Benedict places nine on SIAC All-Conference Football Team
The Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) has announced its 2025 Football All-SIAC teams and individual honorees on Tuesday, as voted by the conference’s head coaches. Benedict had nine players earn All-SIAC honors, and also had the Elite 16 Award winner.
Four players earned First Team honors – defensive lineman Israel Nwokocha and linebacker Isaiah Stephens were named to the defense, while punter Kolten Ford and kick returner Jaxon Williams were first team on special teams.
Five more players earned Second Team honors – running back Triston Morgan; linebacker Ty’Metrius Patterson and three offensive lineman – Isaiah Turner, Isaih Richardson, and Jason Miller.
Williams also received
the Elite 16 Award, presented to the All-Conference player with the highest GPA. Williams, a sophomore Sports Management major, has a 4.0 GPA.
Nwokocha was a dominant force on defense for the Tigers this season. He led the SIAC in total tackles for loss (19.5 for -89 yards) and was fifth in sacks per game (.80).
Stephens led the Tigers in tackles for the second year in a row, accumulating 74 total tackles, seventh best in the SIAC. He also ranked third in fumbles recovered with three.
Ford was third in the SIAC in punting average (40.0), but led the conference with punts inside the 20-yard line (22) and punts over 50 yards (9).
Williams was one of the most dangerous return specialists in the country for the second year in a row. He leads the NCAA in kickoff return yardage (40.5) and returned two kicks back for touchdowns. Morgan rushed for 676 yards and six touchdowns, often splitting time in the backfield. His 67.6 per game average still ranked fourth-best in the SIAC.
Patterson finished seventh in the SIAC in tackles for loss (1.5 per game) for a league-high -94 yards. He also was fourth with 1.0 sacks per game. He also led the SIAC in forced fumbles with four in eight games (0.50 per game).
Turner, Richardson and Miller were anchors on an offensive line that averaged 314.9 yards per game and almost 150 yards rushing per game. Benedict also allowed just 2.0 sacks per game, fifthbest in the SIAC.
