Players Of The Year Pius, Shirden Lead All-CAA Selections

Offensive Player of the Year Jaden Shirden and Defensive Player of the Year John Pius lead the 2022 All-CAA teams.

Nov 22, 2022 by FloFootball Staff

Players Of The Year Pius, Shirden Lead All-CAA Selections

CAA Football announced its 2022 post-season award winners on Tuesday, headlined by Monmouth sophomore running back Jaden Shirden being recognized as the league’s Offensive Player of the Year and William & Mary sophomore linebacker John Pius receiving the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year award.

Other major award recipients included New Hampshire’s Rick Santos as CAA Coach of the Year, Towson senior returner D’Ago Hunter as Special Teams Player of the Year, UAlbany freshman quarterback Reese Poffenbarger as Offensive Rookie of the Year and William & Mary freshman cornerback Jalen Jones as Defensive Rookie of the Year. Richmond junior linebacker Tristan Wheeler was honored with the Chuck Boone Leadership and Excellence Award. CAA Football’s all-conference awards are voted on by the league’s head coaches.

Shirden was the leading rusher in FCS this season, piling up 1,722 yards and 13 touchdowns on 206 carries. The yardage total was the 2^nd-highest in school history and the most by a CAA player since 2013. He also led the nation in yards per game (156.5 ypg) and yards per carry (8.36) and his 13 rushing TD’s rank 8^th nationally. Shirden topped the 100-yard mark in nine of his 11 games and went over 200 yards four times, highlighted by a 299-yard effort against Fordham that was the 2^nd-most in FCS in 2022. He had nine scoring runs of 50 or more yards.

Pius was one of the top pass rushers in FCS this season, ranking third nationally with 11.5 sacks and fifth with 19.0 tackles for loss. The sophomore linebacker also led William & Mary with 69 total tackles and contributed 12 quarterback hurries and three pass breakups. He recorded at least one TFL in 10 of his 11 contests and registered a sack in seven games, including a career-high 3.5 sacks at Lafayette. Pius was part of a Tribe defense that allowed just 20.4 points per game.

Picked to finish ninth in the league’s preseason poll, Santos guided New Hampshire to an 8-3 overall record and a share of its first CAA Football title since 2014 with a 7-1 league mark. The Wildcats earned a berth in the FCS playoffs for the first time since 2017 and are currently ranked No. 15 in the Stats Perform Top 25 poll. The first-year coach led UNH to its most regular-season victories since 2014.

Hunter was one of the dynamic returners in FCS football. The senior led the CAA and ranked 2^nd in FCS in punt return average (16.2 avg), and topped the conference and was 18^th in FCS in kickoff return average (24.6 avg). He was one of seven players with at least two kickoff returns for touchdowns in 2022, breaking a 96-yarder at West Virginia and a 92-yarder at Monmouth. Hunter also had a 77-yard punt return for a score against Villanova.

Poffenbarger completed 227-of-369 passes for 2,999 yards and 24 touchdowns with only four interceptions. He threw for over 250 yards eight times and fired multiple touchdown passes in eight games. The freshman ranked 11^th nationally in passing yards, 12^th in passing TD’s and 22^nd in pass efficiency. Poffenbarger also picked up 128 yards and 2 TD’s on the ground.

Jones was tied for the CAA lead in interceptions with four and his seven pass breakups matched the most on the team. The freshman cornerback also contributed 19 tackles and a fumble recovery. He picked off three passes, including a pick six, in the Tribe’s win over Campbell and received FCS National Defensive Player of the Week honors for his performance.

Wheeler is the recipient of the prestigious Chuck Boone Leadership and Excellence Award, an honor that embodies the highest standards of leadership, integrity, teamwork and sportsmanship in academics and athletics. The Richmond linebacker earned first-team All-CAA accolades for the third time this season after recording a team-best 97 tackles, 9.0 TFL’s and two interceptions. His 353 career tackles are the 4^th-most of any active player in FCS football. The Spiders’ team captain spearheaded a clothing drive for needy families in the Richmond area and organized and ran a youth football camp in his hometown of Bethlehem, Pa.

William & Mary had a league-high 13 players receive all-conference honors, while Richmond had 11 and Delaware and Elon each had 10.

