. Naggar leads the conference in scoring in 2020, averaging 9.4 points per game, and has made a league-leading 17 field goals in 21 attempts. He hit game-winning field goals in back-to-back weeks for the Mustangs in victories against Memphis and Tulane to help SMU to a 5-0 start.
Harris and Bentley were named The American’s Rookies of the Year after they made immediate impacts on their respective teams’ backfields. Harris rushed for 624 yards and four touchdowns in eight games, averaging 4.9 yards per carry and ranking third in The American in rushing as a true freshman (78.0 ypg). Bentley, a redshirt freshman, led The American with 913 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns in 10 games and topped the conference with 91.3 yards per game. Both players were chosen to The American’s all-conference first team.
Fickell was named as The American Coach of the Year for the second time in three seasons. Fickell takes his 8-0 Cincinnati squad into Saturday’s American Athletic Conference Championship Game with a national ranking of No. 6 in the Associated Press and USA Today polls. The Bearcats have won their eight games by an average of 25.9 points against a schedule that included two top-25 opponents.
In addition to the major award-winners, The American also named its first, second and honorable mention all-conference teams. Collins and UCF safety Richie Grant become the 11th and 12th players to be unanimously chosen as all-conference first team selections, while Grant becomes the fourth three-time first-team pick in league history, joining former USF running back Marlon Mack, former Memphis kicker Jake Elliott and former Temple linebacker Tyler Matakevich.
2020 AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE FOOTBALL AWARDS
AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Desmond Ridder, QB, Cincinnati
AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Zaven Collins, LB, Tulsa *
AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Chris Naggar, K, SMU
AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE ROOKIES OF THE YEAR
Rahjai Harris, RB, East Carolina
Ulysses Bentley IV, RB, SMU
AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE COACH OF THE YEAR
Luke Fickell, Cincinnati
ALL-CONFERENCE FIRST TEAM
* unanimous selection
ALL-CONFERENCE SECOND TEAM
ALL-CONFERENCE HONORABLE MENTION
1 2 H indicates previous selections to first team, second team, or honorable mention
American Athletic Conference Offensive Players of the Year
2013 Blake Bortles, QB, UCF
2014 Shane Carden, QB, East Carolina
2015 Keenan Reynolds, QB, Navy
2016 Quinton Flowers, QB, USF
2017 McKenzie Milton, QB, UCF
2018 McKenzie Milton, QB, UCF
2019 Malcolm Perry, QB, Navy
2020 Desmond Ridder, QB, Cincinnati
American Athletic Conference Defensive Players of the Year
2013 Marcus Smith, DE, Louisville
2014 Jacoby Glenn, CB, UCF, Tank Jakes, LB, Memphis
2015 Tyler Matakevich, LB, Temple
2016 Shaquem Griffin, LB, UCF
2017 Ed Oliver, DT, Houston
2018 Nate Harvey, DE, ECU
2019 Quincy Roche, DE, Temple
2020 Zaven Collins, LB, Tulsa *
American Athletic Conference Special Teams Players of the Year
2013 Demarcus Ayers, WR/KR, Houston
Tom Hornsey, P, Memphis
2014 Jake Elliott, K, Memphis
2015 Jake Elliott, K, Memphis
2016 Tony Pollard, WR/RS, Memphis
2017 Tony Pollard, WR/RS, Memphis
2018 Isaiah Wright, WR/RS, Temple
2019 Dane Roy, P, Houston
Antonio Gibson, WR/RS, Memphis
2020 Chris Naggar, K, SMU
American Athletic Conference Rookies of the Year
2013 John O’Korn, QB, Houston
2014 Marlon Mack, RB, USF
2015 Tre’Quan Smith, WR, UCF
2016 Ed Oliver, DT, Houston
2017 T.J. Carter, CB, Memphis
2018 Desmond Ridder, QB, Cincinnati
2019 Kenneth Gainwell, RB, Memphis
2020 Rahjai Harris, RB, East Carolina
Ulysses Bentley IV, RB, SMU
American Athletic Conference Coaches of the Year
2013 George O’Leary, UCF *
2014 Justin Fuente, Memphis *
2015 Tom Herman, Houston
Ken Niumatalolo, Navy
2016 Ken Niumatalolo, Navy
2017 Scott Frost, UCF *
2018 Luke Fickell, Cincinnati
2019 Ken Niumatalolo, Navy
2020 Luke Fickell, Cincinnati
* unanimous selection
First team: Richie Grant (unanimous), Jaylon Robinson, Marlon Williams, Matthew Lee, Cole Schneider
Second team: Dillon Gabriel, Otis Anderson, Aaron Robinson
Honorable Mention: Lokahi Pauole
Press release:
IRVING, Texas -- Cincinnati quarterback Desmond Ridder and Tulsa linebacker Zaven Collins, who will be on opposing sides Saturday in the American Athletic Conference Championship Game, have been chosen as The American’s Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year, respectively, by the league’s 11 head coaches.
