GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Twelve Furman Paladins have earned 2022 All-Southern Conference football honors, as announced today by the league.

The honorees, which include six first team picks, were selected following voting by SoCon head coaches and media in separate balloting.

Furman's first team selections include three offensive linemen — tackles Anderson Tomlin and Pearson Toomey, and guard Jacob Johanning — tight end Ryan Miller, nose guard Cameron Coleman, and free safety Hugh Ryan.

Second team picks include running back Dominic Roberto, cornerback Travis Blackshear, linebacker Braden Gilby, and return specialist Wayne Anderson, Jr.

The Paladins placed two players on the SoCon All-Freshman Team, as selected by the coaches: bandit Alex Maier and safety Caleb Williams.

Johanning, a 6-foot-3, 276-pound redshirt junior from Simpsonville, S.C., and product of Greenville's St. Joseph's School, logged 767 snaps in the regular season and helped pave the way for Furman's ground attack that averaged 214.1 yards per game and league-best 5.1 yards per carry.

Tomlin's selection made him a three-time All-SoCon selection after collecting all-league laurels in both 2020 & '21.  A 6-foot-5, 301-pound redshirt senior from Birmingham, Ala., and owner of 27 career starts, he logged 773 plays this fall in helping Furman to a 9-2 record and consensus No. 11 ranking in both final regular season polls announced on Monday.

Toomey, a 6-foot-3, 297-pound redshirt junior and Jacksonville Beach, Fla., native, registered 772 plays in 2022 on the way to making good on his preseason All-SoCon tab.

The three first team All-SoCon offensive line picks is a first by Furman since 2005.

Miller, a two-time All-America selection, earned his third first-team all-conference scroll following a record breaking regular season that saw him haul in 61 pases for 652 yards and 11 touchdowns.  The 6-foot-2, 221-pound fifth-year performer from Jackson, Tenn., caught a pair of touchdowns in the Paladins' 63-28 win over Wofford on Saturday to set a new program career record for touchdown catches (27).  He ranks fifth all-time at Furman in receptions (140) and sixth in receiving yards (2,036).

A 6-foot-3, 304-pound redshirt senior from Elizabethton, Tenn., and owner of 29 starts in his career, Coleman anchored a strong Paladin defensive front, totaling 26 tackles, including six for-loss in the regular season, and was especially effective on a front that helped limit Furman's last four opponents to just 219 total rushing yards on 119 attempts (1.84 ypc).  The Paladins rank 15th in the FCS in rushing defense (110.5 ypg).

Ryan, a redshirt junior, was twice named SoCon Defensive Player of the Week this year, along with the league's player of the month for October.  The 6-foot-1, 200-pound Irmo, S.C., product is Furman's second leading tackler with 61 stops, and his four interceptions, three of which came in successive wins over Western Carolina, VMI, and Chattanooga, topped a Paladin defense that ranks eighth nationally in interceptions (16) and fourth in turnovers gained (24).

Roberto was a consensus second team selection by the coaches and media.  The 5-foot-11, 231-pound redshirt junior rushed for 963 yards and 10 touchdowns in the regular season, his bid for 1,000 yards postponed after exiting the Wofford game with the Paladins up, 56-21 in the third quarter.  The Fayetteville, N.C., native's campaign was highlighted by a career high 252-yard, two-touchdown rushing performance in a win over Western Carolina, for which he was named Stats Perform National Offensive Player of the Week.  Roberto has rushed for 1,475 yards, averaged 6.6 ypc, and scored 15 rushing touchdowns over the last 14 games.

Gilby, redshirt senior, earned second team recognition on the media team.  The 6-foot-2, 237-pound St. Petersburg, Fla., product paced the Paladins with 71 tackles this year, including a team leading 14 for-loss and four sacks. He headlined a dominant defensive performance in a 23-13 road triumph over Mercer on Nov. 12, recording 12 tackles and a sack that helped limit the Bears to just 13 points and 316 total yards after entering the game averaging 40.3 ppg and 460.3 ypg, respectively.

Blackshear, a 5-foot-11, 180-pound redshirt senior, was a coaches second team pick.  The owner of 38 starts and 44 games played in his Paladin career, Blackshear tallied 41 tackles this year.  He had a 41-yard interception return for a touchdown in a 41-3 road win over VMI, and this past Saturday landed SoCon Special Teams Player-of-the-Week accolades after returning two blocked field goals for a total of 95 yards, including one that covered 65 yards for a touchdown — the first such play in program history.  The Savannah, Ga., product has nine career interceptions.

