Hibbett, Ignagni and Williams lauded with All-America honors from Beyond Sports Network
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman football has placed three student athletes on the Beyond Sports Network’s All-American teams. Running back and Harlon Hill Trophy finalist (Andy Hibbett) and offensive lineman Robby Ignagni (Gallatin, Tenn.) earn first team All-American honors; return specialist Lonnie Williams (Philadelphia, Pa.) makes the second team.
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman football has placed three student athletes on the Beyond Sports Network's All-American teams. Running back and Harlon Hill Trophy finalist (Andy Hibbett) and offensive lineman Robby Ignagni (Gallatin, Tenn.) earn first team All-American honors; return specialist Lonnie Williams (Philadelphia, Pa.) makes the second team.
They bring Carson-Newman's all-time All-America honorees to 116.
Hibbett is also a Harlon Hill Trophy Finalist and the Daktronics and Beyond Sports Network Super Region II Offensive player of the Year. He became the third Carson-Newman player to make it the final round of the Harlon Hill Trophy voting. Quarterback Leonard Guyton was a finalists in 2002, while Tyrone Westmoreland was the first Harlon Hill finalists for C-N in 1997. Mars Hill running back Jonas Randolph is the only South Atlantic Conference player to win the award – doing so in 2011.
Hibbett produced a season for the ages for the Eagles. Hibbett set a school record by rushing for more than 100 yards in eight consecutive games. His 1,394 yards on the season are the eighth highest tally in school history. Hibbett secured his spot in the Eagle record books. With 37 career rushing touchdowns, he moved past Brandon Baker and Antwon Oliver and into sole possession of sixth place on the all-time rushing TD list.
He also winds up with 3,208 career rushing yards. That mark is also the eighth best in school history. Hibbett scored multiple touchdowns in seven games, including a pair of four-touchdown days. He is a two-time SAC offensive Player of the Week, three-time Bojangles Male Athlete of the Week and earned Tennessee Sportswriters Association Offensive Player of the Week honors once. Following the season, he earned first team All-SAC honors.
Hibbett ranked sixth in the nation in rushing yards per game and 10th in scoring. He had 18 TDs in his senior season – 16 on the ground and two through the air.
Hibbett led C-N in rushing in six games and produced four games where he rushed for at least 180 yards. With 30 carries and 221 yards against Tusculum, Hibbett had the 14th-best single game rushing yard tally in school history and its 32nd 200-yard rushing performance.
Throughout the season, Hibbett credited his line.
Against Mars Hill, the senior only had 191 yards and three TDs on seven carries. His 27.3 yards per rush is the second highest total among running backs with more than five carries in a game.
Hibbett's three touchdowns all came in the second half and helped put the game out of reach.
His first score came on a 58-yard dive, his second on a 65-yard scamper and his third on a 55-yard pitch that started to the right and finished with Hibbett meandering his way back left across the field to the pylon for a score.
Hibbett is Carson-Newman's 12th All-American running back. He joins Rodney Wampler (71), Van Williams (81), Hugh Rutledge (82), Kenneth Tyson (84 & 87), Robert Hardy (90), Floyd Mathis (91), Robert Thomas (91), Tyrone Westmoreland (97), Randy Bell (02), Buck Wakefield (09) and Brandon Baker (12)
Ignagni finished his Carson-Newman career as the program's all-time leader in knockdowns with 45. Ignagni started 38 consecutive games at right guard for the Eagles and helped clear the way for Eagle offenses that ranked first, fourth and third in the nation in rushing in his three seasons as a starter.
Ignagni helped lead the way for three different 1,000-yard rushers. Carson-Newman averaged 38 points, 360 yards rushing and 479 yards of total offense with him starting.
The senior is also the strongest member of the team with the best squat and bench press numbers of anyone on the offense or defense.
Carson-Newman has now produced an All-American offensive lineman in three straight seasons and six of the last seven years.
Williams led the nation in yards per kickoff return with 34.1 a touch and one was of ten players in the country to bring to kickoffs back for touchdowns. Williams' 34.1 yards per return is the third highest single season mark in Carson-Newman school history behind Kendall James (39.7) and Ques Rumph (34.7).
Williams was the fourth Carson-Newman player to return multiple kickoffs for scores in a single season.
