MVP
RB Jimmy Golden BUF
Golden was far and away the best running back on the field this season. He led in both rushing yards and touchdowns, despite only playing in 11 games. Buffalo put up the 3rd highest point total in a season this year and Golden was a big reason for that making the Blue Wings one of the toughest teams to defend with the run game on top of a strong passing game.
LB William Washington II LI
Defence has always been the name of the game for the Raiders and at the centre of the stellar defence is William Washington II. Washington led the league in tackles and forced fumbles. His leadership and play-calling have been of the most important elements in the overall play of the defence along with his own play on the field.
S Garet deVale MTL
Montreal’s defence entered the season looking like the 3rd worst on paper, but S Garet deVale took matters into his own hands this season. He led the league with 10 interceptions this season, 2 more than the next most, and 3 of those touchdowns were taken back for touchdowns providing some offensive help as well. He was also the leader in tackles in the secondary this season to go along with 3 defensive player of the week awards. Montreal was not expected to make the playoffs this season, but deVale’s play on the defence is a major reason they still made it to the dance.
Offensive Player of the Year
RB Jimmy Golden BUF - 20 Rushing Touchdowns (1st), 1st in Rushing Yards
As mentioned before, Golden was the best running back this season leading in both yards and touchdowns for the Blue Wings and being a dominant offensive force this season.
QB Tom Applewhite IND - 26 Passing Touchdowns (T-1st), 1st in Passing Yards
Applewhite was the QB of an almost record-setting offence (yea my bad, Ottawa still has scored the most point in a season with 363). In just his 2nd full year as a starter, Applewhite led the league in passing yards and was only matched by Buck Murphy for touchdowns. He is becoming one of the best QBs in the league.
WR Lloyd Lane LOU - 14 Receiving Touchdowns (1st), 3rd in Receiving Yards
Lane broke out this season as a lethal threat on the field. He put up 14 touchdowns for the league lead and racked up enough yards to finish third behind Ed Edwards (IND) and Taylor Karis (MTL). He is one of the league’s best young WRs at this point and has a very promising future.
WR Taylor Karis MTL - 13 Receiving Touchdowns (2nd), 2nd in Receiving Yards
Karis was his usual self this season being nominated for the OPOY once again. He was an important member of the Rouge offence being able to catch almost anything that went his way this season, which led to the second-most receiving yards and 2nd most touchdowns. He is certainly one of the most reliable WRs in the league.
Defensive Player of the Year
DL William Sanderson BUF - 1st in Sacks, 6 Forced Fumbles (T-3rd)
While RB Jimmy Golden and QB Charles Lemieux did their thing on offence, Sanderson was making plays on defence, leading the league in sacks this season. He dominated on the line so much that it would probably be very difficult to find a play that he wasn’t in the backfield on.
LB William Washington II LI - 1st in Tackles, 7 Forced Fumbles (T-1st)
Washington is continuing the narrative of being Scotty Williams’ successor as the league's best LB. he has another leading tackle season under his belt to go along with 7 forced fumbles on the season. Another stellar year from Washington.
S Garet deVale MTL - 10 Interceptions (1st), 3 Defensive Touchdowns, 1st in tackles (Ss and DBs)
deVale has just shot out of a cannon over the past two seasons being easily the best safety in the league and dominating on the back end. His 10 interceptions and 3 touchdowns is one of the best stat lines ever for a safety, not to mention that he also had the most tackles out of all safeties and defensive backs.
DB Neville Falkner PRO - 8 Interceptions (T-2nd), 1st in Passes Defended
Falkner never disappoints in being the guy in Providence. Once again, the 2-time DPOY was a shutdown corner breaking up the most passes in the league. He also added 8 interceptions to his massive total in his career.
Special Teams Player of the Year
K Ryan Perch BUF - 22 Field Goals (T-3rd), 41 Extra Points (2nd), 108 Total Points (2nd)
Perch had a strong season with a large number of extra points he kicked this season, coming only second to Ross Poindexter of the Victors.
K Nimrod Handsworth LDN - 25 Field Goals (2nd), 25 Extra Points (9th), 100 Total Points (3rd)
Handsworth had a really solid season for London, not much to say pretty much business as usual for one of the best kickers in the league.