Anderson collected consensus second team honors as a return specialist after averaging 27.1 yards on 16 kickoff returns in 2022.  The 5-foot-9, 200-pound redshirt junior from Prosper, Texas,  who caught 33 passes for 339 yards and two touchdowns this fall, contributed a 97-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the Paladins' 47-40 win over Western Carolina.

Maier and Williams gave Furman representation on the SoCon All-Freshman Defense, totaling 14 and seven tackles, respectively.  Maier, a 6-foot-4, 238-pounder from Fleming Island, Fla., tallied a pair of sacks and recorded his first fumble recovery on Saturday in the win over Wofford.  A Tampa, Fla., native, Williams notched the first interception of his young Paladin tenure on Saturday against the Terriers.

Furman (9-2, 7-1 SoCon/2nd) plays host to Elon (8-3, 6-2/T3rd CAA) this Saturday in FCS first round playoff action at Paladin Stadium.  Kickoff for the ESPN+ televised contest is set for noon.

2022 Coaches All-Southern Conference Football Team 

Offensive Player of the Year – Michael Hiers, Jr., QB, Samford
Defensive Player of the Year – Jay Person, Jr., DL, Chattanooga
Freshman of the Year – Desmond Reid, RB, Western Carolina 
Jacobs Blocking Award – McClendon Curtis, Sr., OL, Chattanooga 
Coach of the Year – Chris Hatcher, Samford

First Team Offense
QB    Michael Hiers, Jr., Samford
RB    Jacob Saylors, Sr., ETSU
RB    Ailym Ford, Jr., Chattanooga 
OL    Joe Schreiber, Sr., ETSU 
OL    Jacob Johanning, R-Jr., Furman
OL    Anderson Tomlin, R-Sr., Furman
OL    Pearson Toomey, R-Jr., Furman
OL    McClendon Curtis, Sr., Chattanooga
TE    Ryan Miller, 5th, Furman 
WR    Devron Harper, Jr., Mercer
WR    Ty James, R-So., Mercer

First Team Defense
DL    Cameron Coleman, R-Sr., Furman
DL    Devonnsha Maxwell, Sr., Chattanooga
DL    Jay Person, Jr., Chattanooga
DL    Micheal Mason, Sr., Wofford
LB    Chandler Martin, R-Fr., ETSU
LB    Ty Boeck, Sr., Chattanooga
LB    Stone Snyder, Sr., VMI
DB    Alijah Huzzie, R-So., ETSU
DB    Hugh Ryan, R-Jr., Furman
DB    Kameron Brown, Jr., Chattanooga
DB    Alex Oliver, Jr., VMI

First Team Special Teams 
PK    Tyler Keltner, Jr., ETSU
P    Jack Culbreath, Jr., VMI
LS    Robert Soderholm, R-Sr., VMI
RS    Devron Harper, Jr., Mercer

Second Team Offense 
QB    Fred Payton, Sr., Mercer 
RB    Dominic Roberto, R-Jr., Furman
RB    Desmond Reid, Fr., Western Carolina 
OL    Tereis Drayton, Jr., The Citadel
OL    John Thomas, Jr., Mercer
OL    Jabari Brooks, Jr., Samford
OL    Gavin Orr, Gr., Samford
OL    Tyler Smith, R-Jr., Western Carolina
TE    Drake Starks, Gr., Mercer 
WR    Chandler Smith, Sr., Samford
WR    Kendall Watson, Gr., Samford

Second Team Defense 
DL    Solomon Zubairu, Sr., Mercer
DL    Ben Brewton, Jr., Chattanooga
DL    Marlon Taylor, R-So., Chattanooga
DL    KJ Milner, Sr., Western Carolina
LB    Hasan Black, Jr., The Citadel
LB    Isaac Dowling, So., Mercer
LB    Nathan East, Gr., Samford
DB    Travis Blackshear, R-Sr., Furman
DB    Lance Wise, Sr., Mercer
DB    Hakeem Johnson, Gr., Samford
DB    Andreas Keaton, So., Western Carolina

Second Team Special teams 
PK    Colby Kintner, So., The Citadel
P    Bradley Porcellato, Gr., Samford
LS    Steele Judy, Jr., The Citadel
LS    Kevin Thompson, Jr., Western Carolina
RS    Wayne Anderson Jr., R-Jr., Furman

