SIAC All-Conference Defensive Selections

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Winter National Signing Day is right around the corner. SIAC Defensive All-Conference Selections has a few commits and many more to come. These young men have tremendous talent and will improve a college roster next fall and in the future. Congrats to everyone on their personal achievements this year, but remember to not let these titles define you. Let your film do the talking!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">SIAC Defensive Player of the Year</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This is not an official award that was handed out, but I will give my opinion on who deserves this award. Junior Evansville Memorial LB [player_tooltip player_id='553142' first='Alex' last='Broshears'] is my SIAC Defensive Player of the Year. He led the conference in tackles with 184. Alex will have another year of domination next fall to showcase to college teams. He is D1 talent at the LB position and will be a great addition. The junior LB was fun to watch this season and is a problem for opposing teams. Great tackler, plays with tremendous vision &amp; awareness and is always around the football. Congrats on the great season, Alex!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">The Boys in the Trenches</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Congrats to all of the big guys up front getting All-Conference honors. This is a talented group of pass rushers and run-stoppers. Check out the synopsis of each All-Conference DL below.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>1st Team</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>(Sr.) Levi Oxley:</strong> A problem on the edge, great first initial burst, uses numerous moves in pass rush and plays with a great motor. <strong><em>2023 Stats: 73 TKLs, 22 TFLs, 17 Sacks.</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>(Sr.) [player_tooltip player_id='868489' first='Jayden' last='Hazelwood']:</strong> Plays with an active motor, stuffs the run game, causes disruption in the trenches, and is an effective pass rusher. <strong><em>2023 Stats: 50 TKLs, 19 TFLs, 5 Sacks.</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>(Sr.) Kaleb Harris:</strong> Best pass rusher in the conference, D1 talent, tremendous speed on the edge, and causes havoc all night long. <strong><em>2023 Stats: 50 TKLs, 26.5 TFLs, 17.5 Sacks.</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>(Sr.) [player_tooltip player_id='539949' first='Donavan' last='Baker']:</strong> Plays with tremendous technique on the edge, excellent speed &amp; athleticism, is a great tackler, and plays under control when making plays in the backfield. <strong><em>2023 Stats: 88 TKLs, 19 TFLs, 4 Sacks.</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2nd Team</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>(Sr.) [player_tooltip player_id='314039' first='Calab' last='Utley']:</strong> Kentucky Wesleyan commit, powerful pass rusher, plays with relentless effort, and is disruptive in the run game. <strong><em>2023 Stats: 53 TKLs, 20 TFLs, 7 Sacks.</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>(Jr.) [player_tooltip player_id='539943' first='Benny' last='Patterson']:</strong> Plays with tremendous speed &amp; athleticism, is a dangerous pass rusher, has D1 talent, and has an excellent motor. <strong><em>2023 Stats: 70 TKLs, 13 TFLs, 4 Sacks.</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>(Jr.) Nate McDurmon:</strong> Has a Twitter, No Highlights...</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>(Sr.) Hayden Patton:</strong> Has a Twitter, No Senior Highlights... <strong><em>2023 Stats: 37 TKLs, 7 TFLs.</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Linebackers</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The All-Conference LBs in the SIAC were stellar this year. There is a ton of talent in this group. Congrats to everyone on a great season!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>1st Team</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>(Jr.) [player_tooltip player_id='553142' first='Alex' last='Broshears']: </strong>Dawg! Check out his piece earlier in the article!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>(Sr.) [player_tooltip player_id='1145959' first='Ayden' last='Wells']:</strong> Plays with good vision &amp; awareness, is a great run stopper, tracks the ball effectively, and does an excellent job shedding blocks. <strong><em>2023 Stats: 128 TKLs, 10 TFLs, 4 Sacks, 1 INT.</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>(Jr.) Blake Green:</strong> Has a Twitter, no highlights... <strong><em>2023 Stats: 111 TKLs, 8 TFLs, 1 Sack, 1 INT.</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2nd Team</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>(Sr.) Alex Sitzman:</strong> Has a Twitter, no highlights... <strong><em>2023 Stats: 80 TKLs, 12 TFLs, 1 Sack, 4 INTs.</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>(Jr.) [player_tooltip player_id='718216' first='Will' last='Hambrick']:</strong> Has a Twitter, no highlights... <strong><em>2023 Stats: 96 TKLs, 5 TFLs, 1 INT.</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>(Sr.) Aiden Scheu:</strong> Physical tackler, does a great job tracking the football, is an excellent run stopper, and sheds off blockers effectively.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">DBs and At Large Defensive Selections</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Let's wrap up the article with the ball hawks of the secondary and some extra guys from the "At Large" selections. Congrats again to everyone on their personal achievements and their seasons!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>1st Team</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>(Sr.) Mitchel Leinenbach:</strong> He was in the right place at the right time, is a tremendous open-field tackler, plays good zone coverage, and does a great job tracking the ball. <strong><em>2023 Stats: 66 TKLs, 8 TFLs, 7 INTs.</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>(Sr.) [player_tooltip player_id='542015' first='Spencer' last='Turner']:</strong> No Twitter, no season highlights...</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>(So.) [player_tooltip player_id='749508' first='JJ' last='Lowery']:</strong> Tremendous sophomore campaign, does a great job high-pointing the ball, plays with excellent speed &amp; athleticism, has a good understanding of zone coverage, and can keep up with anyone in man coverage. <strong><em>2023 Stats: 33 TKLs, 4 INTs.</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>(Sr.) Kasey Hospelhorn:</strong> Two-way player, has excellent ball skills, is a tremendous open-field tackler, and tracks the ball effectively in the run &amp; throw game. <strong><em>2023 Stats: 74 TKLs, 7.5 TFLs, 3 Sacks, 1 INT.</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>(Sr.) Jaylon Van Slyke:</strong> No Twitter, no season highlights...</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2nd Team</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>(Sr.) [player_tooltip player_id='542016' first='Wyatt' last='Stratman']:</strong> No Twitter, no season highlights...</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>(Sr.) Jeremiah McGuire:</strong> Has a Twitter, but not enough film to evaluate this season... <strong><em>2023 Stats: 55 TKLs, 1 TFL, 4 INTs.</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>(Sr.) [player_tooltip player_id='331133' first='Keonta' last='Barton']:</strong> Closes space between him and the ball quickly, makes excellent open-field tackles, does a tremendous job locating the ball, and is a physical tackler. <strong><em>2023 Stats: 60 TKLs, 3.5 TFLs, 3 INTs.</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>(Jr.) Xavier Burris:</strong> Looks good in zone coverage, has excellent length &amp; speed, and is a solid tackler in the open field. <strong><em>2023 Stats: 26 TKLs, 1 TFL, 3 INTs.</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>(Sr.) Raden Benson:</strong> Has a Twitter, but not enough film to evaluate this season... <strong><em>2023 Stats: 56 TKLs, 4 INTs.</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->