K Henderson Schumacher LI - 32 Field Goals (1st) *One away from the record, 22 Extra Points (10th), 119 Total Points (1st)
Schumacher stood out among the rest of the candidates. He put up 32 field goals which is the second-highest total ever in a season only hit by two kickers ever in Nimrod Handsworth (who holds the record of 33) and K Ira Foster of the Royals. Also, his 119 points are also the second-highest total to Handsworth’s 127 points in 1965.
Rookie of the Year
LB Byron Turner BOS - 3 Forced Fumbles, 2nd in Rookie Tackles
Turner had a slow start to his first season, but by the midway point, he was a helpful member of the Boston defence. He slowly surpassed Henderson for 2nd in tackles this season for rookies. Turner is showing that he is slowly learning the system and should continue to be an important part of the defence for the future.
DL Aaron Henderson LOU - 3 Forced Fumbles, 3rd in Rookie Tackles
Henderson made a lot of noise at the start of the season. The #1 overall pick looked to be a rookie of the year favourite right from the start, making an immediate impact on the Thunder line. As the season went on, Henderson did start to fade a little, having a couple of bad games down the stretch, but it’s part of growing into the league.
DL Bernhard Hartmann OTT - 4 Forced Fumbles, 1st in Rookie Tackles, 1st in Rookie Sacks
Hartmann started hot, stayed hot, and dominated on the D-line for the Royals this season, bringing back fond memories of DL Olaf Viktorsson. Next to leading in tackles and sacks for rookies, he also had a surprising number of passes batted and deflected at the line. Hartmann used his smarts to find ways to make an impact all season which did earn him 2 defensive player of the week nods this season.
Coach of the Year
HC Maurice Evanson - BUF - Record: 10-2
Evanson continues to take the Blue Wings to the next level. Buffalo was clearly the best team in the league all season long. Obviously, the team is very talented, but it still takes a good coach to keep them focused and playing the way they do. Evanson’s calm demeanour keeps the guys relaxed but still focused on what they have to do. The trust in the locker room is at an all-time high with this experienced coach who is one of the best in the game.
HC Malachi Knowles - LOU - Record: 6-5-1
Knowles had some high expectations heading into his first season as a head coach. He has had success with many offences and QBs in the past as an offensive coordinator, so fans were hopeful. Knowles delivered on those expectations by taking a QB in Buck Murphy, whose window as a starting QB was fading, and orchestrating one of the most explosive offences in the league around him.
HC Jimmy Sargent - MTL - Record: 7-5
Sargent will get a lot of credit for Montreal’s success this season. With GM Martin Gagneaux making moves towards a bit of a retool, Sargent was handed a significantly worse roster than last year’s McCallister Cup finalist. With that, he took a team projected to win 4 or 5 games to 7-5 and a playoff spot. Sargent’s team-oriented coaching style has helped mask the shortcomings in talent and bring them back to the postseason.
Breakout Player of the Year
WR Lloyd Lane LOU - 14 Receiving Touchdowns (1st), 3rd in Receiving Yards
Lane made a huge impact in his 3rd season in the league, emerging as an elite #1 WR. His friendship with QB Buck Murphy seems to have created an electrifying QB-WR duo that helped Lane breakout this season. In his first two seasons, Lane only scored 5 touchdowns, but nearly tripled that this season with 14.
QB Buck Murphy LOU - 26 Passing Touchdowns (T-1st), 3rd in Passing Yards
Murphy looked like he may be done as a starter after the Blacksmiths benched him last season, but he got another chance with Louisville and took full advantage. Throwing 26 touchdowns which eclipsed his career total and then some. However, he wasn’t perfect throwing 14 interceptions for the 2nd highest amount this season. Regardless Murphy has made it clear he wants to stay under centre in the NAAF for years to come.
DB Sergio Alvarez - 7 Interceptions (T-4th)
Alvarez had a pretty strong rookie season last year, however, he got even better in his second year. The DB racked up 7 interceptions this season becoming one of the best young DBs in the league. His ability to sniff out the ball is not too dissimilar to Neville Falkner or Quentin Xavier, which means he has a good shot at being a consistent interception machine. Overall, Ottawa’s defence seems to have some young gems in their ranks.
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