Cullowhee, N.C. – Headlined by the 2025 Roy M. "Legs" Hawley Southern Conference Offensive Player of the Year, awarded to redshirt sophomore quarterback Taron Dickens, nine Catamounts were honored on Wednesday as the postseason football accolades, as voted on by the league's head coaches, were unveiled by the league office.
 
WCU landed four on the first-team All-Southern Conference, with three selected to the second team and three earned SoCon All-Freshman plaudits. Dickens was joined on the first-team offense by his top wide receiver, redshirt sophomore James Tyre. Redshirt junior defensive back Ken Moore Jr., and senior transfer return specialist Dominic Dutton also earned respective first-team nods.
 
Second-team selections included three on offense with redshirt sophomore offensive lineman Zach Watson, redshirt junior WR Malik Knight, and true freshman tight end Josiah Thomas, who also garnered SoCon All-Freshman plaudits. Joining Thomas on the league's all-rookie offense was redshirt freshman running back Markel Townsend, with true freshman placekicker Marcus Trout appearing on the freshman special teams squad.
 
Dickens, who was selected as a finalist for the 2025 Walter Payton Award on Tuesday (Nov. 25), is the fifth Catamount to earn SoCon Offensive Player of the Year honors all-time, dating back to 1977. He's just the second to collect recognition from the league's head coaches, joining former Catamount teammate Cole Gonzales (2023). Dickens joins the likes of former Catamount greats Darrell Lipford (1977), Gerald Harp (1978), and Jeff Gilbert (1984), as well as Gonzales, to earn the top offensive honor following a season.
 
Mercer led the SoCon with 13 all-conference selections, which included seven on the first team. ETSU was second with five players on the first team, while four of WCU's seven All-SoCon selections were first teamers. The Bears also led the SoCon with five all-freshman choices, followed by WCU, Furman, and The Citadel with three each.
 
Taron Dickens – Offensive Player of the Year / First-Team All-SoCon, QB
Redshirt sophomore quarterback led the NCAA FCS and SoCon with 3,508 passing yards, averaging a nation-leading 389.8 yards per game over nine games played. Totaled a WCU single-season record of 3,829 yards of total offense, adding 321 rushing yards and a TD on the ground to break the benchmark set by Tyrie Adams (3,423 yards, 2018).
 
Dubbed the SoCon's Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, Dickens finished second in the nation with 271 pass completions despite three fewer games played than the national leader, connecting on an NCAA-record 50-straight passes at one point during the year between the end of the Campbell game and a national record of 46 consecutive to open the Wofford road win. Dickens finished 271-of-365 through the air with his 74.2% completion percentage led the NCAA FCS, and ranked second in the SoCon record books. Dickens also set a SoCon record for passing efficiency at 188.24, eclipsing the previous mark held by Marshall's Michael Payton (181.3, 1991).
 
A product of Miami, Fla., Dickens broke the Southern Conference single-season record with 38 touchdown passes to lead the NCAA in 2025, giving him 51 TDs in 18 games over the last three seasons – tied for second in WCU's career record books.
 
James Tyre – First-Team All-SoCon, WR
In his first year as a starter, Tyre led the Southern Conference with a team-best 68 receptions – posting three or more catches in all 12 games – and finished second in the conference with a career-best 832 receiving yards, ranked 33rd in the NCAA during the regular season. His 5.67 receptions per game were tied for 14th-best in the nation during the year, while his 69.3 receiving yards per game were 42nd nationally. Tyre recorded three 100-yard receiving games with 101 receiving yards at Campbell, 102 yards and three touchdowns in the road win at Wofford, and a career-best 112 yards receiving in the road victory at The Citadel. He led the SoCon with 11 receiving touchdowns, tied for second in WCU's seasonal record books and tied for the fourth-most in the NCAA FCS. He twice recorded three receiving scores in a single game, catching three TD passes in road wins at Wofford and Chattanooga.
 
