ACU Football Leads UAC with 14 All-Conference Selections

ACU Football Leads UAC with 14 All-Conference Selections

12/13/2024 12:00:00 PM | Football

Thirteen total players were voted onto the All-UAC teams.

By: Evan Nemec

The team that won the championship has now been rewarded with individual accolades.

ACU, winners of the United Athletic Conference title, took 14 slots on the all-conference squads which were released on Friday.

Thirteen players were voted in by the conference's head coaches with Sam Hicks earning all-conference nods at two positions -- running back and return specialist.

Seven Wildcats were named to the All-UAC First Team -- quarterback Maverick McIvor, wide receiver Nehemiah Martinez I, guard Jacob Thielen, center Tay Yanta, defensive lineman Jerry Lawson, linebacker Will Shaffer, and Hicks at kick returner.

Seven more spots on the All-UAC Second Team were filled by ACU players -- Hicks at running back, receiver Blayne Taylor, tight end Jed Castles, guard Alan Hatten, defensive linemen David Oke and Kaghen Roach, and linebacker Chris Wright.

Tarleton State was second in the UAC with 10 all-conference picks while Southern Utah and Eastern Kentucky each had seven.

It's the second year-in-a-row that Castles and Hatten have been named to the All-UAC Second Team.

Keith Patterson was also named the UAC Coach of the Year. Patterson earned the WAC Coach of the Year award in 2022.

McIvor, Hicks and Patterson were all unanimous selections -- meaning they appeared somewhere on every coach's ballot. Head coaches are not allowed to vote for their own players.

Click here to see the entire list of 2024 UAC Football Postseason Honors & Awards.