Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Eight players honored on all-conference teams
12/7/2021 1:00:00 PM | Football
Blankenship, Riley, Lane on first team
MURFREESBORO – Conference USA announced its 2021 football all-conference award winners on Tuesday, as voted on by the league's head football coaches, and Middle Tennessee had eight players honored.
The Blue Raiders had three first team selections, two on the second team, and four honorable mention picks.
Safety Reed Blankenship, defensive back Quincy Riley and punt returner Jaylin Lane were the three Blue Raiders on the first unit.
Blankenship, a senior, led the Blue Raiders with 106 total tackles to go with a career-best 10.0 TFLs, nine pass breakups, three fumble recoveries and two forced fumbles. Blankenship, the program's all-time leader in tackles, was also a first team pick in 2018.
Riley, a redshirt freshman, is tied for second nationally with five interceptions despite playing in just eight games. Riley ended the regular season with 30 tackles, including 4.5 TFLs, 1.5 sacks, and six pass breakups.
Lane, another freshman, enters the bowl game leading the nation with a 16.9-yard punt return average and had one returned for a touchdown. Lane is also the team's kickoff returner and one of the top receivers.
The second team is highlighted by a pair of guys who possessed first team numbers. Defensive end Jordan Ferguson and linebacker DQ Thomas both made the second unit. Ferguson, a Ted Hendricks Award finalist, ended the regular season with new career marks in tackles (55), tackles for loss (15.5), sacks (8.0), hurries (14), forced fumbles (3) and fumble recoveries (2).
Thomas, a senior, currently ranks as the school's all-time leader in tackles for loss (51.5) and is tied for third all-time in sacks (20.5). He ended the regular season ranked third on the team with 81 tackles, including 15.5 TFLs, 5.0 sacks, two interceptions, six hurries, a fumble recovery and a forced fumble.
Tight end Jimmy Marshall, defensive back Greg Grate, offensive lineman Jordan Palmer and kick returner Jaylin Lane all earned honorable mention recognition. Marshall led the Blue Raiders in receptions with 45 grabs for 510 yards and six touchdowns, while Grate was second on the team in tackles and had three interceptions. Palmer started all 12 games at center.
All-Conference
First Team
QB: Bailey Zappe, WKU
RB: Sincere McCormick, UTSA
RB: Rasheen Ali, Marshall
WR: Jerreth Sterns, WKU
WR: Jacob Cowing, UTEP
WR: Zakhari Franklin, UTSA
TE: Zack Kuntz, Old Dominion
OL: Alex Mollette, Marshall
OL: Cole Spencer, WKU
OL: Spencer Burford, UTSA
OL: Colby Ragland, UAB
OL: Mason Brooks, WKU
DE: Praise Amaewhule, UTEP
DT: Elijah Garcia, Rice
DT: Tyree Turner, UAB
DE: DeAngelo Malone, WKU
LB: KD Davis, North Texas
LB: Abraham Beauplan, Marshall
LB: Clarence Hicks, UTSA
DB: Reed Blankenship, Middle Tennessee
DB: Rashad Wisdom, UTSA
DB: Beanie Bishop, WKU
DB: Quincy Riley, Middle Tennessee
K: Hunter Duplessis, UTSA
P: Tommy Heatherly, FIU
LS: Reeves Blankenship, Louisiana Tech
KR: Camron Harrell, Southern Miss
PR: Jaylin Lane, Middle Tennessee
Second Team
