SIAC announces football honors – Albany State’s Drayton, Watts, Dupree earn first team honors

ATLANTA — The Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference announced its 2026 Football All-SIAC teams and individual honorees on Friday, as voted by the conference’s head coaches.

FIRST TEAM
POSITION	NAME	SCHOOL	CLASS	HOMETOWN
Offensive Line	Isaiah Turner	Benedict	5th	Abbeville, Ga.
Offensive Line	Carmelo Turner	Miles	Sr.	Atmore, Ala.
Offensive Line	Jaylin Walton	Benedict	Sr.	Atlanta, Ga.
Offensive Line	Clifford Moore Jr.	Kentucky State	So.	Hammond, La.
Offensive Line	Chance Bush	Allen	Jr.	Augusta, Ga.
Tight End	Omarion Dupree	Albany State	Sr.	Atlanta, Ga.
Wide Receiver	Darius Cyprian	Kentucky State	Sr.	Baton Rouge, La.
Wide Receiver	Izaiah Jean-Baptiste	Edward Waters	Sr.	Davenport, Fla.
Running Back	David Smith	Benedict	Sr.	Houston, Texas
Running Back	Ja’khael Rowser	Tuskegee	Jr.	Hueytown, Ala.
Quarterback	Jackson Wasik	Central State	Jr.	Lexington, Ky.
Defensive Line	Ty’Metrius Patterson	Benedict	5th	Detroit, Mich.
Defensive Line	Derrick Drayton	Albany State	Sr.	College Park, Ga.
Defensive Line	Adonis Brazil	Savannah State	So.	Thomaston, Ga.
Defensive Line	Carlos Bazert	Kentucky State	Jr.	Mansura, La.
Linebacker	Trevon French	Edward Waters	Jr.	Powder Springs, Ga.
Linebacker	Kahmari Cook	Benedict	Jr.	Buffalo, N.Y.
Linebacker	Eric Searcy	Clark Atlanta	Jr.	Atlanta, Ga.
Defensive Back	Frederick Lewis Jr.	Lane	So.	New Orleans, La.
Defensive Back	Cameron Watts	Albany State	Sr.	Tyrone, Ga.
Defensive Back	Ethan Nation	Benedict	Sr.	Roswell, Ga.
Defensive Back	D’Juan Grant	Edward Waters	Jr.	Houston, Texas
Kicker	Zane Spires	Benedict	So.	Gainesville, Fla.
Punter	Garrett Hyder	Benedict	So.	Hoschton, Ga.
Punt Returner	Cameron Watts	Albany State	Sr.	Tyrone, Ga.
Kick Returner	Cameron Watts	Albany State	Sr.	Tyrone, Ga.

SECOND TEAM
POSITION	NAME	SCHOOL	CLASS	HOMETOWN
Offensive Line	Cameo Jones	Albany State	So.	Cocoa, Fla.
Offensive Line	Adam Badwan	Kentucky State	Sr.	St. Louis, Mo.
Offensive Line	Antonio Walthour	Tuskegee	Jr.	Hainesville, Ga.
Offensive Line	Ty’Orice Brown	Albany State	Sr.	Miami, Fla.
Offensive Line	Jalen Cooper	Clark Atlanta	Sr.	Houston, Texas
Tight End	Michael Bowman	Allen	Sr.	Orangeburg, S.C.
Wide Receiver	Jaden Hale	Kentucky State	5th	East St. Louis, Ill.
Wide Receiver	Avantae Burt	Central State	Jr.	Canton, Ohio
Running Back	Javis Floyd Jr.	Allen	So.	Shorter, Ala.
Running Back	Johntarrious Thomas	Edward Waters	Sr.	Midway, Fla.
Quarterback	Tavion Faulk	Edward Waters	Sr.	Carencro, La.
Defensive Line	Ryan Perry	Benedict	Jr.	McDonough, Ga.
Defensive Line	Kingston Lowe	Miles	So.	Gulf Shores, Ala.
Defensive Line	Jordan Allen	Edward Waters	Sr.	Clarksdale, Miss.
Defensive Line	Jordan Diggins	Kentucky State	Jr.	Indianapolis, Ind.
Linebacker	Kendrick Curry	Kentucky State	Jr.	Athens, Ga.
Linebacker	JayShawn Smalls	Allen	Jr.	Springfield, S.C.
Linebacker	Elijah Henderson	Kentucky State	Jr.	Jackson, La.
Defensive Back	Rontavion Scott	Albany State	Jr.	Jacksonville, Fla.
Defensive Back	Roman Hernandez	Kentucky State	5th	Gary, Ind.
Defensive Back	Joshua Lee	Benedict	So.	Duncan, S.C.
Defensive Back	Kion Threalkill	Fort Valley State	Sr.	Memphis, Tenn.
Kicker	Forest Gantz	Kentucky State	So.	Dayton, Ohio
Punter	Forest Gantz	Kentucky State	So.	Dayton, Ohio
Punt Returner	Jaecyn Myles	Miles	Fr.	Daphne, Ala.
Kick Returner	Chris Butler	Benedict	So.	Baltimore, Md.

Overall Player of the Year (MVP): Jackson Wasik, Central State
Offensive Player of the Year: Jackson Wasik, Central State
Defensive Player of the Year: Trevon French, Edward Waters
Freshman of the Year: Christopher Johnson, Benedict
Newcomer of the Year: Tavion Faulk, Edward Waters
Coach of the Year: Tony Carter, Central State

Elite 17: Carmelo Turner, Miles