All told, Tyre led the Catamounts in scoring with 72 points, adding a 62-yard rush on a fumble recovery against Elon to his totals. His 12 combined TDs in 2025 rank him tied for 11th in WCU's single-season record book. Tyre also threw a touchdown pass, tossing a 61-yard scoring strike to Painter Richards-Baker that lengthened WCU's lead to two scores in the road win at Campbell.

Tyre also ranked third in the SoCon in punt return yardage (152 yards) on the season coming on 15 returns for a 10.1 yards per return average - third-best in the league. His 47 yard punt return, third-quarter punt return at Campbell set up a Catamount scoring drive.
 
Ken Moore Jr. – First-Team All-SoCon, DB
Redshirt junior defensive back finished sixth on the Catamount squad with 43 total tackles, with 28 solo stops and 5.5 for loss with a pair of sacks. Tied for the WCU lead with three interceptions, tied for third in the Southern Conference, and was tied for the team-lead with seven pass breakups, tied for sixth in the conference. A preseason first-team All-SoCon selection, Moore Jr. recorded tackles in all 12 games, including a career-high 10 tackles with seven solo stops in the road win at The Citadel. Intercepted a pair of passes in the win over Furman, returning a second-quarter pick 64 yards for a touchdown, his second career defensive score.
 
Dominic Dutton – First-Team All-SoCon, RS
Senior transfer started 11 of WCU's 12 seasonal games at wide receiver, missing the first offensive plays at Chattanooga after returning the opening kickoff 67 yards to set up WCU's first score against the Mocs. Honored as a return specialist, Dutton recorded 618 yards on 23 kickoff returns, the 12th-most yards in the NCAA FCS. He averaged a SoCon-best 26.9 yards per return – 16th nationally – with one of two touchdowns in the league. On offense, Dutton finished fifth on the team with 25 receptions going for 314 yards with a pair of touchdown catches. Caught his WCU career-best six passes against Elon with his first TD catch on a seven-yard, second-quarter score from Isaac Lee. He also caught three passes for 97 receiving yards in the win over Samford.
 
Malik Knight – Second-Team All-SoCon, WR
A second-team preseason All-SoCon selection, Knight finished the season second on the Catamount squad with 47 receptions for 774 yards and seven touchdowns. Including a reception in every game through the year, his 47 catches were ninth in the SoCon during the regular season, while the 774 aerial yards and seven TDs were fourth among league receivers. Recorded the team's longest reception of the season with a 69-yard TD catch against Gardner-Webb. A Fort Lauderdale, Fla., product, Knight posted a pair of 100-yard receiving games on the year, hauling in two touchdowns among his five catches for 103 yards at The Citadel. Two games later, he caught five passes with a pair of scores and a career-best 141 receiving yards against 10th-ranked Mercer.
 
Josiah Thomas – Second-Team All-SoCon, TE / SoCon All-Freshman, Offense
True freshman tight end Josiah Thomas earned both second-team All-SoCon at tight end, as well as SoCon All-Freshman offense plaudits. He finished the year with 28 catches for 228 yards, seventh on the Catamount offense, and three touchdown catches. Recorded his first collegiate reception on the road at Wake Forest, a seven-yard, fourth-quarter catch from Isaac Lee. Hauled in five passes for a career-best 63 yards and his first career TD on a two-yard second-quarter score in WCU's home win over Samford. Thomas caught a career-best eight passes among WCU's record-setting passing performance at Wofford, adding scores against Palmetto State foes Furman and at The Citadel.
 
Zach Watson – Second-Team All-SoCon, OL
A second-year starter, Watson started all 12 games along the offensive line between the center and guard positions. He logged approximately 757 combined snaps for the Catamount offense. A SoCon All-Freshman team selection a year ago and preseason first-team All-SoCon honoree, Watson helped the Catamount offense rank third nationally in total offense with an average of 493.3 yards per game with a school-record 5,920 total yards – a school-record 4,268 passing yards and 1,652 yards rushing.
 