He set the Carson-Newman single game record for kickoff return yards against Brevard – his first game returning kicks. Williams set a school record for kickoff return yards with 215. His first career kickoff return went 100 yards for a touchdown on the opening play of the game. The 100-yard kickoff return is the fourth in school history and the first since 1992.
Williams becomes Carson-Newman's first All-American return specialist since Ques Rumph garnered that accolade in 1996, 1998 and 1999.
| 1st Team | |||||
| POS | Name | College | YR | HT | WT |
| QB | Kevin Rodgers | Henderson State | SR | 6'3 | 215 |
| QB | Jason Vander Laan | Ferris State | JR | 6'4 | 241 |
| RB | Anthony Bilal | Lake Erie | JR | 5'7 | 170 |
| RB | Terrell Watson | Azusa Pacific | SR | 6'2 | 240 |
| RB | Andy Hibbett | Carson Newman | SR | 6'0 | 200 |
| FB | Romo Westbrook | Harding | SR | 5'10 | 210 |
| TE | Cole Spurgeon | Colorado Mines | JR | 6'3 | 225 |
| TE | Jamie Potts | Grand Valley St | JR | 6'3 | 235 |
| WR | Tyler Slavin | NM Highlands | SR | 6'2 | 215 |
| WR | Keelan Cole | Kentucky Wesleyan | JR | 6'1 | 167 |
| WR | Darius Davis | Henderson State | SR | 5'11 | 212 |
| WR | Nathan Mourik | Southwest Baptist | JR | 6'2 | 175 |
| OL | Jake VanderKlok | Ferris State | SR | 6'6 | 306 |
| OL | Joe Ray | Lenoir Rhyne | JR | 6'1 | 270 |
| OL | Michael Gibbs | Delta State | SR | 6'2 | 300 |
| OL | Robby Ignangi | Carson Newman | SR | 6'3 | 320 |
| OC | Rustin Mayorga | Concord | SR | 6'1 | 284 |
| DL | Lucky Baar | McKendree | SO | 6'2 | 230 |
| DL | Clatyon Callicutt | Angelo State | SR | 6'4 | 275 |
| DL | Darius Allen | CSU Pueblo | SR | 6'4 | 251 |
| DL | Devin Benton | SW Ok State | SR | 5'11 | 270 |
| LB | Justin Shirk | Bloomsburg | SR | 6'0 | 240 |
| LB | Nores Fradi | Wayne State (MI) | SR | 6'1 | 216 |
| LB | LeRon Furr | Fort Valley State | SR | 6'3 | 240 |
| LB | Tanner Botts | Lenoir Rhyne | SR | 6'2 | 215 |
| CB | Solomon St. Pierre | Sioux Falls | JR | 5'11 | 171 |
| CB | Stephan Dickens | CSU Pueblo | SR | 5'9 | 172 |
| CB | Curtis Pumphrey | Bowie State | JR | 5'8 | 155 |
| S | Jordan Shaw | Shorter | JR | 6'2 | 215 |
| S | Brandon Hathaway | Wingate | JR | 5'10 | 190 |
| K | Tom Obarski | Concordia St. Paul | SR | 5'11 | 185 |
| P | Patrick Carney | NM Highlands | SR | 6'0 | 215 |
| KR | Denarius Appling | West Georgia | SR | 5'7 | 155 |
| PR | Etauj Allen | Ouachita Baptist | SR | 5'9 | 185 |
| 2nd Team | |||||
| POS | Name | College | YR | HT | WT |
| QB | Anthony Abenoja | Pittsburg State | SR | 6'3 | 217 |
| QB | Sean McCartney | West Chester | SR | 6'2 | 200 |
| RB | Calvinaugh Jones | Concord | JR | 5'9 | 200 |
| RB | LaVance Taylor | Central Missouri | SR | 5'11 | 195 |
| RB | Brock Jones | Gannon | JR | 5'10 | 200 |
| FB | Zach Henshaw | Tarleton State | JR | 5'10 | 200 |
| TE | Tim Brown | West Chester | JR | 6'3 | 235 |
