No. 17 Football Sends Nine Players To SoCon Postseason Honors

GREENVILLE, S.C. – Good news came in bunches for the 17^th-ranked Mercer football team on Tuesday afternoon when seven student-athletes, including five first-team honorees, grabbed a spot on the All-Southern Conference squads, the league office announced. Two first-year players also garnered a spot on the SoCon All-Freshman Team.

Three defensive players – linebacker Ken Standley, safety Lance Wise Jr., and defensive lineman Solomon Zubairu – joined wide receiver Ty James and return specialist Devron Harper on the coaches' first team squad, while Harper picked up a second team nod at wide receiver. Linebacker Isaac Dowling and offensive lineman John Thomas also earned a spot on the coaches' second team.

Harper, James, Standley, Wise and Zubairu also grabbed a spot on the media's first team all-conference squad, while Thomas earned second team nods on the media's listing of the league's top players. Freshmen Brayden Manley and Brayden Smith were both selected to be a part of the coaches' all-freshman team.

Tuesday's announcement marked the most all-conference selections for the Bears among their 10-year stay in the Southern Conference. It is the fourth-straight year that MU has garnered multiple all-conference selections. Mercer matched regular season champion Furman with a league-best five first team selections, while its eight total selections ranked in a tie for second among the nine league schools.

Dowling logged 31\2 tackles (14 solo), including four tackles for loss, before suffering a season-ending injury midway through Mercer's 38-3 home win over VMI on September 30. A preseason candidate for national defensive player of the year, the Snellville product turned in 10 tackles on the way to picking up game most valuable player accolades in the season-opening FCS Kickoff Classic against North Alabama, and then tallied five or more tackles three of his next four outings, including a 9-stop day at nationally-ranked Furman.

A native of Conyers, Harper is one of the nation's most electric return guys, and currently leads all of NCAA FCS with 817 combined kick return yards (punt returns + kick returns), and is among a three-way tie with a nation's-best two punt return touchdowns. The 2-time SoCon Special Teams Player of the Week has racked up more than 1,500 all-purpose yards this season, including 453 kickoff return (18 attempts) and 364 punt return (5 attempts) yards. On the offensive side of the ball, he has caught 50 passes for 522 yards and two touchdowns, as well as amassed 179 rushing yards (23 carries) and one additional score.

James, a native of Conyers, ranks among the nation's top wide receivers in both receiving yards (7th NCAA) and receiving yards per game (9th), while also being listed among the nation's most prolific magicians in all-purpose yards as well. James has started all 11 games for the 17th-ranked Mercer football team in 2023, while logging 54 catches for 1,002 yards and seven touchdowns. He has hauled in four or more catches in eight outings this season, including a school record-tying 14-catch, 285-yard performance in the win at East Tennessee State in early October.

A product of Vanceboro, N.C., Manley has seen action in eight games for the Bears in 2023, and has produced 11 tackles (eight solo), including an impressive 5-1/2 tackles for loss (4-1/2 sacks), as well as a quarterback hurry and a forced fumble. Manley made his collegiate debut in MU's road tilt with then-No. 22 Ole Miss, logged his first stop via tackle for loss at nationally-ranked Furman, and logged all 4-1/2 sacks over the last five contests of the regular season. He made a season-best four tackles against nationally-ranked Chattanooga.

Smith has racked up more than 250 all-purpose yards in 2023, with a bulk of those gains coming amid MU's current 4-game win streak. The Macon native made his collegiate debut against No. 22 Ole Miss a memorable one with a 19-yard reception, tallied five catches for 36 yards in Mercer's upset win at then-No. 10 Western Carolina, and then had a breakout performance in the victory over The Citadel, including a 50-yard scoring scamper early in the fourth quarter.

Standley has started in all 11 games for the Orange & Black this season, and has logged a team-leading 80 tackles (44 solo), including 13.0 tackles for loss (-43 yards) and 4.0 sacks (-22 yards). The Waycross native has also added nine quarterback hurries, one forced fumble and a pair of pass break-ups, and broke through with his first career interception in Mercer's win at The Citadel – a pickoff that he inevitably returned for a 27-yard touchdown. Standley has turned in seven or more tackles eight times in 2023, including nine stops on four occasions.

A 9-game starter on the offensive line this season, Thomas missed two games due to injury but has still paced a unit that has paved the way for an offensive attack that averages nearly 152 rushing yards per game. The Bears have rolled opponents for 200 or more rushing yards five times already this season, including a 317-yard day at East Tennessee State.

Wise Jr., a product of Marietta, Ga., has amassed 72 tackles (34 solo) this season, while also adding 2-1/2 tackles for loss (-9 yards) one forced fumble and a pair of pass break-ups. He also ranks 14th, nationally with a quartet of interceptions, including two that he returned for touchdowns. Wise Jr. has logged double-digit stops in a pair of outings in 2023, including a season-best 14 tackles (2.0 TFL) in the home outing with nationally-ranked Chattanooga.

Zubairu has amassed 42 tackles (29 solo) this season, including a team-bests in both tackles for loss (15.0) and sacks (7.5). A menacing pass rusher on the right side of the defensive line, the Lawrenceville native has produced multiple sacks against three opponents, while also posting five tackles on three occasions as well. The program's all-time quarterback hurries leader, including a career-best 11 this season alone, also forced and recovered a fumble in the end zone earlier this season against Wofford.

No. 17 Football Sends Nine Players To SoCon Postseason Honors

Players Mentioned

Isaac Dowling

Devron Harper

Ty James

Brayden Manley

Brayden Smith

Ken Standley

John Thomas

Lance Wise Jr.

Solomon Zubairu

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