Jan. 28, 2013
HARRISONBURG, Va. - Old Dominion sophomore quarterback Taylor Heinicke was named the Virginia Sports Information Director's Offensive Player of the Year while ODU Head Coach Bobby Wilder was named the Coach of the Year, the organization announced Monday.
Heinicke led the way as five Monarchs earned first-team All-State honors. Also earning first-team honors were wide receiver Nick Mayers, defensive lineman Chris Burnette, kicker Jonathan Plisco. Left guard David Born and linebacker Craig Wilkins were named to the second-team.
A sophomore from Atlanta, Ga., Heinicke led the FCS in passing yards with a new FCS record of 5,076, breaking Steve McNair's 18-year old record. He led the country in total offense, passing touchdowns, total TD's, completions and points responsible for. He also ran for 470 yards and 11 scores.
Heinicke won the Walter Payton Award for the Best Player in the FCS and also won the Dudley Award for the top Division I Player in Virginia. He received First-Team All-CAA honors and was named the conferences Offensive Player of the Year.
Mayers led all ODU receivers with 79 receptions for 1,233 yards and tied for second in the FCS with 16 TD catches. In ODU's historic 64-61 win over NH, he set school records with 12 catches and 271 yards. He earned first-team All-CAA accolades and second-team All-America honors.
Burnette finished fourth on the squad with 73 tackles and led all CAA defensive linemen in the category. He finished with seven tackles for loss and four sacks. Burnette received first-team All-CAA honors and earned All-America recognition from Phil Steele and The Sports Network.
Brown set an NCAA FCS record by making the most extra points in a season without a miss, going 73-for-73 on the year. He connected on 10-of-12 field goals and a long of 51. He earned first-team All-CAA accolades.
Plisco earned first-team CAA honors at punter for the second-straight year after averaging 45.0 yards a boot in 2012. He set the FCS career record for punting average with 45.1 yards per punt.
Wilkins led the Monarchs with 90 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks and three interceptions on his way to earning All-CAA accolades.
Born started all 13 games at left guard for ODU, helping the Monarch offense lead the FCS in scoring offense, total offense and passing offense. He also earned second-team All-CAA honors.
In just its fourth year of football, Wilder led the Monarchs to an 11-2 record and No. 6 national ranking in the final FCS polls. ODU earned the No. 4 national seed in the FCS playoffs and advanced to the quarterfinals. In just four years, Wilder has led ODU to a 38-10 record.
Major Award Winners
VaSID Offensive Player of the Year - Taylor Heinicke, So., QB, Old Dominion
VaSID Defensive Player of the Year - Steve Greer, Sr., LB, Virginia
VaSID Offensive Rookie of the Year - Josh Woodrum, Fr., QB, Liberty
VaSID Defensive Rookie of the Year - Lynden Trail, Fr., LB, Norfolk State
VaSID Coach of the Year - Bobby Wilder, Old Dominion
First Team
Offense
QB - Taylor Heinicke, So., Old Dominion
RB - Aldreakis Allen, Jr., Liberty
RB - Jeremiah Schwartz, Sr., Hampton
WR - Nick Mayers, Sr., Old Dominion
WR - Ben Edwards, Jr., Richmond
TE - Jake McGee, So, Virginia
OL - Oday Aboushi, Sr., Virginia
OL - Nick Becton, Sr., Virginia Tech
OL - Aaron Lundy, Sr., Liberty
OL - Morgan Moses, Jr., Virginia
OL - Earl Watford, Sr., James Madison
Defense
DL - Chris Burnette, Sr., Old Dominion
DL - James Gayle, Jr., Virginia Tech
DL - Derrick Hopkins, Jr., Virginia Tech
DL - George Riddick, So., Norfolk State
LB - Steve Greer, Sr., Virginia
LB - Stephon Robertson, Jr., James Madison
LB - Jack Tyler, Jr., Virginia Tech
CB - Antone Exum, Jr., Virginia Tech
CB - Demetrious Nicholson, So., Virginia
S - Cooper Taylor, Sr., Richmond
S - Brent Vinson, Sr., Liberty
Special Teams
PK - Jarod Brown, Jr., Old Dominion
P - Jonathan Plisco, Sr., Old Dominion
RET - Khalek Shepherd, So., Virginia
Second Team
Offense
QB - Logan Thomas, Jr., Virginia Tech
RB - Dae-Quan Scott, Jr., James Madison
RB - Kendall Gaskins, Sr., Richmond
WR - Pat Kelly, Sr., Liberty
WR - Tre McBride II, So., William & Mary
TE - Brian Barlow, Sr., James Madison
OL - David Born, Jr., Old Dominion
OL -Michael Kay, Sr., Norfolk State
OL - Vinston Painter, Sr., Virginia Tech
OL - Nick Ritcher, So., Richmond
OL - Mike Salazar, Sr., William & Mary
Defense
DL -Cory Freeman, Jr., Liberty
DL - Charlie Jones, Sr., VMI
DL - Tyler Snow, Jr., James Madison
DL - Kerry Wynn, Jr., Richmond
LB - Nick Sigmon, So., Liberty
LB -Lyndon Trail, Fr., Norfolk State
LB - Craig Wilkins, Sr., Old Dominion
CB - Darryl Hamilton, Sr., Richmond
CB - B.W. Webb, Sr., William & Mary
S - Anthony Harris, So., Virginia
S - Dean Marlowe, So., James Madison
Special Teams
PK - Cody Journell, Jr., Virginia Tech
P - A.J. Hughes, Fr., Virginia Tech
RET - Ryan Smith, Sr., James Madison