BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. – The Mountain East Conference announced its year-end football honors for 2019 on Tuesday afternoon and Notre Dame College earned four of the top five awards as well as 18 positions on the All-MEC lists.
 
Mike Jacobs and Jaleel McLaughlin repeated as MEC Coach of the Year and MEC Offensive Player of the Year after earning the recognition in 2018 as well. NDC also won both freshman honors, just as the team did in 2018. Offensive line­man Nick Beans was named MEC Offensive Freshman of the Year while defensive back Bryce Sheppert was named MEC Defensive Freshman of the Year.
 
Jacobs, who also received Regional and National Coach of the Year honors in 2018 was quick to pass along praise to those around him. He has now led Notre Dame to back-to-back MEC Championships and two consecutive NCAA Playoff berths.
 
"I'm certainly humbled to be honored as the Coach of the Year. All of the credit goes first to our players, but I truly believe we have one of the finest Division II staff, if not one of the best in the country. Our assistant coaches work tirelessly and are so much a part of our operation. Being honored this way is a direct reflection of how good our staff is and how hard they work."
 
McLaughlin, who leads the NCAA in rushing yards (1,982), rushing touchdowns (27) and scoring (174 points) has been a human highlight reel throughout his first two years in his collegiate career. After setting the Mountain East record for most rushing touchdowns in 2018 with 18, he has eclipsed that mark with 27 this year.
 
"He's a high caliber player at this level," Jacobs said. "You don't even realize week-to-week the scope of what all he's accomplishing throughout the whole season. The numbers are staggering. He's been so durable, and his ability to change the game for us has been huge."
 
Beans has been the team's starting center since week one, and has been able to stand out among his all-conference and All-American counterparts as a special talent. He is the first offensive lineman to win a top honor in the MEC's history.
 
"Offensive line, especially at the Division II level, is a position that you take a lot of development kids," Jacobs said. "Nick is someone we were fortunate enough to redshirt last year and allow for that time to develop. He stepped into the starting center role with the skill to do the variety of things we do in the run game and pass game, and with the ability to make all our line calls. It says a lot about his preparedness."
 
Bryce Sheppert started the season on special teams, making several highlight plays, including two blocked punts and one return touchdown. He steadily increased his playing time on defense and was able to take over as a starting safety in the final weeks.
 
"Bryce was a really big get for us," Jacobs said. He was being looked at by a lot of the top programs throughout the country because of his ability to make plays on offense. We felt those skills would translate well to the other side of the ball. He's a highly intelligent player and works really hard at it. When you see a guy come in and feel comfortable among veteran players, you know you have something special."
 
Overall, 17 players were named All-MEC at 18 positions (Marvelle Ross earned First Team honors as both a wide receiver and kick/punt returner.
 
All five offensive linemen were honors for Notre Dame with Beans being named Freshman of the Year and the four other starters earning All-MEC spots.
 
"I think it's great to get recognition for our offensive line. I hang my hat on our program being physical at the point of attack. Their abilities are highlighted by what our running back room can do, but they have also kept our pocket pretty clean. We haven't given up a ton of sacks this year. They work hard and it's good to see the players who put in the work to get honored."
 
The offense also earned four honors on the skills side as tight end Zaire Mitchell and running back Ladennyawn Greene joined McLaughlin and Ross.
 
"Zaire is as talented an athlete that I've been around in 18 years of coaching. And the tight end position is one of the most difficult, but he excels both as a receiver and a blocker. DJ Greene is a really neat one for me. He got it at fullback, and a lot of people don't realize how much he's done in the run game blocking this year. You're talking about a kid who was a 1,000-yard rusher in his first two years, and who won MEC Freshman of the Year. For him to put the team first and find unique ways to contribute has been special for us this season."
 
Not to be outdone, the defense had seven representatives on the All-MEC teams. NDC ranks ninth in Division II in rush defense and is one of just five teams to record over 100 tackles for a loss in 2019.
 
"There's a lot of guys that contribute," Jacobs said. "I feel as strongly about our defensive line as I do our offensive line. I'm excited about our linebacker room. Guam Lee and Nathan Moore have not only shown up in the stat sheet, but they have played consistently over the course of this season at a tough position. And it's great to see our safeties get recognized with Bryce and Davionn Johnson. Davionn is a three-year starter for us and has played a ton of football. We ask so much out of him and he does things the right way."
 
