After a record-breaking season, Arkansas State University senior Omar Bayless was announced as the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year on Wednesday, becoming the second wide receiver to ever win the award.
Bayless finished the regular season as the nation's leader in receiving yards with 1,473, second in receiving touchdowns with 16 and tied for eighth in receptions with 84. He also blocked two punts, which is tied for first nationally.
"Emotions all over the place," Bayless tweeted Wednesday afternoon.
Florida International's T.Y. Hilton, who currently plays for the Indianapolis Colts, was the first receiver to win the award in 2010.
Bayless, who was also a first-team offensive selection by the league, broke both the school and Sun Belt single-season records for receiving yards and receiving touchdowns.
It's the fourth consecutive season that an ASU player has been named the league's player of the year. Quarterback Justice Hansen won it last year, and defensive end Ja'Von Rolland-Jones won it back to back from 2016-17.
Plenty of other Red Wolves were honored by the league Wednesday.
Redshirt freshman quarterback Layne Hatcher, who replaced junior starter Logan Bonner in Week 5 after Bonner had season-ending surgery, was named the Sun Belt Freshman of the Year, a season after Red Wolves sophomore running back Marcel Murray won it.
"I think it's really cool. I think it's a huge testament to the guys around me, Coach [Blake Anderson] and coach [Keith Heckendorf] for believing in me, giving me the opportunity, and then the players around me as well -- the receivers, the O-line, running backs," Hatcher, a former star at Pulaski Academy, told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. "I think they put me in a great situation to make plays and gave me opportunities to trust myself and go have fun."
Hatcher, despite missing the first four games, finished third in the league in passing yards with 2,553, and third in passing touchdowns with 23. Hatcher completed 68.3% of his throws and had nine interceptions.
Sixteen ASU players were named to all-Sun Belt teams, which was second highest among teams in the conference, trailing only Sun Belt East winner Appalachian State. Along with Bayless, senior receiver Kirk Merritt, junior defensive end William Bradley-King, senior defensive back Darreon Jackson, sophomore kicker Blake Grupe and senior punter Cody Grace were selected to the first team.
Senior defensive tackle Kevin Thurmon and senior safety B.J. Edmonds were named to the second team, while junior receiver Jonathan Adams, sophomore left tackle Jarrett Horst, junior center Jacob Still and junior linebacker Tajhea Chambers were on the third team.
Murray, sophomore left guard Andre Harris, junior right guard Ivory Scott and junior linebacker Caleb Bonner were honorable mentions.
ASU, which finished 7-5 and second in the Sun Belt West at 5-3, will go to a bowl and have clinched a winning record for the ninth consecutive year. Bowl destinations will be announced Sunday.
Sports on 12/05/2019