13 UC Davis Aggies named to Big Sky All-Conference teams

No. 5 UC Davis football had 13 Aggies named to the Big Sky All-Conference teams as part of the Big Sky’s postseason awards, with six named first team, five going to the second team and two earning honorable mention.

Seniors running back Lan Larison (unanimous), tight end Winston Williams, defensive lineman Zach Kennedy and defensive back Kavir Bains, along with redshirt junior linebacker David Meyer and junior defensive back Rex Connors (unanimous) were all named to the first team following stellar seasons by all six.

On the second team, seniors quarterback Miles Hastings and defensive lineman Evan Bearden joined juniors offensive lineman Eli Simonson, linebacker Porter Connors and kicker Hunter Ridley as the Aggie representatives. And seniors Ernesto Nava (OL) and Princeton Toki (DL) earned honorable mention.

A pair of Aggies earn offensive Big Sky First Team All-Conference honors!!

Lan Larison, Sr., RB
Winston Williams, Sr., TE#GoAgs | #Shredville pic.twitter.com/waXcgNpXbg

— UC Davis Football (@UCDfootball) November 27, 2024

1st Team Big Sky All-Conference

This story was initially published by UC Davis Athletics

Larison, a Walter Payton Award finalist was a two-time Big Sky Offensive Player of the Week honoree and was named the Big Sky Conference Preseason Offensive Player of the Year. Currently Larison leads all running backs in the nation in both receiving yards (755) and receiving touchdowns (six) and he leads the nation in total all-purpose yards (2,132) and all-purpose yards per game (177.7).

And he set program records for career and single season all-purpose yards. Larison ranks first in the nation in all-purpose yards, all-purpose yards per game, fifth in rushing yards, seventh in rushing yards per game and 10th in rushing touchdowns. He ranks first in the Big Sky in all these numbers.

Williams was a force all season, finishing with career highs in every receiving offensive category, ending with 235 receiving yards on 31 receptions. He tied for the second-most receiving touchdowns on the team, hauling in six scores, leading all tight ends in the conference and he finished just one behind Dartmouth’s Chris Corbo for most receiving touchdowns by a tight end in the nation.

Defensively, Kennedy as a driving force and leader for the Aggies all season long and he racked up 25 total tackles, 4.0 tackles for loss, two sacks, two pass break ups, five quarterback hurries, one forced fumble and he blocked a kick. The Aggie edge defender played nearly every snap defensively, and his quarterback hurry against then-ranked No. 5 Idaho on a possible game-tying two-point conversion forced a bad throw by the Idaho quarterback to seal that early season win for the Aggies.

Coming in 28th in the country in passes defended, Bains has been all over the field creating plays for the Aggie defense. The senior defensive back finished with 66 total tackles (47 solo), second on the team for defensive backs, had a team-high 10 pass break ups and made 8.5 tackles for loss.

He also snagged a pair of interceptions, forced and recovered a fumble and blocked a kick. Bains is also only the third Aggie since 2019 to have at least 10 pass break ups in a season.

Meyer, a Buck Buchanan Award finalist, finished with 104 total tackles, 63 solo tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, 0.5 sacks, four interceptions, one pass breakup, one quarterback hurry and one game-winning sealing pick six. His 63 solo tackles ties a single season program record and he led the team in interceptions, tackles and solo tackles.

Nationally, Meyer is ranked ninth in the nation in solo tackles per game at 5.3 and 28th in total tackles per game at 8.7. His 63 solo tackles ranks him fourth in the nation and his 104 total tackles ranks him second in the Big Sky Conference.

Impressively, despite only playing in nine games, Rex Connors racked up 91 total tackles, 61 solo tackles (two shy of the single season program record), 3.0 tackles for loss, 0.5 sacks, two interceptions and five pass break ups. He ends the regular season ranked first in the nation in solo tackles per game (6.8) and 10th in total tackles per game (10.1), sitting first in the Big Sky in both those categories.

2nd Team Big Sky All-Conference

Another Walter Payton Award finalist Hastings finished as one of the nation’s most prolific throwers of the football. Finishing with single season program records in passing yards and touchdowns, Hastings racked up 3,745 passing yards, 32 passing touchdowns, averaged 312.1 passing yards per game and had a completion percentage of 69.5 percent.

