NEW ORLEANS – Jeremy Reaves became the first University of South Alabama football student-athlete in program history to receive a Sun Belt Conference individual award, and he also picked up first-team all-league honors with Wednesday's announcement of postseason accolades by the league office.

The senior was chosen the Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year while earning all-conference recognition for the third straight season.  He was joined on the first-team all-SBC squad by placekicker Gavin Patterson and punter Corliss Waitman, while Noah Fisher and Jamarius Way were second-team honorees on the offensive line and at wide receiver, respectively.  Four other Jaguars — seniors Finessé Middleton and Darrell Songy, as well as juniors Bull Barge and Nigel Lawrence — picked up honorable mention distinction.

Reaves concluded his four-year career by recording a team-leading 104 total tackles, seven stops behind the line, three interceptions, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries, adding eight other passes broken up.  While becoming just the second Jag defensive back to post 100 or more stops in a season, the Pensacola, Fla., native ranks among the top 10 in the Sun Belt in five different statistical categories after leading the squad with five outings of 10 or more tackles and pacing South or sharing the team lead on eight occasions (including five of eight SBC contests).  Reaves was named the SBC co-Defensive Player of the Week after posting eight stops, a fumble recovery and return of 92 yards and an interception ending ULM's final drive in a 10-point win over the Warhawks, and he was credited with 12 tackles and added an interception to end final drive with less than two minutes remaining in a defeat of Arkansas State on Senior Day.

Patterson, who hails from Bourbonnais, Ill., leads the conference after making 84.2 percent of his field-goal attempts while ranking second both in total field goals (16) and field goals per game (1.33); the junior is among the top 35 in the country in the latter category as well.  He is also fourth in the league in scoring after leading USA with 74 points, ending the campaign tied for second on the school season record list for field-goal percentage, tied for third in field goals, and fifth in both extra points and scoring.  Patterson made a career-high-tying three field goals in back-to-back games against Idaho and Louisiana Tech while connecting on multiple field goals in five contests this season.

Waitman is first in the conference and seventh in the country with a school-season record 45.24 punting average and 21 kicks of 50-plus yards, and he was second in the Sun Belt with 26 punts inside the opponent's 20-yard line.  The junior from Milton, Fla., posted an average of 45 yards or higher in seven of 12 contests this fall and had at least two punts inside the 20 on nine different occasions, with his efforts helping the Jaguars rank ninth nationally in net punting.  He was named the Ray Guy Award Punter of the Week after having a career-high four of five punts end inside the 20 while averaging 46.4 yards at Georgia State, and was a candidate for the organization's postseason honor also.

A junior who hails from Decatur, Ga., Fisher graded out at or above 80 percent in 10 of the Jaguars' 12 games this season — including a mark of 90 percent or higher four times — and was credited with 36 knockdown blocks and 44 cut blocks while starting every outing at left tackle.  He earned a season-best 92 percent mark and finished with four knockdowns in the Sun Belt opener against Idaho and posted a season-high 13 total knockdowns — five knockdown blocks and eight cuts — while grading out at 90 percent in a win over ULM.

In his first season with the program, Way paced the Jags with 47 receptions, 762 yards receiving and an average of 16.2 yards per catch, tying for the team lead with three touchdown catches as well.  In addition to ranking among the top 10 in the league in receiving yards per game, the Belle Glade, Fla., native finished the campaign third in USA's season record books in total yards receiving and sixth in catches as he led the team in receptions six times and receiving yards on six occasions; Way also paced the Jaguars with 799 all-purpose yards.

Lawrence (Smiths Station, Ala.) was second on the squad and among the top 15 in the conference in tackles after recording a career-high 83 to go along with three forced fumbles and three passes defensed, while Barge (Moultrie, Ga.) was credited with a career-best 77 stops — including three behind the line of scrimmage — four quarterback hurries and a pair of forced fumbles as he was third on the team and in the top 25 in the SBC in tackles.  Songy (New Orleans, La.) collected 62 stops with five for loss as well as four passes broken up and an interception in his final season at the collegiate level, and Middleton (Gadsden, Ala.) shared the team lead with 3½ sacks among his 26 total stops, adding four quarterback hurries and a fumble recovery in his last year as a Jaguar.

Arkansas State had both the Player and Offensive Player of the Year with Ja'Von Rolland-Jones and Justice Hansen earning those awards, respectively.  The Newcomer of the Year was New Mexico State's Ron LaForce, with Marcus Jones of Troy selected the Freshman of the Year and the Trojans' Neal Brown named the Coach of the Year.

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/USAJaguarSports. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).

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