| TE | Gabe Hughes | Florida Tech | JR | 6'4 | 235 |
| WR | Xavier Milton | Florida Tech | SR | 6'0 | 190 |
| WR | Reece Horn | Indianapolis | JR | 6'3 | 214 |
| WR | Dimitri Holmes | Mars Hill | SR | 5'10 | 165 |
| WR | Vernon Johnson | Texas A&M Commerce | SR | 6'1 | 190 |
| OL | Tory Day | Harding | SR | 6'1 | 255 |
| OL | Alex Davis | Gannon | SR | 6'4 | 295 |
| OL | Andrew Muer | Duluth | SR | 6'3 | 275 |
| OL | Garrison Ushery | West Georgia | SR | 6'1 | 335 |
| OC | Shaw Stokes | Midwestern St. | SR | 6'3 | 290 |
| DL | Derrick Mann | Assumption | SR | 6'3 | 225 |
| DL | Blake Baker | Lenoir Rhyne | SR | 6'1 | 250 |
| DL | Josh Gordon | Minnesota State | JR | 6'2 | 250 |
| DL | Anthony McDaniel | Bowie State | JR | 6'1 | 280 |
| LB | Jared Koster | NM Highlands | SR | 6'1 | 210 |
| LB | JJ Sanders | Florida Tech | JR | 5'10 | 235 |
| LB | Kole Kadavy | Colorado Mines | SR | 5'11 | 205 |
| LB | Bre'Nare Williams | Clark Atlanta | SR | 5'11 | 230 |
| CB | Al-Haj Shabazz | West Chester | SR | 6'2 | 200 |
| CB | Will Brown | Missouri S&T | SR | 6'1 | 190 |
| CB | Isaiah Davis | Central Washington | JR | 5'10 | 185 |
| S | Colin Kimball | Mercyhurst | SR | 5'11 | 180 |
| S | Zach Mitchell | Ouachita Baptist | SR | 6'0 | 185 |
| K | Saul Martinez | Texas A&M Commerce | SR | 5'9 | 190 |
| P | Mike Wenk | SMSU | SR | 6'0 | 205 |
| KR | Lonnie Williams | Carson Newman | FR | 5'10 | 155 |
| PR | Stephan Dickens | CSU Pueblo | SR | 5'9 | 172 |
| 3rd Team | |||||
| POS | Name | College | YR | HT | WT |
| QB | Tyler Sullivan | Delta State | SO | 6'3 | 236 |
| QB | Kyle Washington | Angelo State | JR | 6'5 | 205 |
| RB | Eddie Mateo | Bloomsburg | SR | 5'9 | 213 |
| RB | Shamar Greene | Slippery Rock | SO | 5'9 | 185 |
| RB | Jarvis Small | Albany State | JR | 5'7 | 206 |
| FB | E'lon Spight | Eastern New Mexico | SR | 5'10 | 200 |
| TE | Lucas Hefty | Upper Iowa | SR | 6'4 | 240 |
| TE | La'Velle Spivey | Urbana | SR | 6'3 | 240 |
| WR | Jeret Smith | McMurry | SR | 6'0 | 215 |
| WR | Mitchell Shegos | Notre Dame | SO | 6'2 | 200 |
| WR | Marquise Chushon | Pittsburg State | JR | 5'10 | 162 |
| WR | Jalen Hendricks | Livingstone College | JR | 6'2 | 205 |
| OL | Coleman Osborne | Concord | SO | 6'3 | 275 |
| OL | Jim Bayer | Lenoir Rhyne | SR | 6'1 | 275 |
| OL | Isaiah Shelton | Shepherd | SR | 6'2 | 308 |
| OL | Cory Tucker | Slippery Rock | JR | 6'4 | 285 |
| OC | Quincy Awa Dubose | West Georgia | SR | 6'2 | 320 |
| DL | Caushaud Lyons | Tusculum | SR | 6'5 | 295 |
| DL | Matt Longacre | NW Missouri St. | SR | 6'3 | 270 |
| DL | Tovar Sanchez | Central Washington | JR | 6'4 | 230 |
| DL | Dion Roche | Concordia St. Paul | JR | 6'5 | 250 |
| LB | Jordan Herdman | Simon Fraser | SO | 6'2 | 231 |
| LB | Justin Avery | Charleston | SR | 6'0 | 240 |
| LB | Alex Wahl | Upper Iowa | JR | 6'2 | 235 |
| LB | Rush Seaver | Angelo State | SR | 6'3 | 250 |