2022 CAA Football First Team Offense
Player, School	Pos.	Class	Hometown
Reece Udinski, Richmond	QB	Gr.	North Wales, Pa.
Jaden Shirden, Monmouth	RB	So.	West Haven, Conn.
Bronson Yoder, William & Mary	RB	Sr.	Nappanee, Ind.
Owen Wright, Monmouth	FB/HB	Gr.	Bethesda, Md.
Jadakis Bonds, Hampton	WR	Sr.	Williamston, N.C,
Jaaron Hayek, Villanova	WR	Sr.	Wayne, N.J.
Jakob Herres, Richmond	WR	Gr.	Easton, Pa.
Thomas Greaney, UAlbany	TE	Sr.	Bedford, Mass.
Ryan Coll, Richmond	OL	Jr.	Gainesville, Va.
A.J. Cornelius, Rhode Island	OL	So.	Harlem, N.Y.
Nick Correia, Rhode Island	OL	Jr.	Nantucket, Mass.
Charles Grant, William & Mary	OL	So.	Portsmouth, Va.
Colby Sorsdal, William & Mary	OL	Sr.	Pittsburgh, Pa.
Skyler Davis, Elon	PK	Sr.	Acworth, Ga.
D’Ago Hunter, Towson	KR	Sr.	Culpeper, Va.
Dylan Laube, New Hampshire	PR	Jr.	Westhampton, N.Y.

2022 CAA Football First Team Defense
Player, School	Pos.	Class	Hometown
Marlem Louis, Richmond	DL	Jr.	Venice, Fla.
Nate Lynn, William & Mary	DL	Jr.	Charlotte, N.C.
Dylan Ruiz, New Hampshire	DL	So.	Kissimmee, Fla.
Josiah Silver, New Hampshire	DL	So.	Hampton, Va.
Johnny Buchanan, Delaware	LB	Gr.	Brick, N.J.
Marcus Hillman, Elon	LB	Sr.	Camden, N.J.
John Pius, William & Mary	LB	So.	Arlington, Va.
Tristan Wheeler, Richmond	LB	Jr.	Bethlehem, Pa.
Jordan Jones, Rhode Island	CB	Sr.	Brooklyn, N.Y.
Ryan Poole, William & Mary	CB	Sr.	Annapolis, Md.
Noah Plack, Delaware	S	Sr.	Bridgeville, Pa.
Kedrick Whitehead, Delaware	S	Sr.	Middletown, Del.
Ryan Kost, Monmouth	P	Gr.	Newton, Conn.
Caylin Newton, William & Mary	SPEC	Sr.	Atlanta, Ga.

2022 Offensive Player of the Year: Jaden Shirden, Monmouth

2022 Defensive Player of the Year: John Pius, William & Mary

2022 Coach of the Year: Rick Santos, New Hampshire

2022 Special Teams Player of the Year: D’Ago Hunter, Towson

2022 Offensive Rookie of the Year: Reese Poffenbarger, UAlbany

2022 Defensive Rookie of the Year: Jalen Jones, William & Mary

2022 Chuck Boone Leadership and Excellence Award: Tristan Wheeler, Richmond

2022 CAA Football Second Team Offense
Player, School	Pos.	Class	Hometown
Nolan Henderson, Delaware	QB	Gr.	Smyrna, Del.
Marques DeShields, Rhode Island	RB	Sr.	Clemonton, N.J.
Dylan Laube, New Hampshire	RB	Jr.	Westhampton, N.Y.
Donavyn Lester, William & Mary	FB/HB	Sr.	Plano, Texas
Ed Lee, Rhode Island	WR	Sr.	Washington, D.C.
Dymere Miller, Monmouth	WR	Jr.	Coatesville, Pa.
Jackson Parham, Elon	WR	Sr.	Hillsborough, N.J.
Lachlan Pitts, William & Mary	TE	Sr.	Great Falls, Va.
Michael Corbi, Villanova	OL	Gr.	Annapolis, Md.
Patrick Flynn, New Hampshire	OL	Sr.	Hanover, Mass.
Michael Gerace, Maine	OL	Gr.	Bel Air, Md.
Joe More, Richmond	OL	Sr.	Franklin, Tenn.
Mike Purcell, Elon	OL	Sr.	Centerville, Ohio
Ethan Chang, William & Mary	PK	So.	Falls Church, Va.
Dez Boykin, Villanova	KR	Gr.	Whitehall, Pa.
D’Ago Hunter, Towson	PR	Sr.	Culpeper, Va.