And for the second time in Jacobs' tenure, all three special teams positions earned All-MEC honors with Ross being joined by kicker Tanner Harding and Punter Dominic Buttazzoni.
 
"It shows that, at this level, we have a willingness to use scholarship money on special teams players," Jacobs said. "It's crucial for us to identify them and be able to invest in them. Tanner has been very consistent for us for a long time. He's had a great year and has gotten better as the year's gone on. Dom has come in and been unbelievably dependable for us punting this season. Marvelle doesn't get a lot of opportunities at this point, but that's because he doesn't get kicked to much, but he's as dangerous a return man as there is at this level."


First Team All-MEC
 
RB – Jaleel McLaughlin

• Leads NCAA DII in rushing yards, rushing TDs and scoring
• Only player in DII to surpass 2,000 all-purpose yards so far this season
• Repeating as MEC Offensive Player of the Year

WR – Marvelle Ross
KR/PR – Marvelle Ross

• Led the team with 772 receiving yards and five receiving touchdowns
• Returned 10 punts for 152 yards and ran back 15 kicks for 389 yards, with a touchdown.
• Sits in second place in MEC history in career all-purpose yards

TE – Zaire Mitchell

• Second at NDC in receptions (28) and receiving yards (339)
• Scored four touchdowns for the second-straight season
• Second-straight season as an All-MEC honoree

OL – Jimmy Burchett

• Started all 11 games
• Was a part of an offensive line that allowed just 12 sacks, ranking 19th in NCAA
• Blocked for the 16th-ranked rushing offense in Division II

OL – Brandon Nicholson

• Started all 11 games
• Was a part of an offensive line that allowed just 12 sacks, ranking 19th in NCAA
• Blocked for the 16th-ranked rushing offense in Division II

DL – Sha'haun Williams

• Ranks eighth in Division II in sacks per game (1.06)
• Ranks 13th in DII in tackles for loss per game (1.7)
• Ranked fifth in MEC in tackles among defensive lineman (39) despite playing just nine games

LB – Guam Lee

• Ranked 11th in MEC in total tackles with 85
• Ranked ninth in MEC in tackles for loss with 11.0
• Recovered two fumbles, which was fifth most in the league

DB – Davionn Johnson

• Ranks fourth in NDC total tackles with 50
• Broke up five passes
• Totaled three tackles for a loss

 
Second Team All-MEC
 
FB/HB – Ladennyawn Greene

• Ran for 256 yards and five touchdowns
• Ranks fifth in MEC career history in rushing TDs with 30
• Ranks fifth in MEC career history in 100-yard rushing games with 13

DL – Jack Kosko

• Ranked ninth in MEC in sacks (5.5)
• Ranked 18th in MEC in tackles for a loss (10.0)
• Broken up three passes

LB – Nathan Moore

• Ranks fifth among all defensive players in the MEC and second among linebackers with 92 tackles
• Leads the team in both solo tackles (42) and assisted tackles (50)
• Ranks second on the team with five pass break ups

P – Dominic Buttazzoni

• Second in the conference with an average of 38.1
• Punted the ball 44 times for 1,678 yards
• Ten of his punts pinned opponents inside their own 20-yard line

K – Tanner Harding

• Put 13 field goals through the uprights, which is second-best in the MEC
• Went 10-11 on field goals between the 20 and 39-yard line
• Third in the MEC, accounting for 93 points

 
All-MEC Honorable Mention
 
OL – Michael Kyle

• Started all 11 games
• Was a part of an offensive line that allowed just 12 sacks, ranking 19th in NCAA
• Blocked for the 16th-ranked rushing offense in Division II

OL – Adam Riegler

• Started all 11 games
• Was a part of an offensive line that allowed just 12 sacks, ranking 19th in NCAA
• Blocked for the 16th-ranked rushing offense in Division II

DL – Derrick Brumfield

• Tied for the team lead with eight quarterback hurries
• Second on the team in both tackles for a loss (12) and sacks (8.5)
• Finished tied for third in the MEC with 8.5 sacks

DB – Bryce Sheppert

• One of just two MEC freshman defensive backs to have accumulated over 30 tackles this season (38)
• Led the team with three interceptions, including two in a win over West Virginia Wesleyan
• Blocked two punts