BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. – The Mountain East Conference announced its All-MEC honors Thursday afternoon and Jaleel McLaughlin, Jack Kosko and Mike Jacobs each earned one of the yearly awards while 16 players were named to the All-Conference lists.
 
Freshman running back Jaleel McLaughlin earned MEC Offensive Player of the Year and MEC Offensive Freshman of the Year after leading the league in rushing and breaking the MEC record for most rushing yards and most rushing touchdowns in a single season. He is the first player to earn both honors in the same year.
 
Freshman defensive lineman Jack Kosko earned MEC Defensive Freshman of the Year. Kosko was part of a defensive line that ranked No. 1 against the rush throughout the season and recorded a sack in four of his final five games.
 
Third-year head coach Mike Jacobs earned MEC Coach of the Year after leading his team to an 11-0 regular season and the No. 1 seed in the Super Region 1. Jacob's team was chosen to finish third in the conference in the preseason, but won the MEC Championship as the lone undefeated team in the league.
 
Overall, 16 players, including McLaughlin earned All-MEC First Team , Second Team or Honorable Mention honors. These honors, along with the yearly awards, were voted on by the coaches across the MEC.
 
"I think it's important any time the coaches vote," Jacobs said. "That's not to disregard anything the media or sports information folks do, but coaches are the guys that comb over hours and hours of tape. They're more intimately involved and know the players better. To have as many guys recognized is not only an honor for them as individuals, but it speaks to our team as a whole. In 2015 we had some really talented kids, but only had 10 players receive all-league honors, and no one on the First Team. I kept telling them the more we win as a team, the more we'll see the number increase."
 
The Falcons have seen that increase since Jacobs took over prior to the 2016 season. In his debut year, NDC boasted 13 All-MEC players. Last season Notre Dame brought in 14 honors.
 
Jacobs was happy to see McLaughlin earn his offensive awards saying that all you need to do is watch his film to know just how special he is.
 
"The guy has been more than we thought he'd be the entire time for us this season," Jacobs said. "He's proven to be durable and consistent and reliable. He's had so many games with runs over 45 or 50 yards. Even if he doesn't have one of those big runs, you look at the stat sheet and he still averaged eight or nine yards a carry."
 
Kosko took off late in the season after playing since the beginning. His coming out game was against Charleston when NDC clinched the Mountain East Championship with the help of his 2.5 sacks.
 
"He was part of that freshman class that was highly decorated coming out of high school," Jacobs said. "He had offers from people in the MEC and we were able to secure his commitment. He came in and started earning time on a senior-laden defensive line. We knew he would be able to contribute, but we saw him learn over the course of the season and get used to the college game. He did some really good things towards the end of this season. This league has a bunch of fantastic defensive lineman so to carve a niche for himself just speaks to what he can do."
 
Jacobs has been a strong leader for the NDC program throughout his time with the Falcons. He led his team to a 9-2 record his first year and an 8-3 record last season, just missing the playoffs both years before turning into the top seed in the region this season.
 
"The best thing I've done since I've been privileged enough to be here is hire a great staff," Jacobs said. "I don't want to sound corny or cliché, but our assistant coaches are fantastic. They work their tails off and are first-rate teachers. They develop strong relationships with the players and are the reason we have been able to take significant steps in this program in such a short time. I'm grateful for Scott Swain for giving me a chance as a first time coach, and to President Tom Kruczek for providing us the resources we need.
 
"From a personal standpoint, I couldn't do anything without my family. My wife Lacey and son Luke are my support system at home. To allow us to do these kinds of things and put the time and effort we need into this program, for me, those are the people that are really important."
 
Offensive Player of the Year / Offensive Freshman of the Year
 
Jaleel McLaughlin
 
-Rushed for 1,883 yards, breaking an MEC record
-Broke a program record with 17 rush touchdowns
-Rushed 6.7 yards-per-game
-Totaled 2,114 all-purpose yards
-Two games with over 300 rush yards
-Ranked second in the country in both rushing yards and rushing yards per game (171.2), and leads all freshmen in both of those categories.
-His 340 yards rushing against West Liberty were third-most in a game in NCAA Division II this season. 
 
Defensive Freshman of the Year
 
Jack Kosko
 
-Recorded 16 tackles
-Totaled 6.5 tackles for a loss
-Third on the team with 5.5 sacks
 
Coach of the Year
 
Mike Jacobs
 
-Won the first MEC Title in program history
-Finished regular season with an 11-0 record and clinched No. 1 spot in region
-Picked to finish in the MEC preseason poll
 
First Team
 
WR – Marvelle Ross (also named Second Team KR/PR)
 
-Led the team with 60 catches, 905 receiving yards and nine receiving touchdowns
-Ran back three punt return touchdowns
-Recorded 1,494 all-purpose yards
 
OL – Jimmy Burchett
 
-Started on an offensive line that helped gained 279 rush yards-per-game and 28 rush yards
 
OL – Brandon Nicholson
 
-Started on an offensive line that got 6.1 yards-per-carry on the ground over 505 attempts
 
DL – Sha'haun Williams
 
-Led the team in tackles for a loss (18) and sacks (14)
-Broke the MEC record with 14 sacks
-Forced three fumbles and recovered two
 
LB – Guam Lee
 
-Led the team by intercepting four passes and recording 76 tackles
-Forced two fumbles and recovered one
-Recorded 10 tackles for a loss
 
DB – Cedric Lynch
 
-Played first full collegiate season on the defensive side
-Broke up eight passes
-Intercepted three passes
 
Second Team
 
TE – Zaire Mitchell
 
-Second on the team with 319 receiving yards
-But led the team with 15.19 yards-per-catch
-Caught the longest pass play of the year (85 yards)
 
OL – Brice Hinton
 
-A part of the offensive line unit that allowed just nine sacks
 
OL – Austin Treneff
 
-On an offensive line that helped gain 463 yards of offense-per-game and 54 total touchdowns
-Senior captain, starting center and starting long snapper
 
DL – Vincent Ellis
-Second on the team with 7.5 sacks
-10 tackles for a loss
-Recorded five pass break-ups and forced two fumbles
 
LB – Curtis Collins
 
-Second on the team with 75 tackles
-Tallied 8.5 tackles for a loss
-Recorded eight pass break ups
 
DB – Jeffrey Thomas
 
-Fourth on the squad with 50 tackles
-Broke a program record with 24 pass break-ups
-Third on the team with 39 solo tackles
 
Honorable Mention  
 
QB – Chris Brimm
 
-Threw for 1894 yards and 19 touchdowns
-Averaged 189.4 pass yards-per-game
-Recorded just six interceptions in 283 pass attempts
 
DL – Derrick Brumfield
 
-Totaled 22 tackles
-Tied for second-most tackles for a loss with 10.0
-Recorded 5.0 sacks
 
LB – RJ Goodwin
 
-Third on the team with 73 tackles
-Tallied eight tackles for a loss
-Led the team with 37 assisted tackles