WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ – Monmouth University's Football Team had 10 players honored by Phil Steele/Draft Scout on their All-America and/or All-Coastal Athletic Association Teams for the 2023 season.
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Running back
Jaden Shirden and wide receiver
Dymere Miller earned First Team FCS All-America, while running back
Sone Ntoh landed a spot on the Fourth Team. Shirden – who was also named the 2023 Phil Steele CAA Offensive Player of the Year – and Miller were joined by Ntoh and offensive lineman
Greg Anderson on the All-CAA First Team. Center
Tyler Williams and cornerback
Eddie Morales III secured spots on the All-CAA Second Team.
Shirden, a Finalist for the Walter Payton Award for the second straight year, finished his regular season as the leading rusher for the second consecutive season. Entering the season at seventh on MU's all-time rushing yardage list, Shirden's 1,478 yards on the ground in 2023 saw him rise to third, and his 10 touchdowns on the season brought him into the program's top-10. The junior notched seven 100+ rushing yard games including two games eclipsing the 250 mark.Â
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Shirden's biggest game came at home on October 14 against Hampton where he ran for 276 yards and scored a career-best four touchdowns – including a 63-yard score and 72-yard score – on 16 carries. Two weeks later at No. 24/22 William & Mary, the West Haven, CT native ran for two touchdowns while notching 251 yards on 21 carries.
Miller, a 2023 Walter Payton Award Finalist in his own right, ended a historic regular season as the nation's leading receiver with 1,293 yards and 117.5 yards per game while adding 10 total touchdowns. His 1,293 yards along with his 90 catches are new Monmouth Football single-season records. The senior tallied six 100+ receiving yard games and scored twice in three games through the air en route to his second career all-conference honors.
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On November 11, Miller posted a record-breaking 11-catch, 333-yard performance versus New Hampshire in which he found the endzone twice. The 333 yards is a new program record, the second-most in Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) history, and the most by any receiver in college football this year. Miller was named the FedEx Ground FCS National Offensive Player of the Week and CAA Co-Offensive Player of the Week for his efforts. At Elon on October 21, the Coatesville, PA native broke off a career-long 68-yard touchdown run to go along with 11 catches for 144 yards and a score in the passing game.
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In his first season as a Hawk, Ntoh finished the regular season tied atop the CAA with 14 rushing touchdowns. The Harvard transfer tallied 411 yards on 56 carries. Ntoh shined in a role that saw him as the primary back in short-yardage situations, though was able to flash his speed on a career-long 92-yard touchdown run versus Lehigh on Sept. 30 – the second-longest run in the CAA in 2023. That same game, Ntoh (career-high 110) and Shirden (119) each went over the century mark, the only time this season the duo accomplished that feat. Anderson was recognized as an all-conference team member for the second consecutive season after starting all 11 games at left tackle for Head Coach
Kevin Callahan and Co. The Hawks' offense was tied for first in the CAA with 48 total touchdowns and ranks inside the top-15 nationally in both total yards (14
th, 431.5 yards per game) and scoring (15
th, 32.5 points per game).
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Williams started double-digit games for the second straight season, helping him earn his first career all-conference honors. The team captain and his linemates paved the way on the ground for the back-to-back CAA Offensive Player of the Year,
Jaden Shirden, as well as being a stalwart in pass protection guiding the Hawks to a top-5 passing offense in the CAA with 243.8 yards per game. Morales led the Hawks and set a career high with four interceptions to bring his career total to 11, moving him into a tie for second in program history.
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Rounding out the All-CAA Teams was cornerback
Mike Reid (Third Team), returner
TJ Speight (Third Team), defensive lineman
Antonio Colclough (Fourth Team), and linebacker
Jake Brown (Fourth Team).
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Reid, who snatched his third career interception in 2023, shined as Monmouth's top outside corner and started all 11 games. The Ownings Mills, MD native led the defensive unit with eight pass breakups as he now ranks fourth in program history with 27 total. Speight set the longest kick return record at Monmouth with a 98-yard touchdown return versus Hampton (10/14) and was named CAA Special Teams Player of the Week (10/16).
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Colclough made an instant impact on the defense after transferring in from James Madison. Colclough finished his 2023 season as the team's leader with 4.5 sacks while adding 24 total tackles and 5.5 tackles for loss. Brown, a graduate transfer from Harvard, finished the season with 72 tackles to lead the team while also intercepting a pass at FAU (9/2) and forcing a fumble at Towson (9/9).
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