Football Team Honored at Annual Gala

December 13, 2018 | Football

ATHENS, Ga. — A pair of seniors, a junior and a sophomore were named team captains and brought home a total of five individual awards at the recent University of Georgia football team's annual gala.

Center Lamont Gaillard (Fayetteville, N.C.) and defensive lineman Jonathan Ledbetter (Tucker, Ga.), both seniors, joined junior tailback Elijah Holyfield (College Park, Ga.) and sophomore quarterback Jake Fromm (Warner Robins, Ga.) as the team's captains.

Fromm and sophomore tailback D'Andre Swift, a native of Philadelphia, Pa., were the Vince Dooley Offensive Most Valuable Players.  Ledbetter and senior defensive back Deandre Baker, a native of Miami, Fla., who won the Jim Thorpe Award last week, garnered Vince Dooley Defensive Player of the Year honors.

Ledbetter also shared the Defensive Up-Front Award with senior outside linebacker D'Andre Walker of Fairburn, Ga., while Gaillard earned the Offensive Up-Front Award with sophomore left tackle Andrew Thomas of Lithonia, Ga.  In addition, Holyfield won the Leon Farmer Strength & Conditioning Award.

The Community Service Award went to junior place-kicker Rodrigo Blankenship of Marietta, Ga., and the Senior Scholar Award went to senior tight end Jackson Harris of Columbia, Tenn., who has a 3.74 in Mechanical Engineering.

Blankenship and junior receiver/returner Mecole Hardman received the Kevin Butler Special Teams Most Valuable Player awards and senior receiver Jayson Stanley (Fairburn, Ga.), sophomore outside linebacker Walter Grant (Cairo, Ga.) and junior receiver Tyler Simmons (Powder Springs, Ga.) were included as Charley Trippi Award winners as the team's most versatile players.

The Frank Sinkwich Award winners for being the team's toughest players were senior inside linebacker Juwan Taylor (Hollywood, Fla.), redshirt sophomore tailback Prather Hudson (Columbus, Ga.) and sophomore receiver Jeremiah Holloman (Covington, Ga.).

Junior defensive back Tyrique McGhee of Byron, Ga., senior receiver Terry Godwin of Hogansville, Ga., and junior defensive back J.R. Reed of Frisco, Texas, received the David Jacobs Award, which is given to a player who portrays courage, spirit, character and determination.

Headlined by junior receiver Riley Ridley of Coconut Creek, Fla., on offense and junior inside linebacker Tae Crowder of Hamilton, Ga., on defense, eight Bulldogs were named the team's Most Improved Players: Offense – redshirt freshman offensive tackle Isaiah Wilson (Brooklyn, N.Y.), redshirt sophomore offensive guard Solomon Kindley (Jacksonville, Fla.), Ridley; Defense – Crowder, redshirt freshman defensive back Eric Stokes (Covington, Ga.); Special Teams – senior outside linebacker Keyon Richardson, senior snapper Nick Moore (Snellville, Ga.), junior tight end Charlie Woerner (Tiger, Ga.).

There were nine Newcomer of the Year awards given out to various Bulldog true freshmen.  Offensive lineman Cade Mays (Knoxville, Tenn.), tailback James Cook (Miami, Fla.), quarterback Justin Fields (Kennesaw, Ga.) and offensive lineman Trey Hill (Warner Robins, Ga.) were the winners on offense.  On defense, Tyson Campbell, a defensive back from Plantation, Fla., and Jordan Davis, a defensive lineman from Charlotte, N.C., earned the honor while punter Jake Camarda of Norcross, Ga., inside linebacker Channing Tindall of Columbia, S.C., and inside linebacker Quay Walker of Cordele, Ga., were the special teams' recipients.

Twelve Bulldogs garnered Scout Team Player of the Year honors: Offense – redshirt sophomore receiver Willie Erdman (Merritt Island, Fla.), freshman tight end John Fitzpatrick (Atlanta, Ga.), senior receiver Steven Van Tiflin (Saginaw, Mich.), freshman receiver Tommy Bush (Schertz, Texas); Defense – redshirt sophomore defensive back Jordon McKinney (Dalton, Ga.), redshirt freshman defensive back Jake Skole (Roswell, Ga.), freshman defensive back Hugh Nelson (Powder Springs, Ga.), redshirt freshman defensive lineman Kolby Wyatt (Snellville, Ga.); Special Teams - redshirt freshman defensive back Latavious Brini (Miami Gardens, Fla.), Van Tiflin, Erdman, freshman tight end Peyton Mercer (Twin City, Ga.).

Senior Scholar Award:
Jackson Harris

Community Service Award:
Rodrigo Blankenship

Offensive Scout Team Player of the Year
Willie Erdman, John Fitzpatrick, Steven Van Tiflin, Tommy Bush

Defensive Scout Team Player of the Year:
Jordon McKinney, Jake Skole, Hugh Nelson, Kolby Wyatt

Special Teams Scout Team Player of the Year:
Latavious Brini, Steven Van Tiflin, Willie Erdman, Peyton Mercer

Offensive Most Improved Player:
Isaiah Wilson, Solomon Kindley, Riley Ridley

Defensive Most Improved Player:
Tae Crowder, Eric Stokes

Special Teams Most Improved Player:
Keyon Richardson, Nick Moore, Charlie Woerner

Offensive Newcomer of the Year:
Cade Mays, James Cook, Justin Fields, Trey Hill

Defensive Newcomer of the Year
Tyson Campbell, Jordan Davis,

Special Teams Newcomer of the Year:
Jake Camarda, Channing Tindall, Quay Walker

Offensive Up-Front Award:
Lamont Gaillard, Andrew Thomas

Defensive Up-Front Award:
Jonathan Ledbetter, D'Andre Walker

Leon Farmer Strength & Conditioning Award:
Elijah Holyfield

David Jacobs Award
Tyrique McGhee, Terry Godwin, JR Reed

Frank Sinkwich Award(toughest player on the team):
Juwan Taylor, Prather Hudson, Jeremiah Holloman

Charley Trippi Award(most versatile player):
Jayson Stanley, Walter Grant, Tyler Simmons

Kevin Butler Special Teams Most Valuable Player:
Rodrigo Blankenship, Mecole Hardman

Vince Dooley Offensive Most Valuable Player:
D'Andre Swift, Jake Fromm

Vince Dooley Defensive Most Valuable Player:
Jonathan Ledbetter, Deandre Baker

Captains:
Jake Fromm, Lamont Gaillard, Elijah Holyfield, Jonathan Ledbetter