Conference USA football individual awards

The Conference USA currently gives seven individual football awards at the conclusion of every season. The five awards are Most Valuable Player, Offensive Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Special Teams Player of the Year, Newcomer of the Year, Freshman of the Year, and Coach of the Year. Recipients are selected by the votes of the conference's head coaches.^[1]

Player of the Year

Positions key
QB	Quarterback	RB	Running back	WR	Wide receiver	RS	Return specialist
Class key
Fr	Freshman	So	Sophomore	Jr	Junior	Sr	Senior

Winners

Season	Player^[2]	School	Position	Class
2008	Chase Clement	Rice	QB	Sr
2009	Case Keenum	Houston	QB	Jr
2010	Dwayne Harris	East Carolina	WR/RS	Sr
2011	Case Keenum (2)	Houston	QB	Sr
2012	Rakeem Cato	Marshall		So
2013	Shane Carden	East Carolina		Jr
2014	Brandon Doughty	Western Kentucky		Jr
2015	Brandon Doughty (2)	Western Kentucky		Sr
2016	Ryan Higgins	Louisiana Tech		Sr
2017	Devin Singletary	Florida Atlantic	RB	So
2018	Brent Stockstill	Middle Tennessee State	QB	Sr
2019	Brenden Knox	Marshall	RB	So
2020	Jaelon Darden	North Texas	WR/RS	Sr
2021	Bailey Zappe	Western Kentucky	QB
2022	Frank Harris	UTSA
2023	Kaidon Salter	Liberty		So
2024	Tyler Huff	Jacksonville State		Sr

Winners by school

School (Seasons)	Winners	Years
Western Kentucky (2014–present)	3	2014, 2015, 2021
East Carolina (1997–2014)	2	2010, 2013
Houston (1996–2013)	2	2009, 2011
Marshall (2005–2022)	2	2012, 2019
Florida Atlantic (2013–2023)	1	2017
Jacksonville State (2023–present)	1	2024
Liberty (2023–present)	1	2023
Louisiana Tech (2013–present)	1	2016
Middle Tennessee State (2013–present)	1	2018
North Texas (2013–2023)	1	2020
Rice (2005–2023)	1	2008
UTSA (2013–2023)	1	2022

Offensive Player of the Year

The Offensive Player of the Year is awarded to the player voted most outstanding at an offensive position.

Winners

Positions key
QB	Quarterback	RB	Running back	TE	Tight end	WR	Wide receiver
Class key
Fr	Freshman	So	Sophomore	Jr	Junior	Sr	Senior

Season	Player^[3]	School	Position	Class
1996	Antowain Smith	Houston	RB	Sr
1997	Shaun King	Tulane	QB	Jr
1998	Chris Redman	Louisville		Jr
1999	Chris Redman (2)			Sr
2000	Dave Ragone			So
2001	Dave Ragone (2)			Jr
2002	Dave Ragone (3)			Sr
2003	DeAngelo Williams	Memphis	RB	So
2004	DeAngelo Williams (2)	Memphis	RB	Jr
2004	Stefan Lefors	Louisville	QB	Sr
2005	DeAngelo Williams (3)	Memphis	RB
2006	Kevin Kolb	Houston	QB
2007	Paul Smith	Tulsa
2008	Case Keenum	Houston		So
2009	Joe Webb	UAB		Sr
2010	G.J. Kinne	Tulsa		Jr
2011	Patrick Edwards	Houston	WR	Sr
2012	Zach Line	SMU	RB	Sr
2013	Rakeem Cato	Marshall	QB	Jr
2014	Rakeem Cato (2)	Marshall		Sr
2015	Nick Mullens	Southern Miss		Jr
2016	Carlos Henderson	Louisiana Tech	WR	Jr
2017	Mason Fine	North Texas	QB	So
2018	Mason Fine (2)	North Texas		Jr
2019	J'mar Smith	Louisiana Tech		Sr
2020	Sincere McCormick	UTSA	RB	So
2021	Sincere McCormick (2)	UTSA		Jr
2022	DeWayne McBride	UAB		Jr
2023	Diego Pavia	New Mexico State	QB	Sr
2024	Caden Veltkamp	Western Kentucky	QB	So