SMU kicker Chris Naggar was named The American’s Special Teams Player of the Year. A pair of freshman running backs – East Carolina’s Rahjai Harris and SMU’s Ulysses Bentley IV – were chosen as the conference’s Rookies of the Year. Cincinnati head coach Luke Fickell was tabbed by his counterparts as The American’s Coach of the Year.
Ridder, who is a semifinalist for the Maxwell Award as the nation’s most outstanding player, has been instrumental in Cincinnati’s 8-0 record. He has passed for 1,821 yards and 16 touchdowns while rushing for 526 yards and 11 TDs, engineering an offense that averages 40.9 points and 473.1 yards per game. He has accounted for 21 touchdowns in the Bearcats’ last five games, throwing 10 touchdown passes and rushing for 11 scores. Ridder, who was The American Rookie of the Year in 2018, is the first Cincinnati player to be chosen as the conference’s Offensive Player of the Year.
Collins was unanimously chosen as The American Defensive Player of the Year, becoming the first player in league history to earn unanimous player-of-the-year honors. A finalist for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy as the nation’s top defensive player and for the Butkus Award as the top linebacker, Collins has registered 51 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, four sacks and four interceptions, including two that were returned for touchdowns. Two of Collins’ four interceptions clinched wins for Tulsa, including a highlight-reel 96-yard pick six against Tulane in an overtime victory. He is the first player from Tulsa to be named as the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year.
Naggar is a semifinalist for the Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award and is the first SMU player to be selected as The American’s Special Teams Player of the Year. Naggar leads the conference in scoring in 2020, averaging 9.4 points per game, and has made a league-leading 17 field goals in 21 attempts. He hit game-winning field goals in back-to-back weeks for the Mustangs in victories against Memphis and Tulane to help SMU to a 5-0 start.
Harris and Bentley were named The American’s Rookies of the Year after they made immediate impacts on their respective teams’ backfields. Harris rushed for 624 yards and four touchdowns in eight games, averaging 4.9 yards per carry and ranking third in The American in rushing as a true freshman (78.0 ypg). Bentley, a redshirt freshman, led The American with 913 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns in 10 games and topped the conference with 91.3 yards per game. Both players were chosen to The American’s all-conference first team.
Fickell was named as The American Coach of the Year for the second time in three seasons. Fickell takes his 8-0 Cincinnati squad into Saturday’s American Athletic Conference Championship Game with a national ranking of No. 6 in the Associated Press and USA Today polls. The Bearcats have won their eight games by an average of 25.9 points against a schedule that included two top-25 opponents.
In addition to the major award-winners, The American also named its first, second and honorable mention all-conference teams. Collins and UCF safety Richie Grant become the 11th and 12th players to be unanimously chosen as all-conference first team selections, while Grant becomes the fourth three-time first-team pick in league history, joining former USF running back Marlon Mack, former Memphis kicker Jake Elliott and former Temple linebacker Tyler Matakevich.
2020 AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE FOOTBALL AWARDS
AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Desmond Ridder, QB, Cincinnati
AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Zaven Collins, LB, Tulsa *
AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Chris Naggar, K, SMU
AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE ROOKIES OF THE YEAR
Rahjai Harris, RB, East Carolina
Ulysses Bentley IV, RB, SMU
AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE COACH OF THE YEAR
Luke Fickell, Cincinnati
ALL-CONFERENCE FIRST TEAM
| Pos. | Player | School | Cl. | Ht. | Wt. | Hometown |
| WR | Jaylon Robinson | UCF | So. | 5-9 | 163 | Fort Worth, Texas |
| WR | Marlon Williams | UCF | Sr. | 6-0 | 215 | Mobile, Ala. |
| WR | Calvin Austin III | Memphis | Jr. | 5-9 | 162 | Memphis, Tenn. |
| OT | James Hudson | Cincinnati | Jr. | 6-5 | 310 | Toledo, Ohio |
| OT | Tyler Smith | Tulsa | RFr. | 6-5 | 332 | Fort Worth, Texas |
| OG | Cole Schneider 1 2 | UCF | Jr. | 6-4 | 312 | Fort Myers, Fla. |
| OG | Peter Nestrowitz | Navy | Sr. | 6-3 | 282 | Washington, N.J. |
| C | Matthew Lee | UCF | RFr. | 6-4 | 290 | Oviedo, Fla. |
| TE | Kylen Granson 2 | SMU | Sr. | 6-3 | 235 | Austin, Texas |
| QB | Desmond Ridder | Cincinnati | Jr. | 6-4 | 215 | Louisville, Ky. |
| RB | Gerrid Doaks | Cincinnati | Sr. | 6-0 | 230 | Indianapolis, Ind. |
| RB | Rahjai Harris | East Carolina | Fr. | 5-10 | 228 | Duncan, S.C. |
| RB | Ulysses Bentley IV | SMU | RFr. | 5-10 | 184 | Houston, Texas |
| DL | Myjai Sanders | Cincinnati | Jr. | 6-5 | 258 | Jacksonville, Fla. |
| DL | O’Bryan Goodson H | Memphis | Sr. | 6-1 | 297 | Batesville, Miss. |
| DL | Cameron Sample | Tulane | Sr. | 6-3 | 280 | Snellville, Ga. |
| DL | Jaxon Player | Tulsa | Jr. | 6-0 | 290 | Waco, Texas |
| LB | Jarell White | Cincinnati | Sr. | 5-10 | 205 | Cincinnati, Ohio |
| LB | Grant Stuard 2 | Houston | Sr. | 6-1 | 225 | Conroe, Texas |
| LB | Patrick Johnson 2 2 | Tulane | Sr. | 6-3 | 255 | Chattanooga, Tenn. |
| LB | Zaven Collins * | Tulsa | Jr. | 6-4 | 260 | Hominy, Okla. |
| CB | Ahmad Gardner 1 | Cincinnati | So. | 6-2 | 188 | Detroit, Mich. |
| CB | Coby Bryant | Cincinnati | Sr. | 6-1 | 198 | Cleveland, Ohio |
| S | Richie Grant * 1 1 | UCF | Sr. | 6-0 | 194 | Fort Walton Beach, Fla. |
| S | James Wiggins 2 | Cincinnati | Sr. | 6-0 | 205 | Miami, Fla. |
| K | Chris Naggar | SMU | Sr. | 6-1 | 195 | Arlington, Texas |
| P | Ryan Wright | Tulane | Jr. | 6-3 | 245 | San Ramon, Calif. |
| RS | Marcus Jones | Houston | Jr. | 5-8 | 185 | Enterprise, Ala. |
* unanimous selection
ALL-CONFERENCE SECOND TEAM
| Pos. | Player | School | Cl. | Ht. | Wt. | Hometown |
| WR | Michael Young Jr. | Cincinnati | Jr. | 5-10 | 190 | Saint Rose, La. |
| WR | Tyler Snead | East Carolina | So. | 5-7 | 169 | Raleigh, N.C. |
| WR | Keylon Stokes | Tulsa | Sr. | 6-0 | 194 | Manvel, Texas |
| OT | Jaylon Thomas 2 | SMU | Jr. | 6-3 | 312 | Lubbock, Texas |
| OT | Chris Paul | Tulsa | Jr. | 6-4 | 331 | Houston, Texas |
| OG | Hayden Howerton | SMU | Sr. | 6-3 | 300 | Katy, Texas |
| OG | Corey Dublin H | Tulane | Sr. | 6-4 | 312 | New Orleans, La. |
| C | Sincere Haynesworth | Tulane | So. | 6-1 | 310 | Pearland, Texas |
| TE | Josh Whyle | Cincinnati | So. | 6-6 | 235 | Cincinnati, Ohio |
| QB | Dillon Gabriel | UCF | So. | 6-0 | 186 | Mililani, Hawaii |
| RB | Otis Anderson H | UCF | So. | 6-0 | 195 | Grapevine, Texas |
| RB | Stephon Huderson | Tulane | Sr. | 5-9 | 200 | Petal, Miss. |
| DL | Marcus Brown | Cincinnati | Sr. | 6-2 | 297 | Naples, Fla. |
| DL | Elijah Ponder 1 | Cincinnati | Sr. | 6-3 | 275 | Atlanta, Ga. |
| DL | Payton Turner | Houston | Sr. | 6-6 | 270 | Houston, Texas |
| DL | Arnold Ebiketie | Temple | Jr. | 6-4 | 240 | Silver Spring, Md. |
| LB | Darrian Beavers | Cincinnati | Sr. | 6-3 | 242 | Cincinnati, Ohio |