He ended the regular season ranked second in the country in passing yards, passing touchdowns, passing yards per game and completions per game (25.3). He finished first in the conference in passing touchdowns, passing yards, passing yards per game, points responsible for, points responsible for per game, total offense and completions per game.

Simonson, for the second-straight season, made every start at left tackle playing every offensive snap across 12 games. He helped block for Walter Payton Finalists Larison and Hastings, as both set program record numbers across the board. And he was a key part of a line that blocked for the third-best passing offense in the nation.

Just a QB and his left tackle wearing the Blue & Gold as Big Sky offensive second team honorees. 😤

Miles Hastings, Sr., QB
Eli Simonson, Jr., OL#GoAgs | #Shredville pic.twitter.com/h8pfMVdHe7

— UC Davis Football (@UCDfootball) November 27, 2024

Playing on the other side from Kennedy, Bearden had a career year racking up 27 total tackles, to lead the defensive line, 1.5 tackles for loss, one quarterback hurry and he broke up a pass. UC Davis football had the 22nd-best rush defense in the country, and that was helped by Bearden’s play, keeping blockers from making it to the second level while working containment on athletic quarterbacks and running backs all season.

Porter Connors, much like his brother Rex, was everywhere and he finished just behind his brother on the team in tackles racking up 72 total tackles. He had 33 solo tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, one sack, and he finished second on the team (and the conference) with three interceptions. The Aggie linebacker also recovered a fumble at California in the season opener, scoring the first touchdown of the 2024 season when he took that loose ball into the end zone at Memorial Stadium.

Arguably one of the most accurate kickers in the country, Ridley finished third in the conference in field goal percentage (88.9) and field goals per game (1.3). He was sixth in the country in field goal percentage, going 16-for-18 on the season, including hitting three big field goals at Eastern Washington in the Aggies historic victory on the red turf of Roos Field.

Ridley also tied a program record with four kicks made in a single game, going 4-for-4 against Utah Tech. He also, at one point, was a perfect 12-for-12 across seven games.

HONORABLE MENTION 

Playing the other side of the line from Simonson, Nava joined his teammate in playing every offensive snap, giving UC Davis football a right and left tackle tandem that never changed throughout the season. He helped block for Walter Payton Finalists Larison and Hastings, as both set program record numbers across the board. And he was a key part of a line that blocked for the third-best passing offense in the nation.

Teams who tried to run up the middle this season were met by Toki and as the season went along, Toki’s presence and impact grew louder. He finished the season helping the Aggie defense hold Montana and Montana State to season lows in rushing and he broke up a pass in the Aggie win at Sacramento State. Toki ended the year with 13 total tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, and nine solo tackles.