QB: Frank Harris, UTSA
RB: DeWayne McBride, UAB
RB: DeAndre Torrey, North Texas
WR: Mitchell Tinsley, WKU
WR: Jason Brownlee, Southern Miss
WR: Tyrese Chambers, FIU
TE: Gerrit Prince, UAB
OL: Will Ulmer, Marshall
OL: Quantavious Leslie, WKU
OL: Ahofitu Maka, UTSA
OL: Manase Mose, North Texas
OL: Boe Wilson, WKU
DE: Jordan Ferguson, Middle Tennessee
DT: Dion Novil, North Texas
DT: Jaylon Haynes, UTSA
DE: Alex Wright, UAB
LB: Breon Hayward, UTEP
LB: Tyler Grubbs, Louisiana Tech
LB: DQ Thomas, Middle Tennessee
DB: Steven Gilmore, Marshall
DB: Micah Abraham, Marshall
DB: Grayson Cash, UAB, UAB
DB: Richard Dames, FIU
K: Braden Narveson, WKU
P: Lucas Dean, UTSA
LS: Caleb Cantrell, UTSA
KR: Jayden Harrison, Marshall
PR: Smoke Harris, Louisiana Tech
Honorable Mention:
QB: Gavin Hardison, UTEP
QB: Dylan Hopkins, UAB
QB: Chris Reynolds, Charlotte
QB: Grant Wells, Marshall
RB: Jermaine Brown, Jr., UAB
RB: Johnny Ford, Florida Atlantic
RB: Frank Gore, Jr., Southern Miss
RB: D'Vonte Price, FIU
RB: Blake Watson, Old Dominion
WR: Jake Bailey, Rice
WR: Joshua Cephus, UTSA
WR: Grant DuBose, Charlotte
WR: Corey Gammage, Marshall
WR: Smoke Harris, Louisiana Tech
WR: Tre Harris, Louisiana Tech
WR: Ali Jennings, Old Dominion
WR: Willie Johnson, Marshall
WR: Trea Shropshire, UAB
TE: Joey Beljan, WKU
TE: Ryan Carriere, Charlotte
TE: Xavier Gaines, Marshall
TE: Jimmy Marshall, Middle Tennessee
TE: Jordan Myers, Rice
TE: Jason Pirtle, North Texas
OL: Shea Baker, Rice
OL: Jacob Brammer, North Texas
OL: Jeremiah Byers, UTEP
OL: Bobby DeHaro, UTEP
OL: Abraham Delfin, Louisiana Tech
OL: Ashton Gist, Charlotte
OL: Makai Hart, UTSA
OL: Terrell Haynes, UTSA
OL: Hunter Kelly, Charlotte
OL: Elijah Klein, UTEP
OL: Darta Lee, UTEP
OL: Andrew Meyer, UTEP
OL: Joshua Mote, Louisiana Tech
OL: Jordan Palmer, Middle Tennessee
OL: Nick Saldiveri, Old Dominion
OL: Andrew Smith, Jr., UAB
OL: Rusty Staats, WKU
OL: Kadeem Telfort, UAB
OL: Matthew Trehern, UAB
OL: Khal Washington, Southern Miss
OL: Isaac Weaver, Old Dominion
OL: Jovaun Woolford, Rice
DE: Josh Carr, Southern Miss
DE: Mykol Clark, Louisiana Tech
DE: Koby Cumberlander, Marshall
DE: Lorenzo Dantzler, UTSA
DE: Ikenna Enechukwu, Rice
DE: Antonio Moultrie, UAB
DE: Grayson Murphy, North Texas
DE: Jadrian Taylor, UTEP
DE: Markees Watts, Charlotte
DE: Charles Wiley, UTSA
DT: Evan Anderson, Florida Atlantic
DT: Brandon Brown, UTSA
DT: Jeremy Darvin, WKU
DT: Jamare Edwards, Marshall
DT: T.J. Johnson, Marshall
DT: Kelton Moss, UTEP
DT: Keivie Rose, Louisiana Tech
DT: Darius Shipp, WKU
DT: Mi'Cario Stanley, UAB
DT: Keenan Stewart, UTEP
DT: Davon Strickland, FIU
LB: Trey Baldwin, Louisiana Tech
LB: Ezekiel Barnett, Louisiana Tech
LB: Trevor Harmanson, UTSA
LB: Kyle Harrell, UAB
LB: Ryan Henry, Old Dominion
LB: Will Ignont, WKU
LB: Tyrice Knight, UTEP
LB: Santrell Latham, Southern Miss
LB: Jamal Ligon, UTSA
LB: Hayes Maples, Southern Miss
LB: Tyler Murray, Charlotte
LB: Eli Neal, Marshall
LB: Noah Wilder, UAB
LB: Jordan Young, Old Dominion
DB: Dennis Barnes, UTEP
DB: Will Boler, UAB
DB: A.J. Brathwaite, Jr., WKU
DB: Baylen Buchanan, Louisiana Tech
DB: Roger Cray, Old Dominion