| LB | Diego Fagot 1 | Navy | Jr. | 6-3 | 240 | Fort Lauderdale, Fla. |
| LB | Antonio Grier | USF | Jr. | 6-1 | 222 | Atlanta, Ga. |
| LB | Dorian Williams | Tulane | So. | 6-1 | 220 | Fort Mill, S.C. |
| LB | Justin Wright | Tulsa | So. | 6-2 | 234 | Abilene, Texas |
| CB | Aaron Robinson 2 | UCF | Sr. | 6-1 | 193 | Deerfield Beach, Fla. |
| CB | Ja’Quan McMillian | East Carolina | So. | 5-10 | 161 | Winston-Salem, N.C. |
| S | Quindell Johnson | Memphis | So. | 6-1 | 195 | New Orleans, La. |
| S | Cristian Williams | Tulsa | Sr. | 6-0 | 180 | Dallas, Texas |
| K | Zack Long | Tulsa | Sr. | 5-10 | 172 | Pacific, Mo. |
| P | James Smith 1 1 2 | Cincinnati | Sr. | 6-5 | 235 | Wangaratta, Australia |
| RS | Tre Tucker | Cincinnati | So. | 5-9 | 172 | Akron, Ohio |
| RS | Tyler Snead | East Carolina | So. | 5-7 | 169 | Raleigh, N.C. |
ALL-CONFERENCE HONORABLE MENTION
| Pos. | Player | School | Cl. | Ht. | Wt. | Hometown |
| OG | Lokahi Pauole | UCF | So. | 6-4 | 320 | Kapolei, Hawaii |
| S | Darrick Forrest 1 | Cincinnati | Sr. | 6-0 | 200 | Columbus, Ohio |
| OT | Darius Harper | Cincinnati | Sr. | 6-7 | 308 | Springfield, Ohio |
| LB | Xavier Smith | East Carolina | Jr. | 6-0 | 246 | Stafford, Va. |
| OG | Braylon Jones | Houston | Sr. | 6-4 | 315 | Tyler, Texas |
| CB | Damarion Williams | Houston | Sr. | 5-11 | 180 | Atlanta, Ga. |
| TE | Sean Dykes | Memphis | Sr. | 6-2 | 224 | Houston, Texas |
| DL | Morris Joesph | Memphis | Jr. | 6-2 | 275 | Orange, Texas |
| LB | Richard McBryde | SMU | Sr. | 6-1 | 232 | Troy, Ala. |
| WR | Jadan Blue 2 | Temple | Jr. | 6-0 | 185 | Randallstown, Md. |
| OT | Joey Claybrook | Tulane | Jr. | 6-6 | 295 | Starkville, Miss. |
| OG | Dante Bivens | Tulsa | Jr. | 6-3 | 324 | Spring, Texas |
| OG | Dylan Couch | Tulsa | Sr. | 6-3 | 299 | Pryor, Okla. |
| CB | Allie Green IV | Tulsa | Sr. | 6-3 | 206 | Austin, Texas |
| S | Kendarin Ray | Tulsa | So. | 6-4 | 200 | Brenham, Texas |
| C | Gerard Wheeler | Tulsa | Jr. | 6-3 | 331 | Plano, Texas |
1 2 H indicates previous selections to first team, second team, or honorable mention
American Athletic Conference Offensive Players of the Year
2013 Blake Bortles, QB, UCF
2014 Shane Carden, QB, East Carolina
2015 Keenan Reynolds, QB, Navy
2016 Quinton Flowers, QB, USF
2017 McKenzie Milton, QB, UCF
2018 McKenzie Milton, QB, UCF
2019 Malcolm Perry, QB, Navy
2020 Desmond Ridder, QB, Cincinnati
American Athletic Conference Defensive Players of the Year
2013 Marcus Smith, DE, Louisville
2014 Jacoby Glenn, CB, UCF, Tank Jakes, LB, Memphis
2015 Tyler Matakevich, LB, Temple
2016 Shaquem Griffin, LB, UCF
2017 Ed Oliver, DT, Houston
2018 Nate Harvey, DE, ECU
2019 Quincy Roche, DE, Temple
2020 Zaven Collins, LB, Tulsa *
American Athletic Conference Special Teams Players of the Year
2013 Demarcus Ayers, WR/KR, Houston
Tom Hornsey, P, Memphis
2014 Jake Elliott, K, Memphis
2015 Jake Elliott, K, Memphis
2016 Tony Pollard, WR/RS, Memphis
2017 Tony Pollard, WR/RS, Memphis
2018 Isaiah Wright, WR/RS, Temple
2019 Dane Roy, P, Houston
Antonio Gibson, WR/RS, Memphis
2020 Chris Naggar, K, SMU
American Athletic Conference Rookies of the Year
2013 John O’Korn, QB, Houston
2014 Marlon Mack, RB, USF
2015 Tre’Quan Smith, WR, UCF
2016 Ed Oliver, DT, Houston
2017 T.J. Carter, CB, Memphis
2018 Desmond Ridder, QB, Cincinnati
2019 Kenneth Gainwell, RB, Memphis
2020 Rahjai Harris, RB, East Carolina
Ulysses Bentley IV, RB, SMU
American Athletic Conference Coaches of the Year
2013 George O’Leary, UCF *
2014 Justin Fuente, Memphis *
2015 Tom Herman, Houston
Ken Niumatalolo, Navy
2016 Ken Niumatalolo, Navy
2017 Scott Frost, UCF *
2018 Luke Fickell, Cincinnati
2019 Ken Niumatalolo, Navy
2020 Luke Fickell, Cincinnati
* unanimous selection
