By Matt Schabert, Morehead State Athletic Media RelationsMOREHEAD, Ky. — Fourteen Morehead State football Eagles landed spots on Phil Steele’s Pioneer League Football all-conference teams, with seniors BJ Byrdand Vaughn Taylor, Jr., earning the outlet’s PFL Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year awards, respectively.
In addition to Byrd and Taylor, Jr., first-teamers for Steele are quarterback Mark Pappas, linebacker Vincent Winey and offensive lineman Cam Marriott. Second-Team honors are kicker/punter Andrew Foster and long snapper Brady McKnight. Third-Team picks are wide receiver DeVonte Adams, tight end Matt DeBlaiso, offensive lineman Jaxsen Spears, defensive lineman Devon Connors and defensive back Cooper Krezek. Defensive backs Khiyree Keithand Tyler Noble are on the fourth team.
The PFL Offensive Player of the Year and First-Team All-PFL, Byrd – of Richmond, Calif. – ended the regular season as the FCS’ top receiver. He has also been named All-American by the AP, Hero Sports, Stats Perform and Phil Steele and Academic All-PFL. He led the subdivision with 1,313 receiving yards, 90 receptions, and 8.2 receptions per game in 2021. Byrd’s yardage total, catches and his 13 touchdowns are all MSU single-season records. He also set the single-game record with four TDs against Stetson. Byrd ranked second along all FCS players in touchdown receptions and receiving yards per game (119.4 ypg) during the season. He had an FCS-best eight 100-yard receiving performances in 11 games, including his 223-yard, four-touchdown day against Stetson. Byrd was one of 25 finalists for the Stats Perform FCS Walter Payton Award. He also finished his two-year career ranked among the best receivers in program history. In just 18 games (seven spring games after transferring from Jacksonville), Byrd compiled 1,780 yards, 21 touchdowns, averaging 98.9 yards per game. Byrd also earned his bachelor’s degree in strategic communications this term.
Taylor, from Washington, D.C., is the PFL Defensive Player of the Year and also Academic All-PFL. He is also a four-outlet All-American, named by the AP, Hero Sports Stats Perform and Phil Steele. He led all PFL defenders with 23 tackles for loss in the regular season and his 2.09 tackles for loss per game, ranking second among all FCS athletes in 2021. He also finished the season with 10 sacks and was 14th in the PFL with 71 total tackles, ranking in the top 20 among FCS players in sacks per game. He recorded a sack in eight of 11 games in 2021, including all five games in October, and had a tackle for loss in all 11 games. Taylor was one of 25 finalists for the Stats Perform FCS Buck Buchanan Award. He also set the Morehead State career record in tackles for loss during the year and wrapped up his career with 60 TFLs. He also had 190 career total tackles.
From Avon Lake, Ohio, Pappas was named First-Team All-PFL for the second straight season and ranked second in the league in passing with 3,446 yards, which ranked as the second-best single-season total in program history. Pappas also connected on 28 touchdowns, also ranked No. 2 on the MSU single-season TD chart now. He was named PFL Offensive Player of the Week three times, compiling five games with 300+ passing yards and five with at least three passing TDs. Pappas ranked among the FCS’s top 10 in passing yards and yards per game. His 279 completions this season ranked fourth on the single-season program list. Pappas wrapped up his career with 7,346 career passing yards, which ranks fourth in program history.
Winey, a native of Lindenhurst , N.Y., led the PFL in total tackles this season and became the first Eagle with 100+ stops since 2016. He was officially First-Team All-PFL. He finished with 106 total stops, including 51 solo tackles, to go along with 12.5 tackles for loss. Winey also had three sacks, five pass break ups and an interception returned for a touchdown that was MSU’s final score of the 2021 season at Valparaiso. Winey concluded his MSU career with 236 tackles, including 26 for losses.
Marriott, who hails from Redlands, Calif., has been a four-year starter on the offensive line, where this season he helped the Eagles average 434 yards per game and rank among the FCS’s top 20 in fewest sacks allowed. Marriott was a First-Team All-PFL pick and consistently graded as one the Eagles’ most consistent linemen.
Foster, a Knoxville, Tenn., native, ranked among the FCS leaders and set the PFL single-season record for punting average at 45.7. He also became the first Eagle punter in program history to average 40+ yards four consecutive seasons, coming up just 0.4 short of the career average record for the Eagles. He also made 12 field goals and was 40-of-42 on PATs, setting the record for consecutive extra point kicks during the year. Foster was also named to the All-PFL Team officially.
A Freshman All-American by Hero Sports and Phil Steele, McKnight, from Stephens City, Va., helped te Eagles lead the PFL in punting in 2021 with no bad snaps. His efforts helped punter Foster set a PFL record for punting average and also set and re-set the program record for consecutive PATs made. McKnight was First-Team All-PFL in the official voting.
From Kansas City, Mo., Krezek made an impression in the defensive backfield, ranking second on the team and among PFL leaders with 80 total tackles. He also had 10 passes defended. He compiled six games with at least eight tackles and ended with six tackles for loss. Krezek was chosen to the official Second-Team All-PFL team.
Adams, from Fishers, Ind., ended up with the ninth-highest career yardage total in program history with 1,470 after catching 49 passes for 542 yards this fall. He finished his career with a 169-yard, three-touchdown effort at Valparaiso. He was chosen HM All-PFL.
Connors, from Tampa, Fla. who transferred from Purdue, made 27 total tackles in 2021, but a third (9) were in the opponent backfields. In just 18 games as an Eagle, he had 15 tackles for loss. Connors was tabbed HM All-PFL.
At center, the Plainfield, Ind, product Spears helped the Eagles average 434 yards per game and rank among the FCS’s top 20 in fewest sacks allowed. Spears was on the official HM All-PFL chart.
In his only season in the blue and gold, Seaford, N.Y., native DeBlaiso – a grad transfer after attending Southeastern Louisiana, had 18 catches for 208 yards and a pair of touchdowns and was named Second-Team All-PFL.
Keith, another product of Washington, D.C., led the Eagles and ranked among the PFL leaders with four interceptions this season. He also ranked fourth on the team with 62 total tackles and had nine total pass break ups. He was named to the HM All-PFL Team.
Noble, who came to MSU from Irvine, Calif., had three interceptions amo g his team-high 12 passes defended. He also totaled 43 tackles. In 30 career Eagle contests, he had 21 passes defended and five interceptions. He was named to the HM All-PFL Team.