McNeese football had five players named to the 2024 All-Southland Conference teams, which were released on Tuesday. Offensive lineman Cole Leclair, punter Finn Lappin, and long snapper Jovoni Borbon were voted onto the first team while running back Joshon Barbie and linebacker Micah Davey earned second-team honors.
Leclair ended his three-year career as a Cowboy starting all 12 games this season and all 33 in his McNeese career. A preseason first-team all-conference selection and 2023 second-team recipient, the Middleburg, Florida native played 799 snaps on the year and was a key part of an offense that led the league in rushing with 191.7 yards per game.
Lappin, a freshman from Melbourne, Australia, burst onto the scene immediately with a 50-yard average on four punts in the season opener at Tarleton State. He set a new single-season record for punting average with a 46.1 mark which also ranked fourth in the nation. He had 21 punts that traveled 50 yards or more, with three going for 60-plus yards with a long of 68. A total of 19 punts were downed inside the 20-yard line, and three times this season, he averaged over 50 yards per punt in a game. He totaled 2,811 punting yards on 61 kicks.
Lappin was also named one of 25 finalists for the 2024 Jerry Rice Award which is presented to the national Freshman Player of the Year in college football’s Division I FCS subdivision. True and redshirt freshmen are eligible for the award. A player must be considered a freshman by his conference in his first academic year or second if he did not surpass four regular-season games played in the true freshman season (the NCAA redshirt rule). The Jerry Rice Award recipient, to be selected by a national voting panel, will be announced on Dec. 4 and honored at the Stats Perform National Awards Banquet on Jan. 4 in Frisco, Texas.
Borbon was accurate all season while snapping for punts, field goals, and extra points. The senior from Sierra Vista, Arizona was named a mid-year All-American by Phil Steele last month.
Davey, a preseason All-American and one of the top defensive players to watch during the preseason had his season hampered by a rib injury suffered at Texas A&M that sidelined him for four games. The Baton Rouge native still managed to lead the team and rank sixth in the conference with 90 total tackles and rank third with 11.3 tackles per game. He recorded 10 tackles or more in five of the eight games played and had a high of 17 in a win over Southern.
Barbie carried over his stellar end to the 2023 season into 2024 to lead the team and rank fifth in the league with 831 rushing yards. He ran for eight touchdowns, tied for third in the conference, and averaged 5.6 yards per carry, fifth in the league. He recorded 29 plays on the season where he rushed for 10 yards or more.
Player of the Year: Zach Calzada, UIW
Offensive Player of the Year: Jalen Walthall, UIW
Defensive Player of the Year: Brandon Tucker Jr., East Texas A&M
Offensive Lineman of the Year: Evan Roussel, Nicholls
Newcomer of the Year: Sam Vidlak, SFA
Freshman of the Year: Miequle Brock, Nicholls
Coach of the Year: Clint Killough, UIW
All-Conference First Team Offense
| QB | Zach Calzada | UIW |
| RB | Antonio Martin Jr. | Southeastern |
| RB | DeKalon Taylor | UIW |
| TE/H | Logan Compton | UIW |
| WR | Jalen Walthall | UIW |
| WR | Kylon Harris | SFA |
| WR | Darius Lewis | Southeastern |
| OL | Evan Roussel | Nicholls |
| OL | Brockhim Wicks | Southeastern |
| OL | Traveon Newsome | UIW |
| OL | Mason Williams | UIW |
| OL | Cole Leclair | McNeese |
| PK | Chris Campos | SFA |
| LS | Jovoni Borbon | McNeese |
| P | Finn Lappin | McNeese |
All-Conference First Team Defense
| DL | Declan Williams | UIW |
| DL | Warren Peeples | Southeastern |
| DL | Rasheed Lovelace | Nicholls |
| DL | Zack Bernard | Nicholls |
| LB | Brandon Tucker Jr. | East Texas A&M |
| LB | Eli Ennis | Nicholls |
| LB | Jake Dalmado | Nicholls |
| DB | Darius Sanders | UIW |
| DB | Max Epps | East Texas A&M |
| DB | Mason Chambers | UIW |
| DB | Keydrain Calligan | Southeastern |
| DB | Jeremiah Walker | SFA |
| KR | Brandon Hayes | Southeastern |
| PR | Darius Lewis | Southeastern |
All-Conference Second Team Offense
| QB | Sam Vidlak | SFA |
| RB | Khalan Griffin | Lamar |
| RB | Joshon Barbie | McNeese |
| TE/H | Devyn Gibbs | Lamar |
| WR | Roy Alexander | UIW |
| WR | AJ Wilson | HCU |
| WR | Kyndon Fuselier* | Lamar |
| WR | Christian Jourdain* | East Texas A&M |
| OL | Nolan Hay | UIW |
| OL | Rasheed Jackson | UIW |
| OL | Dion Daniels | HCU |
| OL | Elias Ripley | Lamar |
| OL | Javale Roberson* | Lamar |
| OL | Kortez Winslow* | Lamar |
| OL | Nate Adams* | SFA |
| PK | Dillon Fedor* | HCU |
| PK | Riley Callaghan* | Southeastern |
| LS | Will Davidson | Southeastern |
| P | Alec Mahler | Southeastern |
All-Conference Second Team Defense
| DL | Aaron Austin | SFA |
| DL | Ed Bobino III | SFA |
| DL | Kaleb Proctor | Southeastern |
| DL | Devin Grant* | UIW |
| DL | Caleb Williams* | Lamar |
| DL | Shemar Pearl* | Southeastern |
| LB | KK Reno | Southeastern |
| LB | Mister Williams | UIW |
| LB | Micah Davey | McNeese |
| DB | Jaden Rios | East Texas A&M |
| DB | Charles Demmings | SFA |
| DB | Kristian Pugh | Lamar |
| DB | Khamron Ford | Southeastern |
| DB | Coryell Pierce | Southeastern |
| KR | Champ Dozier | HCU |
| PR | DeKalon Taylor | UIW |