| CB | Torian Oakley | West Texas A&M | SR | 5'9 | 178 |
| CB | Romelo Wilson | Delta State | SO | 5'11 | 170 |
| CB | Philbert Martial | North Alabama | SO | 5'10 | 175 |
| S | John Strickland | Indianapolis | SR | 5'11 | 213 |
| S | Tomas Cabrera | Bloomsburg | SR | 6'2 | 205 |
| S | Shai Kobayashi | Arkansas Tech | SR | 5'10 | 185 |
| K | Justin Powell | Lenoir Rhyne | SR | 5'9 | 170 |
| P | Ken Kester | CSU Pueblo | SO | 6'1 | 233 |
| KR | De'Ontray Johnson | Assumption | SR | 5'9 | 170 |
| PR | Torie Wagner | Charleston | JR | 5'9 | 180 |
| 4th Team | |||||
| POS | Name | College | YR | HT | WT |
| QB | Kyle Caldwell | West Alabama | SR | 5'7 | 165 |
| QB | Steven Laurino | LIU Post | SR | 6'0 | 197 |
| QB | Luke Papilion | Sioux Falls | SO | 6'5 | 220 |
| RB | Austin Ekeler | Western State | SO | 5'8 | 191 |
| RB | Chris Robinson | Lenoir Rhyne | SR | 5'8 | 205 |
| RB | Steven Kehner | Ouachita Baptist | SR | 5'8 | 195 |
| FB | Jon Hammer | Shepherd | JR | 6'0 | 230 |
| TE | Connor Doherty | Northern State | SO | 6'3 | 250 |
| TE | Sean Binckes | LIU Post | JR | 6'4 | 235 |
| WR | Gary Brown | Cal (PA) | SO | 6'1 | 200 |
| WR | Paul Revis | Western Oregon | FR | 5'9 | 165 |
| WR | Casey Osborne | Delta State | JR | 6'3 | 205 |
| WR | Sheldon Mayer | Shippensburg | JR | 5'7 | 170 |
| WR | Donald Byrd | Western New Mexico | SR | 5'10 | 180 |
| WR | TJ Smith | Concord | FR | 6'0 | 175 |
| OL | Tyler Smith | Pittsburg State | SR | 6'4 | 287 |
| OL | Felei Tauvae | Valdosta State | SR | 62 | 341 |
| OL | Keith Jones | North Alabama | SR | 6'5 | 305 |
| OL | Cole Manhart | Nebraska Kearney | SR | 6'6 | 310 |
| OL | James Triplett | Ashland | SR | 6'4 | 293 |
| OC | Josh Meeker | Minnesota State | SR | 6'2 | 290 |
| OC | Derek Schatz | West Chester | SR | 6'3 | 290 |
| DL | Julian Howsare | Clarion | SR | 6'3 | 255 |
| DL | Toni Pulu | Texas A&M Commerce | JR | 6'3 | 285 |
| DL | Matt Judon | Grand Valley ST | JR | 6'4 | 255 |
| DL | Marcus Martin | Slippery Rock | FR | 6'3 | 235 |
| DL | Lee Campbell | Indianapolis | JR | 6'2 | 300 |
| DL | Duvontae Covington | Winston Salem State | SR | 6'2 | 285 |
| LB | DJ Gnader | NW Missouri St | SR | 6'2 | 225 |
| LB | Gary Yeoman | St. Joseph's | SR | 5'11 | 202 |
| LB | Connor Harris | Lindenwood | SO | 6'0 | 235 |
| LB | Brian Harrington | Stonehill | SR | 6'1 | 222 |
| CB | Mike Early | Arkansas Monticello | SR | 5'10 | 182 |
| CB | O'Neil Blake | Lenoir Rhyne | SR | 5'9 | 190 |
| CB | Cariel Brooks | Adams State | SR | 5'10 | 200 |
| S | Fred Barnes | West Alabama | SR | 6'0 | 180 |
| S | Jerry Maluia | Humboldt State | SR | 5'11 | 210 |
| S | Tyler Thornton | Azusa Pacific | SR | 5'8 | 182 |
| K | Scott Miller | Indianapolis | SR | 5'10 | 181 |
| P | Andy Cerett | Cal (PA) | SR | 6'5 | 260 |
| KR | Anthony Yancy | Angelo State | SR | 6'1 | 170 |
| KR/PR | LJ Stroman | UNC Pembroke | SR | 5'10 | 185 |