DB: Zyon Gilbert, Florida Atlantic
DB: Gregory Grate, Middle Tennessee
DB: Kahlef Hailassie, WKU
DB: Tre Hawkins, Old Dominion
DB: Jordan Helm, Florida Atlantic
DB: Dy'Vonne Inyang, UTEP
DB: Nazeeh Johnson, Marshall
DB: R'Tarriun Johnson, Old Dominion
DB: Antwon Kincade, WKU
DB: Khalil Ladler, Louisiana Tech
DB: Corey Mayfield, Jr., UTSA
DB: Cory McCoy, Marshall
DB: Naeem Smith, Rice
DB: Malik Shorts, Southern Miss
DB: Keondre Swoopes, UAB
DB: Gabe Taylor, Rice
DB: Starling Thomas V, UAB
DB: BeeJay Williamson, Louisiana Tech
DB: Tariq Woolen, UTSA
DB: Teja Young, Florida Atlantic
K: Gavin Baechle, UTEP
K: Jacob Barnes, Louisiana Tech
K: Ethan Mooney, North Texas
K: Nick Rice, Old Dominion
P: Kyle Greenwell, UAB
P: John Haggerty III, WKU
P: Matt Hayball, Florida Atlantic
P: Mason Hunt, Southern Miss
LS: Zach Appio, Marshall
LS: Jake Bowman, WKU
LS: Nate Durham, North Texas
LS: Cole Kizziah, UAB
LS: Cameron Lyons, Charlotte
LS: Nicholas Marino, Florida Atlantic
KR: Beanie Bishop, WKU
KR: Shadrick Byrd, Charlotte
KR: LaMareon James, Old Dominion
KR: Jaylin Lane, Middle Tennessee
KR: Dadrian Taylor, UTSA
PR: Isiah Paige, Old Dominion
PR: Starling Thomas V, UAB
The Blue Raiders had three first team selections, two on the second team, and four honorable mention picks.
Safety Reed Blankenship, defensive back Quincy Riley and punt returner Jaylin Lane were the three Blue Raiders on the first unit.
Blankenship, a senior, led the Blue Raiders with 106 total tackles to go with a career-best 10.0 TFLs, nine pass breakups, three fumble recoveries and two forced fumbles. Blankenship, the program's all-time leader in tackles, was also a first team pick in 2018.
Riley, a redshirt freshman, is tied for second nationally with five interceptions despite playing in just eight games. Riley ended the regular season with 30 tackles, including 4.5 TFLs, 1.5 sacks, and six pass breakups.
Lane, another freshman, enters the bowl game leading the nation with a 16.9-yard punt return average and had one returned for a touchdown. Lane is also the team's kickoff returner and one of the top receivers.
The second team is highlighted by a pair of guys who possessed first team numbers. Defensive end Jordan Ferguson and linebacker DQ Thomas both made the second unit. Ferguson, a Ted Hendricks Award finalist, ended the regular season with new career marks in tackles (55), tackles for loss (15.5), sacks (8.0), hurries (14), forced fumbles (3) and fumble recoveries (2).
Thomas, a senior, currently ranks as the school's all-time leader in tackles for loss (51.5) and is tied for third all-time in sacks (20.5). He ended the regular season ranked third on the team with 81 tackles, including 15.5 TFLs, 5.0 sacks, two interceptions, six hurries, a fumble recovery and a forced fumble.
Tight end Jimmy Marshall, defensive back Greg Grate, offensive lineman Jordan Palmer and kick returner Jaylin Lane all earned honorable mention recognition. Marshall led the Blue Raiders in receptions with 45 grabs for 510 yards and six touchdowns, while Grate was second on the team in tackles and had three interceptions. Palmer started all 12 games at center.
