Three SAC Football Players Nominated for Harlon Hill Trophy
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Three South Atlantic Conference football student-athletes have been nominated for the 2019 Harlon Hill Trophy as the Division II College Football Player of the Year.
A total of 36 student-athletes were nominated. Ten nominees hail from Super Region 1, four from Super Region 2, 10 from Super Region 3 and 12 from Super Region 4.
The sports information directors at the 167 NCAA Division II football-playing institutions nominate and vote on the award. The 36 initial candidates will be placed on regional ballots and the top two players from each of the four NCAA regions will advance to the national ballot when regional voting concludes on Monday, December 2.
The winner of the 2019 award will be announced on Friday, December 20 and the winner will be honored at the Little Rock Touchdown Club awards banquet on January 9, 2020.
Leading the way for the SAC are the 2019 SAC Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year, Craig Rucker (offensive) and Jaquan Artis (defensive).
Rucker, a senior wide receiver from Orlando, Fla., finished the season ranked first in the conference in touchdowns (14), receiving yards (1,325), all-purpose yards (1,643), receiving yards per game (120.5) and receptions (97). He is ranked in the top five in NCAA Division II in receiving yards per game (No. 5), receiving yards (No. 3), receptions per game (No. 2) and receiving touchdowns (No. 7). He set a new SAC career touchdown record, scoring 43 touchdowns during his career as a Lion. For his efforts, Rucker was awarded SAC AstroTurf Football Offensive Player of the Week honors during the 2019 season.
Artis, a senior defensive end from Kinston, N.C., was a force on defense for the Bears this season. He led the SAC in sacks with 12 and is ranked ninth in NCAA Division II in sacks per game, averaging 1.05 per game. He made 65 total tackles this season, including 36 solo tackles, with 19.5 tackles for loss, accounting for 95 yards. Behind his leadership, the Bears rank No. 4 in the nation in team sacks and they are No. 6 in rushing defense allowing just 77.1 yards per game on the ground.
Wimbush, a senior from Kingsland, Ga., was a first team All-SAC selection in 2019. He leads Carson-Newman in rushing with 889 yards on 120 carries. He's found the end zone 10 times, including eight times in the last four weeks of the season. Wimbush has a trio of 100-yard performances this season, cresting triple digits against the Tusculum, UNC Pembroke and Mars Hill.
The sports information directors at their respective schools nominate candidates. The SIDs in those Super Regions vote for their top five candidates. The winner is then determined in a nation-wide vote of the Division II sports information directors.
The group of 36 candidates includes 13 quarterbacks, 10 running backs, seven wide receivers, three defensive linemen and three linebackers.
The list features 20 seniors, 10 juniors, five sophomores and one freshman. Two nominees - Notre Dame (Ohio)'s Jaleel McLaughlin and Valdosta State's Rogan Wells - return after advancing to the finalist stage in 2018.
The Hill Trophy is named for the late Harlon Hill - the former University of North Alabama standout - who excelled with the Lions from 1950-53 before going on to fame in the National Football League with the Chicago Bears.
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