BIRMINGHAM, Ala.- The Southwestern Athletic Conference announced its 2023 Football Postseason Individual Awards Winners on Tuesday morning. The individual awards were voted on by the league’s head coaches and sports information directors.
Florida A&M’s Willie Simmons was named Coach of the Year, while the Rattlers’ Jeremy Moussa was tabbed Offensive Player of the Year. FAMU’s Isaiah Major was named Defensive Player of the Year. Texas Southern’s Jace Wilson was selected Newcomer of the Year, and Grambling State’s Javon Robinson was named Freshman of the Year, rounding out the list of individual selections.
Coach of the Year
Under Simmons’ leadership this season, the Florida A&M Rattlers finished the regular season with their highest national ranking since 1998 at No.5 and had their first ten-win season since 1999. The Rattlers continued to make history this season after going 8-0 during league play and winning their first SWAC Eastern Division Title. Florida A&M will host the 2023 Pepsi SWAC Football Championship Game, presented by General Motors, on Saturday versus Prairie View A&M.
Offensive Player of the Year
Moussa led the Rattlers’ offense to the 27th-best scoring offense in the nation. He finished the season with 2,416 yards, 18 passing touchdowns, and one rushing touchdown in ten games. Moussa finished the season nationally ranked in yards per completion (19th), passing yards per game (20th), passing yards (27th), and passing touchdowns (29th). He led the SWAC in all those categories with the exception of yards per completion.
Defensive Player of the Year
Major led the Dark Cloud Defense with 94 total tackles, 55 solo tackles, and 11.5 tackles for loss. He also added four quarterback hurries, two sacks, two pass breakups, a fumble recovery, and a pick-six this season. Major earned SWAC Defensive Player of the Week and was honorable mention National Defensive Player of the Week, following his 11 tackles, three tackles for loss, and two sacks performance at South Florida.
Newcomer of the Year
Wilson stepped into the role of starting quarterback for the Texas Southern Tigers and made an immediate impact for the Tigers offensively. During 11 games played, he passed for 1,773 yards while throwing ten touchdown passes. He averaged 161.2 yards per game while tallying 162 total completions.
Freshman of the Year
Robinson, a true freshman, quickly solidified himself as a top receiving threat for the Grambling State Tigers. During ten games played, he contributed 31 receptions for 374 yards and two touchdowns. Robinson averaged 12.1 yards per catch with a long reception of 50 yards.
A complete listing of individual award winners is listed below.
2023 SWAC Football Postseason Individual Awards
Coach of the Year
Willie Simmons, Florida A&M
Offensive Player of the Year
Jeremy Moussa, Florida A&M
Defensive Player of the Year
Isaiah Major, Florida A&M
Newcomer of the Year
Jace Wilson, Texas Southern
Freshman of the Year
Javon Robinson, Grambling State
Courtesy: SWAC