All-Freshman Offense 
Tyzen Wilkerson, Mercer
Bryce Goodner, Chattanooga
Sam Phillips, Chattanooga
Javin Whatley, Chattanooga
Isaiah Lemmond, VMI
Cole Gonzales, Western Carolina
Censere Lee, Western Carolina
Desmond Reid, Western Carolina
Neyland Walker, Western Carolina
Dylan Djete, Wofford
Kyle Parsons, Wofford

All-Freshman Defense 
Davion Hood, ETSU
Alex Maier, Furman
Caleb Williams, Furman
Christian Hanson, Mercer
Josh Battle, Chattanooga
Alex Mitchell, Chattanooga
Jahleel Porter, VMI
Geoffrey Speight, VMI
Samaurie Dukes, Western Carolina
Hayward McQueen, Western Carolina
Jalen Marshall, Wofford

All-Freshman Special Teams 
Trace Kelley, ETSU
AJ Colombo, Western Carolina
Bridger Jones, Wofford
Kyle Parsons, Wofford

2022 SCSMA All-Southern Conference Football Team 

Roy M. "Legs" Hawley Offensive Player of the Year – Michael Hiers, Jr., QB, Samford
Defensive Player of the Year – Jay Person, Jr., DL, Chattanooga
Freshman of the Year – Desmond Reid, RB, Western Carolina 
Wallace Wade Coach of the Year – Chris Hatcher, Samford

First Team Offense 
QB    Michael Hiers, Jr., Samford
RB    Jacob Saylors, Sr., ETSU
RB    Ailym Ford, Jr., Chattanooga 
OL    Jacob Johanning, R-Jr., Furman
OL    Anderson Tomlin, R-Sr., Furman
OL    John Thomas, Jr., Mercer
OL    Gavin Orr, Gr., Samford
OL    McClendon Curtis, Sr., Chattanooga
TE    Ryan Miller, 5th, Furman 
WR    Devron Harper, Jr., Mercer
WR    Chandler Smith, Sr., Samford

First Team Defense 
DL    Devonnsha Maxwell, Sr., Chattanooga
DL    Jay Person, Jr., Chattanooga
DL    KJ Milner, Sr., Western Carolina
DL    Micheal Mason, Sr., Wofford
LB    Chandler Martin, R-Fr., ETSU
LB    Isaac Dowling, So., Mercer
LB    Ty Boeck, Sr., Chattanooga
DB    Alijah Huzzie, R-So., ETSU
DB    Hugh Ryan, R-Jr., Furman
DB    Kameron Brown, Jr., Chattanooga
DB    Alex Oliver, Jr., VMI

First Team Special Teams 
PK    Tyler Keltner, Jr., ETSU
P    Trey Turk, So., Mercer
LS    Robert Soderholm, R-Sr., VMI
RS    Devron Harper, Jr., Mercer

Second Team Offense 
QB    Fred Payton, Sr., Mercer 
RB    Dominic Roberto, R-Jr., Furman
RB    Jaylan Thomas, Sr., Samford 
OL    Tereis Drayton, Jr., The Citadel
OL    Joe Schreiber, Sr., ETSU 
OL    Pearson Toomey, R-Jr., Furman
OL    Riley Adcock, Jr., Mercer
OL    Jabari Brooks, Jr., Samford
OL    Reid Williams, So., Chattanooga
TE    Drake Starks, Gr., Mercer 
WR    Ty James, R-So., Mercer
WR    Kendall Watson, Gr., Samford

Second Team Defense 
DL    Cameron Coleman, R-Sr., Furman
DL    Chris Hill, Sr., Mercer
DL    Solomon Zubairu, Sr., Mercer
DL    Seth Simmer, Gr., Samford
DL    Ben Brewton, Jr., Chattanooga
LB    Hasan Black, Jr., The Citadel
LB    Braden Gilby, R-Sr., Furman
LB    Stone Snyder, Sr., VMI
DB    Dominick Poole, So., The Citadel
DB    TJ Moore, Jr., Mercer
DB    Lance Wise, Sr., Mercer
DB    Isaiah Richardson, Sr., Samford
DB    Reuben Lowery III, So., Chattanooga

Second Team Special Teams 
PK    Richard McCollum, R-Jr., Western Carolina
P    Jack Culbreath, Jr., VMI
LS    Steele Judy, Jr., The Citadel
RS    Wayne Anderson Jr., R-Jr., Furman