Winners by school

School (Seasons)	Winners	Years
Louisville (1996–2005)	6	1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004
Houston (1996–2013)	4	1996, 2006, 2008, 2011
Memphis (1996–2013)	3	2003, 2004, 2005
Louisiana Tech (2013–present)	2	2016, 2019
Marshall (2005–2022)	2	2013, 2014
North Texas (2013–2023)	2	2017, 2018
Tulsa (2005–2014)	2	2007, 2010
UAB (1999–2015, 2017–2023)	2	2009, 2022
UTSA (2013–2023)	2	2020, 2021
New Mexico State (2023–present)	1	2023
SMU (2005–2013)	1	2012
Southern Miss (1996–2022)	1	2015
Tulane (1996–2014)	1	1997
Western Kentucky (2014–present)	1	2024

Defensive Player of the Year

The Defensive Player of the Year is awarded to the player voted most outstanding at a defensive position.

Winners

Positions key
DE	Defensive end	DT	Defensive tackle	LB	Linebacker	DB	Defensive back
Class key
Fr	Freshman	So	Sophomore	Jr	Junior	Sr	Senior

Season	Player^[4]	School	Position	Class
1996	Tyrus McCloud	Louisville	LB	Sr
1997	Patrick Surtain	Southern Miss	DB`	Sr
1998	Adalius Thomas		DE	Jr
1999	Adalius Thomas (2)			Sr
2000	Cedric Scott
2000	Wayne Rogers	Houston	LB
2001	Dewayne White	Louisville	DE	So
2002	Lamarcus McDonald	TCU	LB	Jr
2003	Rod Davis	Southern Miss		Jr
2004	Michael Boley			Sr
2005	Kevis Coley			Sr
2006	Albert McClellan	Marshall	DL	So
2006	Nick Bunting	Tulsa	LB	Sr
2007	Gerald McRath	Southern Miss	LB	So
2008	Phillip Hunt	Houston	DL	Sr
2009	Bruce Miller	UCF	DE	Jr
2010	Bruce Miller (2)	UCF		Sr
2011	Vinny Curry	Marshall
2012	Kemal Ishmael	UCF	DB
2013	Shawn Jackson	Tulsa	LB
2014	Neville Hewitt	Marshall
2015	Evan McKelvey	Marshall
2016	Trey Hendrickson	Florida Atlantic	DE
2017	Marcus Davenport	UTSA	DE
2018	Jaylon Ferguson	Louisiana Tech	LB
2019	DeAngelo Malone	Western Kentucky		Jr
2020	Tavante Beckett	Marshall		Sr
2021	DeAngelo Malone (2)	Western Kentucky
2022	KD Davis	North Texas
2023	Tyren Dupree	Liberty
2024	Travion Barnes	FIU

Winners by school

School (Seasons)	Winners	Years
Southern Miss (1996–2022)	8	1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007
Marshall (2005–2022)	5	2006, 2011, 2014, 2015, 2020
UCF (2005–2013)	3	2009, 2010, 2012
Houston (1996–2013)	2	2000, 2008
Louisville (1996–2005)	2	1996, 2001
Tulsa (2005–2014)	2	2006, 2013
Western Kentucky (2014–present)	2	2019, 2021
FIU (2013–present)	1	2024
Florida Atlantic (2013–2023)	1	2016
Liberty (2023–present)	1	2023
Louisiana Tech (2013–present)	1	2018
North Texas (2013–2023)	1	2022
TCU (2001–2005)	1	2002
UTSA (2013–2023)	1	2017

Special Teams Player of the Year

The Special Teams Player of the Year award is given to the player voted best on special teams. The recipient can either be a placekicker, punter, returner, or a position known as a gunner.