2022 CAA Football Second Team Defense
Player, School	Pos.	Class	Hometown
Carl Fowler, William & Mary	DL	Sr.	Durham, N.C.
Jesus Gibbs, Towson	DL	Sr.	Dumfries, Va.
Artis Hemmingway, Delaware	DL	Sr.	Hillside, N.J.
KeShaun Moore, Hampton	DL	Sr.	Suffolk, Va.
Jake Fire, Rhode Island	LB	Sr.	Stow, Mass.
Isaiah Jones, William & Mary	LB	Sr.	Norristown, Pa.
Adrian Otero, Maine	LB	Sr.	Hazelton, Pa.
Qwahsin Townsel, Hampton	LB	Gr.	Egg Harbor, N.J.
Justis Henley, Delaware	CB	Sr.	Philadelphia, Pa.
Jalen Jones, William & Mary	CB	Fr.	Chesapeake, Va.
Aaron Banks, Richmond	S	Sr.	Stephens City, Va.
Omar Rogers, Elon	S	So.	Burlington, N.J.
Riley Williams, Towson	P	So.	Victoria, Australia
AJ Mistler, UAlbany	SPEC	Gr.	Staten Island, N.Y.

2022 CAA Football Third Team Offense
Player, School	Pos.	Class	Hometown
Reese Poffenbarger, UAlbany	QB	Fr.	Middletown, Md.
Jalen Hampton, Elon	RB	Fr.	Frederick, Md.
Todd Sibley, UAlbany	RB	Gr.	Akron, Ohio
Zavier Scott, Maine	FB/HB	Gr.	Fort Hood, Texas
Leroy Henley, Richmond	WR	Gr.	Pompano Beach, Fla.
Thyrick Pitts, Delaware	WR	Gr.	Manassas, Va.
Jourdan Townsend, Delaware	WR	Sr.	Farrell, Pa.
Shawn Bowman, Maine	TE	Sr.	Bear, Del.
Greg Anderson, Monmouth	OL	Sr.	Carlstadt, N.J.
Fintan Brose, Delaware	OL	Jr.	Irwin, Pa.
Justin Szuba, Monmouth	OL	Gr.	Brick, N.J.
Lorenzo Thompson, Rhode Island	OL	Jr.	Syracuse, N.Y.
Jabril Williams, Elon	OL	So.	Statesville, N.C.
Matthew Mercurio, Villanova	PK	Gr.	Salinas, Calif.
Dylan Laube, New Hampshire	KR	Jr.	Westhampton, N.Y.
Ed Lee, Rhode Island	PR	Sr.	Washington, D.C.

2022 CAA Football Third Team Defense
Player, School	Pos.	Class	Hometown
Ray Eldridge, Richmond	DL	Sr.	McDonald, Pa.
Jeremiah Grant, Richmond	DL	So.	South Orange, N.J.
Anton Juncaj, UAlbany	DL	Jr.	Port Jervis, N.Y.
Chase McGowan, Delaware	DL	Sr.	Stafford, Va.
Carthell Flowers-Lloyd, Stony Brook	LB	Gr.	Syracuse, N.Y.
Dylan Kelly, UAlbany	LB	So.	Amhurst, N.Y.
Phil O’Connor, Richmond	LB	Sr.	Philadelphia, Pa.
Evan Stewart, Rhode Island	LB	So.	Sparta, N.J.
Tre’Von Jones, Elon	CB	Jr.	Warrenton, N.C.
Mike Reid, Monmouth	CB	Jr.	Owings Mills, Md.
Pop Bush, New Hampshire	S	Gr.	Nocatee, Fla.
Ali Shockley, Hampton	S	Sr.	Rock Hill, S.C.
Jeff Yurk, Elon	P	So.	Southern Pines, N.C.
Chandler Brayboy, Elon	SPEC	So.	Pembroke, N.C.