DALLAS – Conference USA announced its 2023 All-Freshman football team Tuesday, as selected by the league’s nine head football coaches. WKU produced a league-high 14 selections on the team, while both FIU and Sam Houston had three apiece. In total, seven of the nine CUSA programs were represented on the All-Freshman team.
WKU had five offensive players earn spots on the team, in WR/KR Easton Messer (35 catches for 416 yards and four touchdowns and averaged 22.2 yards per kick return), WR/PR K.D. Hutchinson (19 receptions for 179 yards and a touchdown and returned 11 punts for 40 yards, with a long of 18), WR Moussa Barry (nine catches for 145 yards and a touchdown), TE Noah Meyers and OL Evan Wibberley (made 10 appearances for the Hilltoppers).
Defensively, WKU boasts five more selections in DE Deante McCray (37 total tackles, 3.0 TFL, one sack, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and seven quarterback hurries), LB Koron Hayward (appeared in nine games, recording six total tackles), LB Reginald Allen, Jr. (made seven appearances, primarily on special teams), DB Alex Ford (appeared in four games with three tackles), DB Nazir Ward (appeared in eight games and made four total stops).
The Hilltoppers have two more selections on special teams, including return specialist roles for Messer (kick returner) and Hutchinson (punt returner) in K Lucas Carneiro (8-11 on field goals with a long of 45 and a perfect 42-42 on extra points) and LS Trey Naughton (has provided consistency at the long snapper position, helping Carneiro successfully make all 42 PAT attempts).
FIU had a trio of selections to the All-Freshman team, headlined by QB Keyone Jenkins (194-332 for 2,414 yards with 11 touchdowns and six more on the ground), DT Steven Shannon (recorded 14 tackles and 2.0 TFL) and LB Toddrick Brewton (made eight tackles in nine appearances for the Panthers).
Sam Houston also had three players earn All-Freshman distinction in OL Orion Irving (made 10 appearances), OL Rhett Larson (made nine appearances for the Bearkats) and DB Chantson Prox (made nine appearances and recorded three tackles and a half tackle for loss).
Liberty’s lone selection to the All-Freshman team is DE TJ Bush (has 30 total tackles, 7.0 TFL, 2.0 sacks, three quarterback hurries and three pass breakups).
Jax State also had one player earn All-Freshman honors, in OL Xavier Bausley (made 10 appearances for an offensive line that helped pave the way for the nation’s fifth-ranked rushing offense).
Middle Tennessee OL Mateo Guevara (made nine appearances and averaged 28 snaps per game) was the Blue Raiders’ lone selection to the All-Freshman team.
LA Tech DB Michael Richard (recorded 32 total tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, a pair of quarterback hurries and seven pass breakups) rounds out the All-Freshman team as one of the elite freshman defensive backs in the country.
All-Freshman Team
Offense
QB Keyone Jenkins, FIU
WR Easton Messer, WKU
WR K.D. Hutchinson, WKU
WR Moussa Barry, WKU
TE Noah Meyers, WKU
OL Xavier Bausley, Jax State
OL Mateo Guevara, MTSU
OL Evan Wibberley, WKU
OL Orion Irving, Sam Houston
OL Rhett Larson, Sam Houston
DE TJ Bush, Liberty
DT Steven Shannon, FIU
DE Deante McCray, WKU
LB Toddrick Brewton, FIU
LB Koron Hayward, WKU
LB Reginald Allen, Jr., WKU
DB Michael Richard, LA Tech
DB Alex Ford, WKU
DB Nazir Ward, WKU
DB Chantson Prox, Sam Houston
Special Teams
K Lucas Carneiro, WKU
KR Easton Messer, WKU
PR K.D. Hutchinson, WKU
LS Trey Naughton, WKU
-ConferenceUSA.com-