All-Conference
First Team
QB: Bailey Zappe, WKU
RB: Sincere McCormick, UTSA
RB: Rasheen Ali, Marshall
WR: Jerreth Sterns, WKU
WR: Jacob Cowing, UTEP
WR: Zakhari Franklin, UTSA
TE: Zack Kuntz, Old Dominion
OL: Alex Mollette, Marshall
OL: Cole Spencer, WKU
OL: Spencer Burford, UTSA
OL: Colby Ragland, UAB
OL: Mason Brooks, WKU
DE: Praise Amaewhule, UTEP
DT: Elijah Garcia, Rice
DT: Tyree Turner, UAB
DE: DeAngelo Malone, WKU
LB: KD Davis, North Texas
LB: Abraham Beauplan, Marshall
LB: Clarence Hicks, UTSA
DB: Reed Blankenship, Middle Tennessee
DB: Rashad Wisdom, UTSA
DB: Beanie Bishop, WKU
DB: Quincy Riley, Middle Tennessee
K: Hunter Duplessis, UTSA
P: Tommy Heatherly, FIU
LS: Reeves Blankenship, Louisiana Tech
KR: Camron Harrell, Southern Miss
PR: Jaylin Lane, Middle Tennessee
Second Team
QB: Frank Harris, UTSA
RB: DeWayne McBride, UAB
RB: DeAndre Torrey, North Texas
WR: Mitchell Tinsley, WKU
WR: Jason Brownlee, Southern Miss
WR: Tyrese Chambers, FIU
TE: Gerrit Prince, UAB
OL: Will Ulmer, Marshall
OL: Quantavious Leslie, WKU
OL: Ahofitu Maka, UTSA
OL: Manase Mose, North Texas
OL: Boe Wilson, WKU
DE: Jordan Ferguson, Middle Tennessee
DT: Dion Novil, North Texas
DT: Jaylon Haynes, UTSA
DE: Alex Wright, UAB
LB: Breon Hayward, UTEP
LB: Tyler Grubbs, Louisiana Tech
LB: DQ Thomas, Middle Tennessee
DB: Steven Gilmore, Marshall
DB: Micah Abraham, Marshall
DB: Grayson Cash, UAB, UAB
DB: Richard Dames, FIU
K: Braden Narveson, WKU
P: Lucas Dean, UTSA
LS: Caleb Cantrell, UTSA
KR: Jayden Harrison, Marshall
PR: Smoke Harris, Louisiana Tech
Honorable Mention:
QB: Gavin Hardison, UTEP
QB: Dylan Hopkins, UAB
QB: Chris Reynolds, Charlotte
QB: Grant Wells, Marshall
RB: Jermaine Brown, Jr., UAB
RB: Johnny Ford, Florida Atlantic
RB: Frank Gore, Jr., Southern Miss
RB: D'Vonte Price, FIU
RB: Blake Watson, Old Dominion
WR: Jake Bailey, Rice
WR: Joshua Cephus, UTSA
WR: Grant DuBose, Charlotte
WR: Corey Gammage, Marshall
WR: Smoke Harris, Louisiana Tech
WR: Tre Harris, Louisiana Tech
WR: Ali Jennings, Old Dominion
WR: Willie Johnson, Marshall
WR: Trea Shropshire, UAB
TE: Joey Beljan, WKU
TE: Ryan Carriere, Charlotte
TE: Xavier Gaines, Marshall
TE: Jimmy Marshall, Middle Tennessee
TE: Jordan Myers, Rice
TE: Jason Pirtle, North Texas
OL: Shea Baker, Rice
OL: Jacob Brammer, North Texas
OL: Jeremiah Byers, UTEP
OL: Bobby DeHaro, UTEP
OL: Abraham Delfin, Louisiana Tech
OL: Ashton Gist, Charlotte
OL: Makai Hart, UTSA
OL: Terrell Haynes, UTSA
OL: Hunter Kelly, Charlotte
OL: Elijah Klein, UTEP
OL: Darta Lee, UTEP
OL: Andrew Meyer, UTEP
OL: Joshua Mote, Louisiana Tech