Winners

Positions key
PK	Placekicker	KR	Kick returner	P	Punter	PR	Punt returner	RS	Return specialist
Class key
Fr	Freshman	So	Sophomore	Jr	Junior	Sr	Senior

Season	Player	School	Position	Class
1996	Jeff Liggon	Tulane	KR	Sr
1997	Tinker Keck	Cincinnati	PR	Fr
1998	Ryan White	Memphis	PK
1999	Rodregis Brooks	UAB	PR
2000	Jonathan Ruffin	Cincinnati	PK	So
2001	Seth Marler	Tulane	PK	Jr
2002	Broderick Clark	Louisville	KR	Fr
2003	Nick Browne	TCU	PK	Jr
2004	John Eubanks	Southern Miss	KR	Jr
2005	Stephen Gostkowski	Memphis	PK	Sr
2006	Johnnie Lee Higgins	UTEP	RS
2007	Chris Johnson	East Carolina	KR
2008	Joe Burnett	UCF	RS
2009	Dwayne Harris	East Carolina	KR
2010	Damaris Johnson	Tulsa	RS	Jr
2011	Tyron Carrier	Houston	KR	Sr
2012	Quincy McDuffie	UCF	KR
2013	Brelan Chancellor	North Texas	RS
2014	J.J. Nelson	UAB	KR
2015	Deandre Reaves	Marshall	RS
2016	Carlos Henderson	Louisiana Tech	KR	Jr
2017	Isaiah Harper	Old Dominion	KR	Jr
2018	Jack Fox	Rice	P	Sr
2019	Justin Rohrwasser	Marshall	PK	Sr
2020	Lucas Dean	UTSA	P	So
2021	Tommy Heatherly	FIU	P	Sr
2022	Gavin Baechle	UTEP	PK
2023	Ethan Albertson	New Mexico State
2024	Lucas Carneiro	Western Kentucky		Jr

Winners by school

School (Seasons)	Winners	Years
Cincinnati (1996–2005)	2	1997, 2000
East Carolina (1997–2014)	2	2007, 2009
Marshall (2005–2022)	2	2015, 2019
Memphis (1996–2013)	2	1998, 2005
Tulane (1996–2014)	2	1996, 2001
UAB (1999–2015, 2017–2023)	2	1999, 2014
UCF (2005–2013)	2	2008, 2012
UTEP (2005–2026)	2	2006, 2022
FIU (2013–present)	1	2021
Houston (1996–2013)	1	2011
Louisiana Tech (2013–present)	1	2016
Louisville (1996–2005)	1	2002
New Mexico State (2023–present)	1	2023
North Texas (2013–2023)	1	2013
Old Dominion (2014–2022)	1	2017
Rice (2005–2023)	1	2018
Southern Miss (1996–2022)	1	2004
TCU (2001–2005)	1	2003
Tulsa (2005–2014)	1	2010
UTSA (2013–2023)	1	2020
Western Kentucky (2014–present)	1	2024

Freshman of the Year

The Freshman of the Year award is given to the conference's best freshman.

