GEORGETOWN, TEXAS - The Southern Athletic Association announced its 2024 Football All-Conference Selections today. Among those named, the Southwestern University Football program placed nine athletes on the list including three first-team, three second-team, and three honorable mentions. This achievement marks the most All-Conference awards winners the Pirates have received since they earned ten during the 2018 season.
Headlining the awards for the Pirates were First Team All-SAA selections, Leroy Rodriguez (RB - Corpus Christi, Texas), Maurion Williams-Jack (DL - Houston, Texas), and DJ James (DB - Houston, Texas). On the offensive side, Rodriguez amassed 703 rushing yards on 142 total attempts averaging five yards a carry and four touchdowns. Rodriguez also scored two receiving touchdowns and went for 183 yards through the air accounting for 886 yards of total offense. He was second in the conference in rushing yards for 2024. Defensively, DJ James collected forty tackles as a defensive back, in the back end, James caught two interceptions and broke up fifteen passes from opposing teams, leading the conference in that category. Up front, Williams-Jack anchored a D-Line that was first in the conference in rushing yards allowed, limiting opponents to only 907 yards throughout the season. Maurion recorded 5.5 tackles for loss for twenty-nine yards, twenty-nine tackles, two fumble recoveries, and one interception.
For the second team awards Josh Taylor (OL - Richmond, Texas), Caleb Harmon (LB - Hockley, Texas) and Jameer Martin (DB - Cleveland, Texas) were the three players representing the Pirates. On the offensive line Taylor led a Pirates front five that was first in the SAA in total rushing yards stacking up 1,818 yards and nineteen touchdowns against opponents over ten games. Freshman linebacker Caleb Harmon collected seventy-five total tackles which was good for second overall in the conference. Harmon put up thirteen tackles for loss, four of which were sacks at a total of fifty-five yards, broke up four passes, and forced one fumble in his first season. Following close behind Harmon, defensive back Jameer Martin tallied seventy-one tackles (fifth in the conference) and broke up nine passes with two interceptions.
Honorable Mention players for the Pirates included Isaac Podraza (TE/H-Back - Houston, Texas), Charlie Fournier (K/P - Austin, Texas), and Liam Phelan (DL - Cypress, Texas). For the offense, Podraza went for 202 yards receiving and two touchdowns. Fournier, who handled place kicking and punting for the Pirates was eight for twelve on field goals for the year while going 27/30 on extra points. In the punting game, Fournier averaged 41.3 yards per punt and nine inside the twenty with ten punts over fifty yards. Defensively, Liam Phelan recorded twenty tackles and four tackles for loss for ten yards.