OL: Jordan Palmer, Middle Tennessee
OL: Nick Saldiveri, Old Dominion
OL: Andrew Smith, Jr., UAB
OL: Rusty Staats, WKU
OL: Kadeem Telfort, UAB
OL: Matthew Trehern, UAB
OL: Khal Washington, Southern Miss
OL: Isaac Weaver, Old Dominion
OL: Jovaun Woolford, Rice
DE: Josh Carr, Southern Miss
DE: Mykol Clark, Louisiana Tech
DE: Koby Cumberlander, Marshall
DE: Lorenzo Dantzler, UTSA
DE: Ikenna Enechukwu, Rice
DE: Antonio Moultrie, UAB
DE: Grayson Murphy, North Texas
DE: Jadrian Taylor, UTEP
DE: Markees Watts, Charlotte
DE: Charles Wiley, UTSA
DT: Evan Anderson, Florida Atlantic
DT: Brandon Brown, UTSA
DT: Jeremy Darvin, WKU
DT: Jamare Edwards, Marshall
DT: T.J. Johnson, Marshall
DT: Kelton Moss, UTEP
DT: Keivie Rose, Louisiana Tech
DT: Darius Shipp, WKU
DT: Mi'Cario Stanley, UAB
DT: Keenan Stewart, UTEP
DT: Davon Strickland, FIU
LB: Trey Baldwin, Louisiana Tech
LB: Ezekiel Barnett, Louisiana Tech
LB: Trevor Harmanson, UTSA
LB: Kyle Harrell, UAB
LB: Ryan Henry, Old Dominion
LB: Will Ignont, WKU
LB: Tyrice Knight, UTEP
LB: Santrell Latham, Southern Miss
LB: Jamal Ligon, UTSA
LB: Hayes Maples, Southern Miss
LB: Tyler Murray, Charlotte
LB: Eli Neal, Marshall
LB: Noah Wilder, UAB
LB: Jordan Young, Old Dominion
DB: Dennis Barnes, UTEP
DB: Will Boler, UAB
DB: A.J. Brathwaite, Jr., WKU
DB: Baylen Buchanan, Louisiana Tech
DB: Roger Cray, Old Dominion
DB: Zyon Gilbert, Florida Atlantic
DB: Gregory Grate, Middle Tennessee
DB: Kahlef Hailassie, WKU
DB: Tre Hawkins, Old Dominion
DB: Jordan Helm, Florida Atlantic
DB: Dy'Vonne Inyang, UTEP
DB: Nazeeh Johnson, Marshall
DB: R'Tarriun Johnson, Old Dominion
DB: Antwon Kincade, WKU
DB: Khalil Ladler, Louisiana Tech
DB: Corey Mayfield, Jr., UTSA
DB: Cory McCoy, Marshall
DB: Naeem Smith, Rice
DB: Malik Shorts, Southern Miss
DB: Keondre Swoopes, UAB
DB: Gabe Taylor, Rice
DB: Starling Thomas V, UAB
DB: BeeJay Williamson, Louisiana Tech
DB: Tariq Woolen, UTSA
DB: Teja Young, Florida Atlantic
K: Gavin Baechle, UTEP
K: Jacob Barnes, Louisiana Tech
K: Ethan Mooney, North Texas
K: Nick Rice, Old Dominion
P: Kyle Greenwell, UAB
P: John Haggerty III, WKU
P: Matt Hayball, Florida Atlantic
P: Mason Hunt, Southern Miss
LS: Zach Appio, Marshall
LS: Jake Bowman, WKU
LS: Nate Durham, North Texas
LS: Cole Kizziah, UAB
LS: Cameron Lyons, Charlotte
LS: Nicholas Marino, Florida Atlantic
KR: Beanie Bishop, WKU
KR: Shadrick Byrd, Charlotte
KR: LaMareon James, Old Dominion
KR: Jaylin Lane, Middle Tennessee
KR: Dadrian Taylor, UTSA
PR: Isiah Paige, Old Dominion
PR: Starling Thomas V, UAB
Players Mentioned
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