Winners

Season	Player	School	Position
1996	Ketric Sanford	Houston	RB/KR
1997	Jason McKinley	Houston	QB
1998	Derrick Nix	Southern Miss	RB
1999	LaDaris Vann	Cincinnati	WR
1999	Travis Anglin	Memphis	QB
2000	Mewelde Moore	Tulane	RB
2001	Gino Guidugli	Cincinnati	QB
2002	Lonta Hobbs	TCU	RB
2003	Kevin Kolb	Houston	QB
2004	Brian Brohm	Louisville	QB
2005	Kevin Smith	UCF	RB
2006	Justin Willis	SMU	QB
2007	Case Keenum	Houston	QB
2008	Bryce Beall		RB
2009	Charles Sims		RB
2010	Jeff Godfrey	UCF	QB
2011	Jeremy Grove	East Carolina	LB
2012	Kevin Grooms	Marshall	RB
2013	Corey Tindal	Marshall	DB
2013	Nico Marley	Tulane	LB
2014	Ray Lawry	Old Dominon	RB
2015	Brent Stockstill	Middle Tennessee State	QB
2016	Josiah Tauaefa	UTSA	LB
2017	Spencer Brown	UAB	RB
2018	Chris Robison	Florida Atlantic	QB
2018	Isaiah Green	Marshall	QB
2019	Sincere McCormick	UTSA	RB
2020	Grant Wells	Marshall	QB
2021	Elijah Spencer	Charlotte	WR
2022	Kevorian Barnes	UTSA	RB
2023	Michael Richard	Louisiana Tech	DB
2024	DJ McKinney	Sam Houston	RB

Winners by school

School (Seasons)	Winners	Years
Houston (1996–2013)	6	1996, 1997, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2009
Marshall (2005–2022)	4	2012, 2013, 2018, 2020
UTSA (2013–2023)	3	2016, 2019, 2022
Cincinnati (1996–2005)	2	1999, 2001
Tulane (1996–2014)	2	2000, 2013
UCF (2005–2013)	2	2005, 2010
Charlotte (2015–2023)	1	2021
East Carolina (1997–2014)	1	2011
Florida Atlantic (2013–2023)	1	2018
Louisiana Tech (2013–present)	1	2023
Louisville (1996–2005)	1	2004
Memphis (1996–2013)	1	1999
Middle Tennessee State (2013–present)	1	2015
Old Dominion (2014–2022)	1	2014
Sam Houston (2023–present)	1	2024
SMU (2005–2013)	1	2006
Southern Miss (1996–2022)	1	1998
TCU (2001–2005)	1	2002
UAB (1999–2015, 2017–2023)	1	2017

Newcomer of the Year

The Newcomer of the Year award is given to the conference's best transfer.

Winners

Season	Player	School	Position
2007	Brennan Marion	Tulsa	WR
2008	Curtis Steele	Memphis	RB
2009	James Cleveland	Houston	WR
2010	Dominique Davis	East Carolina	QB
2011	D.J. Hayden	Houston	DB
2012	Vintavious Coope	East Carolina	RB
2013	Jaquez Johnson	Florida Atlantic	QB
2014	Cody Sokol	Louisiana Tech
2015	Jeff Driskel	Louisiana Tech
2016	Mike White	Western Kentucky
2017	Jalen Guyton	North Texas	WR
2017	Teddy Veal	Louisiana Tech	WR
2018	James Morgan	FIU	QB
2019	Ty Storey	Western Kentucky
2020	Luke Anthony	Louisiana Tech
2021	Jerreth Sterns	Western Kentucky	WR
2022	Austin Reed	Western Kentucky	QB
2023	Quinton Cooley	Liberty	RB
2024	Tyler Huff	Jacksonville State	QB

Winners by school

School (Seasons)	Winners	Years
Louisiana Tech (2013–present)	4	2014, 2015, 2017, 2020
Western Kentucky (2014–present)	4	2016, 2019, 2021, 2022
East Carolina (1997–2014)	2	2010, 2012
Houston (1996–2013)	2	2009, 2011
FIU (2013–present)	1	2018
Florida Atlantic (2013–2023)	1	2013
Jacksonville State (2023–present)	1	2024
Liberty (2023–present)	1	2023
Memphis (1996–2013)	1	2008
North Texas (2013–2023)	1	2017
Tulsa (2005–2014)	1	2007

