Southern’s Quinn on Verge of Division I Return TD Mark

Southern wide receiver/return specialist Willie Quinn is not the Division I Football Championship Division’s all-time leader in kick returns for touchdowns … yet.

However, the senior All-American from Miami is on the verge of rewriting the NCAA’s record books before he finishes his final season in Baton Rouge.

Quinn, the Southwestern Athletic Conference’s reigning special teams player of the week, scored his 10^th kick return touchdown on a 78-yard punt return during the Jaguars’ 64-6 drubbing of Alabama State Saturday.

That score put Quinn one more kickoff return touchdown or punt return touchdown away from tying the FCS career [easyazon_infoblock align=”right” cart=”y” identifier=”B01JKZZRU8″ locale=”US” tag=”hbcusports-20″]mark, held by Florida A&M’s LeRoy Vann. Vann scored on 11 returns during his Rattler career (2006-2009), including eight punt return TDs — the FCS career mark — and three kickoff returns.

Quinn tied Hampton’s Jerome Mathis (2001-04) for the FCS career mark in kickoff returns (six) last season. His punt return TD against Alabama State was the fourth in his career and his first since landing on SportsCenter with his 39-yard return against Mississippi Valley State last season.

The NCAA’s All-Divisions mark is held by Wesley’s Larry Beavers (2004-05, 07-08). Beavers scored on 13 returns — 10 kickoff returns and three punt returns — to set the Division 3 and NCAA All-Divisions mark.

Quinn, the current FCS leader in all-purpose yards, already has more scoring returns than any other player in Division I history except Vann. The FBS (formerly Division I-A) high-water mark is eight total returns, a number shared by seven players including 1972 Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Rodgers, Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders legend Cliff Branch, Wes Welker and C.J. Spiller.

Quinn is also one more scoring kickoff return away from tying the FBS mark (7), held by Spiller (Clemson, 2006-09) and Tyron Carrier (Houston, 2008-11).

In case you were wondering, Vann is tied with Texas Tech’s Wes Welker and Oklahoma’s Antonio Perkins for the Division I all-time mark in career punt return touchdowns.

In Division 2, Stephan Neville of Stonehill (2008-11) and Deante Steele of Shepherd (2007-10) hold the divisional record for total kick return touchdowns with 11 each. Neville scored on 10 kickoff returns — the D-2 record — and one punt return while Steele scored on seven punt returns and four kickoff returns.