Clark, Howard Named NEC Players Of The Year

After being tabbed to finish last in the Northeast Conference the 2024 Central Connecticut State football team won four major awards and placed a league-record 12 players onto All-NEC First Team, after winning the league crown.

The top player on both sides of the ball hail from the Blue Devils roster, with Kimal Clark earning NEC Defensive Player of the Year and Elijah Howard taking home Offensive Player of the Year. Christopher Jean was named the league's Defensive Rookie of the Year. Clark is only the second Blue Devil to win the honor on the defensive side (Steve Konopka, 1998(, while Howard is the fifth offensive player. Jean is the third CCSU rookie to earn the honor.

Head coach Adam Lechtenberg, in his second season at the helm, earned Coach of the Year. He led the Blue Devils to a 7-5 overall record and the program's league-leading seventh NEC Championship, with a 5-1 mark in conference play. He is the fifth Blule Devil head coach to be tabbed as the top coach in the conference.

All told, 15 Blue Devils players were honored, the most for any team in league history with a full slate of teams participating. Alongside Howard on the All-NEC First Team, are three of the Blue Devils offensive lineman Alec Ambrosia, Isaiah DeLoatch and Rahtrel Perry.  Joining Clark and Jean on the defensive first team are Dan Toatley, Jack Stoll, Malachi Wright, and Davon Walden, Jr. Jack Barnum and Aidan Clark were also named to the All-NEC First Team.

Jonathan Kuhler, Jalen Howard and Jadon Turner were all selected to the All-NEC Second Team.

Clark, a Buck Buchanan Award Finalist, recorded a career-best 109 tackles during the campaign and finished the regular season 23^rd in the nation with 9.1 tackles per game. His tackle total is the most since Randall Laguerre had 116 tackles in 2016, which is the program's Division I single-season record. He has five games with 10 or more tackles in 2024, highlighted by a career-high 18 stops in the Blue Devils game at UMass.  That effort has helped lead him to a single-season best 59 solo tackles during the year.  

Howard, a native of Knoxville, TN, rushed for 833 yards in his 10 regular season games, ranking 2^nd in the NEC at 83.3 yards per game. He finished the regular season 41^st nationally by averaging 106.50 all-purpose yards per contest. Over the past four games, all CCSU wins, Howard has rushed for five touchdowns, to bring his season total to eight. Howard is second on the team with 19 receptions and averaged 10.2 yards per catch. He is 11^th all-time at CCSU with 1,823 career rushing yards and is a Watler Payton Award Finalist.

Jean, a native of Rochester, NY, leads the NEC in both interceptions per game, 19^th nationally, and fumbles recovered, 2^nd nationally. He has defended 10 passes this year, ranking 20^th in FCS with 1.1 per game, with his seven pass breakups and three interceptions. Jean has made 30 tackles this fall, including 2.5 TFL. He has forced a pair of fumbles and recovered four fumbles, returning one for a touchdown in the come from behind win over Robert Morris. A Jerry Rice Award candidate, Jean tied a school record with three interceptions in the win over Duquesne.

The Blue Devils offensive line had four honorees on Wednesday, and rightfully so. The group of Ambrosia, DeLoatch, Perry on the first-team and Kuhler on the second-team, has allowed just seven sacks this season and is second in the nation allowing 0.58 sacks per game. The Blue Devils are the third-best rushing offense in the NEC, averaging 143.3 yards over the course of 12 games.

Toatley earns his second All-NEC First Team selection, after posting 9.5 TFL and 7.5 sacks. The senior finished the campaign with a team-best 10 QB hurries and made 44 tackles, which is fifth on the roster.

Stoll finished the regular season third on the roster with 68 tackles, 30 of them solo stops. He recorded 7.5 TFL, 2.0 sacks and three QB hurries. Stoll also broke up a pass, forced a fumble and recovered a fumble.

Wright has made a career-high 74 stops this season from his linebacker position, second on the team in that category. He has forced two fumbles, intercepted a pass, ha five QB hurries and broken up a pass.  All that, along with 6.5 TFL and 2.0 sacks.

Walden was part of a defensive backfield group that helped CCSU to 14 interceptions, good for 10^th in the nation. He recorded three of those interceptions on his own and led the team with nine pass breakups and is 28^th in the nation with a pass defended per game average. Walden made 45 tackles this fall, fourth on the squad and is second with 28 solo tackles.

Barnum was named the league's top kicker after setting a program record with 15 field goals this season. His 75 percent make rate on field goals is tops in the league, as his 1.25 field goals per game, which is the 22^nd best average in FCS. Barnum is 32-33 on PAT's this season as well. In the kicking game he averages nearly 57 yards per kickoff and has 17 touchback.

Aidan Clark set a school-record, and tied an NEC record, with an 84-yard punt in the NEC win at Saint Francis. His 42.8 yards per punt average is second in the league and ranks 25^th in FCS.  He has 13 punts this season of over 50 yards, has placed 20 inside the 20-yard line and has nine touchbacks. Barring something dramatic he will graduate as the program's all-time leader in yards per punt.

Jalen Howard is second in the NEC and 19^th in the nation with his 9.5 sacks. He recorded 12.5 tackles for loss on the year, ranking 47^th nationally. Both of those numbers are second best in the NEC. Howard recorded 43 tackles and was credited with seven QB hurries. Howard also recovered two fumbles and forced a fumble this season.

Turner was selected as a return specialist for his All-Conference selection. Opponents often kicked away from him, yet he still finished with a 25.7 yards per return average, which is tops in the league and 16^th nationally. He also contributed on the offensive side of the season, with 114 yards in the game at Mercyhurst, in a win. He finished with three rushing touchdowns and 363 rushing yards.