Coach of the Year

Winners

Season	Coach^[5]	School	Record
1996	Kim Helton	Houston	7-5
1997	Jeff Bower	Southern Miss	9-3
1998	Tommy Bowden	Tulane	11-0
1999	Jeff Bower (2)	Southern Miss	9-3
2000	John Smith	Louisville	9-3
2001	John Smith (2)	Louisville	11-2
2002	Gary Patterson	TCU	10-2
2003	Jeff Bower (3)	Southern Miss	9-4
2004	Bobby Petrino	Louisville	11-1
2005	George O'Leary	UCF	8-5
2006	Art Briles	Houston	10-4
2006	Todd Graham	Rice	7-6
2007	George O'Leary (2)	UCF	10-4
2008	David Bailiff	Rice	10-3
2009	Kevin Sumlin	Houston	10-4
2010	George O'Leary (3)	UCF	11-3
2011	Kevin Sumlin (2)	Houston	12-1
2012	Bill Blankenship	Tulsa	11-3
2013	David Bailiff (2)	Rice	10-4
2014	Bill Clark	UAB	6-6
2015	Todd Monken	Southern Miss	9-5
2016	Skip Holtz	Louisiana Tech	9-5
2017	Bill Clark (2)	UAB	8-5
2018	Rick Stockstill	Middle Tennessee State	8-6
2019	Tyson Helton	Western Kentucky	9-4
2020	Doc Holliday	Marshall	7-3
2021	Jeff Traylor	UTSA	12-2
2022	Jeff Traylor (2)	UTSA	11-3
2023	Jamey Chadwell	Liberty	13-1
2023	Jerry Kill	New Mexico State	10-5
2024	Rich Rodriguez	Jacksonville State	9-5

Winners by school

School (Seasons)	Winners	Years
Houston (1996–2013)	4	1996, 2006, 2009, 2011
Southern Miss (1996–2022)	4	1997, 1999, 2003, 2015
Louisville (1996–2005)	3	2000, 2001, 2004
Rice (2005–2023)	3	2006, 2008, 2013
UCF (2005–2013)	3	2005, 2007, 2010
UAB (1999–2015, 2017–2023)	2	2014, 2017
UTSA (2013–2023)	2	2021, 2022
Jacksonville State (2023–present)	1	2024
Liberty (2023–present)	1	2023
Louisiana Tech (2013–present)	1	2016
Marshall (2005–2022)	1	2020
Middle Tennessee State (2013–present)	1	2018
New Mexico State (2023–present)	1	2023
TCU (2001–2005)	1	2002
Tulane (1996–2014)	1	1998
Tulsa (2005–2014)	1	2012
Western Kentucky (2014–present)	1	2019

References

^ "FB: CUSA Announces 2024 Players of the Year". conferenceusa.com. December 11, 2024. Retrieved February 16, 2025.
^ "CUSA Most Valuable Player Winners". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved February 16, 2025.
^ "CUSA Offensive Player of the Year Winners". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved February 16, 2025.
^ "CUSA Defensive Player of the Year Winners". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved February 16, 2025.
^ "CUSA Coach of the Year Winners". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved February 16, 2025.

[1] "FB: CUSA Announces 2024 Players of the Year". conferenceusa.com. December 11, 2024. Retrieved February 16, 2025.

[2] "CUSA Most Valuable Player Winners". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved February 16, 2025.

[3] "CUSA Offensive Player of the Year Winners". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved February 16, 2025.

[4] "CUSA Defensive Player of the Year Winners". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved February 16, 2025.

[5] "CUSA Coach of the Year Winners". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved February 16, 2025.