2024 BIG SKY POSTSEASON AWARDS

Big Sky Football Individual Awards

Offensive Player of the Year: Tommy Mellott, Montana State

Defensive Player of the Year: Brody Grebe, Montana State

Newcomer of the Year: Ty Pennington, Northern Arizona

Freshman of the Year: Adam Jones, Montana State

Coach of the Year: Brent Vigen, Montana State

First Team All-Big Sky Offense 

QB: Tommy Mellott, Montana State

RB: LAN LARISON, UC DAVIS*

RB: Scottre Humphrey, Montana State

FB: Rohan Jones, Montana State

WR: Efton Chism III, Eastern Washington

WR: Jeff Weimer, Idaho State

WR: Christian Fredericksen, Idaho State

TE: Bryzai White, Northern Arizona*

TE: WINSTON WILLIAMS, UC DAVIS

OL: Marcus Wehr, Montana State*

OL: Jackson Slater, Sacramento State*

OL: Conner Moore, Montana State

OL: Brandon Casey, Montana

OL: Wyatt Hansen, Eastern Washington

OL: Ayden Knapik, Idaho

AP: Michael Wortham, Eastern Washington

First Team All-Big Sky Defense

DL: Brody Grebe, Montana State*

DL: Keyshawn James-Newby, Idaho

DL: Elijah Ponder, Cal Poly

DL: Dallas Afalava, Idaho

DL: ZACH KENNEDY, UC DAVIS

LB: McCade O’Reilly, Montana State

LB: DAVID MEYER, UC DAVIS

LB: Jaxton Eck, Idaho

LB: Tommy Ellis, Northern Arizona

LB: Will Leota, Sacramento State

DB: REX CONNORS, UC DAVIS*

DB: Alex McLaughlin, Northern Arizona*

DB: Tommy McCormick, Idaho

DB: Andrew Marshall, Idaho

DB: KAVIR BAINS, UC DAVIS

DB: Rylan Ortt, Montana State

First Team All-Big Sky Specialists 

KR: Junior Bergen, Montana

PR: Taco Dowler, Montana State

K: Gabe Panikowski, Idaho State

P: Hunter Green, Northern Colorado

ST: Dwayne McDougle, Idaho

Second Team All-Big Sky Offense 

QB: MILES HASTINGS, UC DAVIS

RB: Damon Bankston, Weber State

RB: Eli Gillman, Montana

FB: Austin York, Eastern Washington

WR: Jacob Sharp, Weber State

WR: Jared Gipson, Sacramento State

WR: Keelan White, Montana

WR: Jordan Dwyer, Idaho

TE: Mike Martinez, Idaho

TE: Tanner Beaman, Portland State

OL: Jonny Bottorff, Northern Arizona

OL: Titan Fleischmann, Montana State

OL: Stryker Rashid, Idaho State

OL: ELI SIMONSON, UC DAVIS

OL: Gavin Ortega, Weber State

OL: Cole Sain, Montana State

AP: Dante Chachere, Portland State

Second Team All-Big Sky Defense 

DL: Kemari Munier-Bailey, Weber State

DL: Hayden Harris, Montana

DL: Matt Brown, Eastern Washington

DL: Paul Brott, Montana State

DL: EVAN BEARDEN, UC DAVIS

LB: Riley Wilson, Montana

LB: Peyton Wing, Portland State

LB: PORTER CONNORS, UC DAVIS

LB: Ryan Tirrell, Montana

LB: Danny Uluilakepa, Montana State

DB: Andrew Powdrell, Montana State

DB: DJ VanHook, Northern Arizona

DB: Zach Lewis, Northern Arizona

DB: Trevin Gradney, Montana

DB: Mason Rivera, Cal Poly

DB: Derek Ganter Jr., Eastern Washington

 

Second Team All-Big Sky Specialists

KR: Michael Wortham, Eastern Washington

PR: Junior Bergen, Montana

K: HUNTER RIDLEY, UC DAVIS

P: Brendan Hall, Montana State

ST: TJ Rausch, Montana

 

Honorable Mention Offense (at least 3 votes) 

QB: Dante Chachere, Portland State

RB: Adam Jones, Montana State

RB: Elijah Tau-Tolliver, Sacramento State

WR: Giancarlo Woods, Cal Poly

WR: Mark Hamper, Idaho

WR: Junior Bergen, Montana

TE: Jett Carpenter, Eastern Washington

OL: Nate Azzopardi, Idaho

OL: Jack Seelye, Eastern Washington

OL: Billy Lutui, Portland State

OL: ERNESTO NAVA, UC DAVIS

OL: Luke Dahlgren, Eastern Washington

OL: Journey Grimsrud, Montana

OL: Richard Estrella, Portland State

 

Honorable Mention Defense (at least 3 votes) 

DL: Micah Carreon, Northern Arizona

DL: PRINCETON TOKI, UC DAVIS

DL: Ethan Rodriguez, Cal Poly

DL: Malakai Williams, Idaho

DL: Kenneth Eiden IV, Montana State

DL: Brayden Wilson, Weber State

LB: Garrett Beck, Weber State

LB: Isiah King, Idaho

LB: Ammon Allen, Northern Arizona

LB: Zach Johnson, Idaho

LB: Brandon Wong, Northern Arizona

DB: Jaxon Lee, Montana

DB: Tyreese Shakir, Portland State

DB: DaJean Wells, Eastern Washington

DB: Cam Chapa, Northern Colorado

 

Honorable Mention Specialists (at least 3 votes) 

KR: Andrew Marshall, Idaho

PR: Isaiah Eastman, Northern Arizona

K: Zach Schreiner, Sacramento State

K: Mathias Uribe, Portland State

P: Ben D’Aquila, Northern Arizona

ST: Jeremy Justice, Cal Poly

ST: Sean Farfan, Northern Arizona

* – unanimous first-team selection

Upcoming UC Davis Schedule

• FCS Playoffs: Saturday, December 7th vs. winner of No. 12 Illinois State – 1 p.m PT

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