EAST STROUDSBURG – East Stroudsburg University outside linebacker Matt Freed is the only defensive player among the 24 national candidates for the Harlon Hill Award recognizing the top college football player in Division II, it was announced Friday.
Freed (Souderton/Souderton), a two-time All-American, is one of six players selected from Super Region One. The list of 24 candidates is selected at the regional level by an advisory committee, which sorts through nominations submitted by sports information directors.
The top two players from each of the country’s four regions will be placed on the national ballot for the 2010 Harlon Hill Award, which will be presented on Friday, Dec. 17 in Florence, Alabama.
The other candidates in Super Region One are quarterbacks Zach Amedro (West Liberty, W.V.), Kevin Morton (Kutztown) and Josh Portis (California, Pa.) and running backs Franklyn Quiteh (Bloomsburg) and Walter Sanders (Saint Augustine, N.C.). Amedro is a returning national finalist.
Freed is the sixth player to represent ESU on the Harlon Hill ballot and the first since quarterback Jimmy Terwilliger, a four-time candidate, three-time finalist and the 2005 Harlon Hill Award winner. Quarterback Damian Poalucci was a candidate for the award in 1996 and 1997 and the third-place finisher in 1996; quarterback James Franklin (1994) and kicker/punter Ed Detwiler (1992) were also candidates; and wide receiver/kick returner Dennis Mailhot was a finalist in 1989.
Freed will play the final game of his career this weekend at Edinboro and has 23 double-digit tackle performances in 33 career starts. He enters Saturday’s game with 385 career tackles, 44.0 tackles for a loss and 21.5 sacks and is a two-time Daktronics Division II first team All-American and third team AP Little All-American.
He has 106 tackles, 13.0 tackles for a loss, 6.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and an interception this season. He has had three straight 100-tackle seasons, posting 132 tackles (18 TFL, 10 sacks) in ESU’s NCAA Playoff season in 2009 and 126 tackles (11 TFL, 4 sacks) in his first year as a starter in 2008.
Freed was also a first team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American last year, is a three-time first team Academic All-District choice and was a semifinalist for this year’s Walter V. Campbell Award from the National Football Foundation.
He can become the first two-time first team Academic All-America selection in school history when the honors are announced on Tuesday, Nov. 23. He would also be the first Warrior to earn three AP Little All-America honors if he is selected by the national organization in December.
SUPER REGIONAL 1 Pos. Ht Wt Cl School Hometown
Zach Amedro QB 6-0 200 SR West Liberty Moundsville, W.V.
Matt Freed OLB 6-0 215 SR East Stroudsburg Souderton, Pa.
Kevin Morton QB 6-1 190 SO Kutztown Abington, Pa.
Josh Portis QB 6-4 205 SR California (PA) Woodland Hills, Calif.
Franklyn Quiteh RB 5-10 197 FR Bloomsburg Tobyhanna, Pa.
Walter Sanders TB 5-11 215 SR Saint Augustine’s Baltimore, Md.
SUPER REGIONAL 2 Pos. Ht Wt Cl School Hometown
Bo Cordell QB 6-1 195 SO Tusculum Cincinnati, Ohio
Cody Haffly QB 6-1 210 JR Wingate Locust Grove, Ga.
Nick Hardesty QB 6-0 210 SR Henderson State Salina, Kansas
Stanley Jennings QB 6-2 235 JR Albany State Marietta, Ga.
Jonas Randolph RB 5-10 185 JR Mars Hill Daleville, Ala.
Deon Williams QB 5-11 224 SR West Alabama Tuscaloosa, Ala.
SUPER REGIONAL 3 Pos. Ht Wt Cl School Hometown
Clay Garcia QB 6-0 200 JR Colorado-Mines Alamosa, Colo.
Kyle Kaiser WR 6-0 175 SR Nebraska-Kearney Broomfield, Colo.
Jesse Lewis TB 5-6 178 JR Colorado-Pueblo Loveland, Colo.
Phil Milbrath RB 5-9 200 SR Michigan Tech Norway, Mich.
Josh Renel RB 5-8 187 JR Wayne State (Mich.) Rochester Hills, Mich.
Troy Weatherhead QB 6-3 223 SR Hillsdale Grand Rapids, Mich.
SUPER REGIONAL 4 Pos. Ht Wt Cl School Hometown
Josh Birmingham RB 5-8 185 FR Central Oklahoma Luther, Okla.
Blake Bolles QB 6-4 210 SR NW Missouri State Maryville, Mo.
Eric Czerniewski QB 6-0 190 SR Central Missouri Montgomery City, Mo.
Steve Gachette QB 6-1 187 SR Southwest Baptist Lehigh Acres, Fla.
Mitchell Gale QB 6-2 220 SO Abilene Christian Alva, Okla.
Taylor Harris QB 6-3 220 SR West Texas A&M Whitesboro, Texas
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