LSWA announces 2016 All-Louisiana Collegiate football team

BATON ROUGE – The state’s four bowl teams – Grambling, UL Lafayette, Louisiana Tech and LSU – led the list of special awards handed out on the annual Louisiana Sports Writers Association All-Louisiana College Football team .
The LSWA team is selected by a panel of LSWA members based on nominations from the sports information and communications directors of the state’s football player schools. The media relations representative from each school could vote, but could not vote for nominees from their own schools.
Broderick Fobbs, who led Grambling to the SWAC championship and the Celebration Bowl, was named the Coach of the Year, while Louisiana Tech quarterback Ryan Higgins was named the state’s Offensive Player of the Year after leading the Bulldogs to the Armed Forces Bowl. Linebacker Kendall Beckwith of LSU, which plays Saturday in the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl, was named the Defensive Player of the Week.
The Freshman of the Year honor went to UL Lafayette defensive lineman Joe Dillon. The Cajuns played in the New Orleans Bowl this year. The Newcomer of the Year award for first-year Louisiana non-freshman was quarterback James Tabary of McNeese State.
Fobbs took home his third straight SWAC Coach of the Year award after leading the Tigers to a second-straight unblemished record in the Southwestern Athletic Conference. Entering December play, Fobbs and Grambling State was the only team in the FCS with a top-five scoring offense and defense.
Higgins, who was also Conference USA’s MVP, led the productive Tech offense completing 68.5 percent of his passes for 4,208 passing yards and 37 passing TDs entering the bowl. He helped Tech captured the league’s Western Division title. His yardage was third nationally as well in passing yards per game (350.7).
Beckwith was a finalist for the Butkus Award, earning second team All-America honors. He led LSU in tackles (91) and was ranked second in the league in tackles per game (9.1).
For the Cajuns’ Dillon, his freshman season play earned him freshman All-America honors from USA Today after posting 49 tackles, including 11.5 tackles for loss and 6.0 sacks.
Joining Higgins on the first team are offensive linemen Chandler Arceneaux (Nicholls), Darrel Brown (Louisiana Tech), Will Clapp and Ethan Pocic (LSU) and Taylor Gadbois (Southeastern). The tight end if Juwaan Rogers of Southeastern with Higgins’ two Tech wide receivers both getting the honors – Carlos Henderson and Trent Taylor. Derrius Guice of LSU and Lenard Tillery of Southern were named the first-team running backs.
On the first team defensive line are Jaylon Ferguson of Louisiana Tech, Sully Laiche of Nicholls, Donovan McCray of Grambling and Tanzel Smart of Tulane. Joining Beckwith at linebacker are Nico Marley of Tulane and Otha Peters of UL Lafayette and the defensive backs voted in are Jamal Adams and Tre’Davious White of LSU, Danny Johnson (Southern) and Xavier Woods (Louisiana Tech).

First Team Offense
Pos. – Name – School – Cl. – Hometown
OL – Taylor Gadbois – Southeastern Louisiana – Sr. – Dallas, Ga.
OL – Chandler Arceneaux – Nicholls – So. – Bourg, La.
OL – Darrell Brown – Louisiana Tech – Sr. – Abilene, Texas
OL – Will Clapp – LSU – So. – New Orleans, La.
OL – Ethan Pocic – LSU – Sr. – Lamont, Ill.
TE – Juwaan Rogers – Southeastern Louisiana – Sr. – Amite, La.
WR – Carlos Henderson – Louisiana Tech – Jr. – New Orleans, La.
WR – Trent Taylor – Louisiana Tech – Sr. – Shreveport, La.
RB – Derrius Guice – LSU – So. – Baton Rouge, La.
RB – Lenard Tillery – Southern – Sr. – Baton Rouge, La.
QB – Ryan Higgins – Louisiana Tech – Sr. – Hutto, Texas

First Team Defense
Pos. – Name – School – Cl. – Hometown
DL – Jaylon Ferguson – Louisiana Tech – So. – St. Francisville, La.
DL – Sully Laiche – Nicholls – Fr. – Gramercy, La.
DL – Donovan McCray – Grambling – Sr. – Baton Rouge, La.
DL – Tanzel Smart – Tulane – Sr. – Baton Rouge, La.
LB – Kendell Beckwith – LSU – Sr. – Clinton, La.
LB – Nico Marley – Tulane – Sr. – Weston, Fla.
LB – Otha Peters – Louisiana-Lafayette – Sr. – Covington, La.
DB – Jamal Adams – LSU – Jr. – Lewisville, Texas
DB – Danny Johnson – Southern – Jr. – East Feliciana, La.
DB – Tre’Davious White – LSU – Sr. – Shreveport, La.
DB – Xavier Woods – Louisiana Tech – Sr. – West Monroe, La.

First Team Specialists
Pos. – Name – School – Cl. – Hometown
K – Jonathan Barnes – Louisiana Tech – Jr. – Baton Rouge, La.
P – Steven Coutts – Louisiana-Lafayette – So. – Brisbane, Australia
RS – Carlos Henderson – Louisiana Tech – Jr. – New Orleans, La.

Offensive Player of the Year: Ryan Higgins, Louisiana Tech
Defensive Player of the Year: Kendell Beckwith, LSU
Freshman of the Year: Joe Dillon, Louisiana-Lafayette
Newcomer of the Year: James Tabary, McNeese
Coach of the Year: Broderick Fobbs, Grambling

Second Team Offense
Pos. – Name – School – Cl. – Hometown
OL – Josh Boutte – LSU – Sr. – New Iberia, La.
OL – Joseph Brunson – Louisiana Tech – Sr. – Ruston, La.
OL – O’Shea Dugas – Louisiana Tech – So. – Lafayette, La.
OL – Justin Miller – Grambling – Gr. – Ruston, La.
OL – Jeff Savage – ULM – Sr. – Smackover, Arkansas
TE – Kam McKnight – Louisiana Tech – So. – Ethel, La.
WR – Willie Quinn – Southern – Sr. – Miami, Fla.
WR – Chad Williams – Grambling – Sr. – Baton Rouge, La.
RB – Leonard Fournette – LSU – Jr. – New Orleans, La.
RB – Elijah McGuire – Louisiana-Lafayette – Sr. – Houma, La.
QB – Devante Kincaid – Grambling – Jr. – Dallas, Texas

Second Team Defense
DL – Joe Dillon – Louisiana-Lafayette – Fr. – Tylertown, Miss.
DL – Devon Godchaux – LSU – Jr. – Plaquemine, La.
DL – Jammerio Gross – McNeese – Jr. – Shreveport, La.
DL – Aaron Tiller – Southern – Jr. – Columbus, Ohio
LB – Arden Key – LSU – So. – Atlanta, Ga.
LB – Arkez Cooper – Grambling – Gr. – Mansfield, La.
LB – Allen Pittman – Nicholls – Fr. – St. Rose, La.
DB – Javon Tillman – Southeastern Louisiana – Jr. – Oakland, Calif.
DB – Jameel Jackson – Grambling – Gr. – Pierce, Fla.
DB – Parry Nickerson – Tulane – Jr. – Algiers, La.
DB – B.T. Sanders – Nicholls – Sr. – Foley, Ala.

Second Team Specialists
K – Stevie Artigue – Louisiana-Lafayette – So. – Lafayette, La.
P – Josh Growden – LSU – Fr. – Sydney, Australia
RS – Khalil Thomas – McNeese – Sr. – Baton Rouge, La.