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v t e Conference USA football
Current teams	FIU Panthers Jacksonville State Gamecocks Kennesaw State Owls Liberty Flames Louisiana Tech Bulldogs Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders New Mexico State Aggies Sam Houston Bearkats UTEP Miners (leaving in 2026) Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
Future members	Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens Missouri State Bears (both joining in 2025)
Championships & awards	Conference USA Football Championship Game All-time standings Conference USA football individual awards
Seasons	1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024

v t e College football awards
College Football Hall of Fame
Player of the year	Heisman Trophy (winners) (1936) Maxwell Award (1937) The Sporting News Player of the Year (1942) Walter Camp Award (1967) AP Player of the Year (1998)
Positional awards	Bronko Nagurski Trophy (Defensive player) Chuck Bednarik Award (Defensive player) Lott Trophy (Defensive player) Outland Trophy (Interior lineman) Manning Award (Quarterback) Davey O'Brien Award (Quarterback) Doak Walker Award (Running back) Fred Biletnikoff Award (Receiver) John Mackey Award (Tight end) Joe Moore Award (Offensive line) Rimington Trophy (Center) Ted Hendricks Award (Defensive end) Butkus Award (Linebacker) Jim Thorpe Award (Defensive back) Lou Groza Award (Placekicker) Ray Guy Award (Punter) Patrick Mannelly Award (Long snapper) Jet Award (Return specialist) Peter Mortell (Holder)
Other national awards	Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award (Senior quarterback) Paul Hornung Award (Most versatile) Lombardi Award (Best performance) Jacobs Blocking Trophy (Best blocker) Polynesian College Football Player of the Year Award (Best of Polynesian descent) Deacon Jones Trophy (HBCU's most outstanding player)
All-Americans	College Football All-America Team (unanimous selections) Little All-America team
Head coaching awards	AFCA Coach of the Year Award (1935) Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award (1957) Sporting News Coach of the Year (1963) Walter Camp Coach of the Year Award (1967) Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year (1976) Paul "Bear" Bryant Award (1986) George Munger Award (1989) Home Depot Coach of the Year (1994) AP Coach of the Year (1998) Bobby Bowden Coach of the Year Award (2009) Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award (2006) Woody Hayes Trophy (1977)
Assistant coaching awards	Broyles Award (Assistant Coach of the Year) AFCA Assistant Coach of the Year
Conference awards	ACC awards American awards Big 12 awards Big East awards Big Ten awards (MVP) CUSA awards MAC awards Pac-12 awards SEC awards Sun Belt awards SWC awards
FCS awards	Walter Payton Award (offensive player) Buck Buchanan Award (defensive player) Jerry Rice Award (freshman) Eddie Robinson Award (coach) STATS FCS Offensive Player of the Year STATS FCS Defensive Player of the Year STATS FCS Freshman Player of the Year STATS FCS Coach of the Year
Other divisions/associations	Harlon Hill Trophy (Div. II) Gagliardi Trophy (Div. III) Rawlings Award (NAIA) Hec Crighton Trophy (U Sports)
Academic, inspirational, and versatility awards	Academic All-America of the Year (Student-athlete) Disney's Wide World of Sports Spirit Award William V. Campbell Trophy (Student-athlete) Wuerffel Trophy (Humanitarian-athlete) Senior CLASS Award (Div. I FBS student-athlete) Burlsworth Trophy (Walk-on) Rudy Award (inspirational/motivational)
Service awards	Amos Alonzo Stagg Award Walter Camp Alumni of the Year Walter Camp Man of the Year National Football Foundation Distinguished American Award National Football Foundation Gold Medal Winners Theodore Roosevelt Award
Regional awards	Champ Pickens Cup (1923–1926; Southern Conference champion) Conerly Trophy (Mississippi) Jon Cornish Trophy (Canada) Dudley Award (Virginia) Norris Cup (North Carolina) Porter Cup (U.S. South) Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award (Texas;) Kent Hull Trophy (Mississippi) Nils V. "Swede" Nelson Award (New England)
Awards organizations	Maxwell Football Club National Football Foundation Touchdown Club of Columbus Walter Camp Football Foundation DC Touchdown Club
Defunct awards	UPI Player of the Year (Best player; 1950–1991) Joseph V. Paterno Award (Best coach; 2010) Melberger Award (Div. III MVP; 1993–2011) Chic Harley Award (Best player; 1955–2018)) Archie Griffin Award (Most valuable; 1999–2018)