Markel Townsend – SoCon All-Freshman, Offense
Rushed for 322 yards on 70 total attempts on the season, averaging 26.8 yards per game on the ground, while catching 26 passes for 173 yards over WCU's 12 games. The Columbia, S.C., product was fifth on the Catamount squad with a combined 537 all-purpose yards as five Catamounts split reps at running back on the season. Townsend scored a team-best six rushing touchdowns, tied for the sixth-most in the SoCon this season – with scores on the ground in five of WCU's final six games. His first career touchdown came at NCAA FBS foe, Wake Forest. Townsend also rushed for a career-high 90 yards on 15 touches in the road victory at The Citadel in mid-October.
 
Marcus Trout – SoCon All-Freshman, Special Teams
Pressed into the lineup after an injury to starter Christian Lowery at Wake Forest, Trout finished second on the Catamount squad with 59 total points. He connected on 47 made point-after-touchdown attempts to rank third in the SoCon. All told, his 47 straight successful PATs included going 6-for-6 in three separate games – Samford, at Campbell, and at The Citadel – and he also connected on a single-game career-best seven in the 52-7 rout of Furman. Trout split the uprights on four field goals, nailing his first attempt on a 28-yarder against Elon. He kicked the game-winning, 34-yard field goal in the road victory at Wofford, and hit a career-long 44-yard boot to put the Catamounts on the board in the win over Furman.

 
2025 Coaches All-Southern Conference Football Team
 
Roy M. "Legs" Hawley Offensive Player of the Year:
Taron Dickens, QB, R-So., Western Carolina
Defensive Player of the Year – Andrew Zock, So., DL, Mercer
Freshman of the Year – Braden Atkinson, QB, Mercer
Jacobs Blocking Award – Mike Bartilucci, OL, The Citadel
Wallace Wade Coach of the Year – Mike Jacobs, Mercer
 
First team offense
QB - Taron Dickens, Western Carolina
RB - Devontae Houston, ETSU 
RB - CJ Miller, Mercer
OL - Mike Bartilucci, The Citadel
OL - Ashton Flinn, ETSU
OL - Seth Williams, ETSU
OL - Luke Petit, Furman
OL - Xavier Jennings, Mercer
TE - Josh Burrell, Furman
WR - Adjatay Dabbs, Mercer
WR - James Tyre, Western Carolina
 
First team defense
DL - Joshua Stoneking, Furman
DL - Andrew Zock, Mercer
DL - Donovan Grayson, Samford
DL - Brandon Maina, Wofford
LB - Ty Anderson, ETSU
LB - Drew Clare., Mercer
LB - Jaden Mosley, Samford
DB - William Wells, ETSU
DB - Kaleb Hutchinson, Mercer
DB - Ken Moore Jr., Western Carolina
DB - Maximus Pulley, Wofford
 
First team special teams
PK - Reice Griffith, Mercer
P - Ben Shrewsbury, VMI
LS - Nathan Payne, VMI
RS - Dominic Dutton, Western Carolina
 
Second team offense
QB - Braden Atkinson, Mercer
RB - Ryan Ingram, Chattanooga
RB - Ihson Jackson-Anderson, Wofford
OL - Jamari Freeman, Mercer
OL - Tyler Murray, Mercer
OL - Amarii Atchison, Mercer
OL - Ryan Merklinger, Chattanooga
OL - Zach Watson, Western Carolina
OL - Quincy Hughes, Wofford
TE - Josiah Thomas, Western Carolina
WR - Evan James, Furman
WR - Owen Sweeney, VMI
WR - Malik Knight, Western Carolina
 
Second team defense
DL - Chris Benton, The Citadel
DL - Chris Davis, ETSU
DL - Jordan Swain, Mercer
DL - Conroy Cunningham, Samford
LB - Mikey Rosa, The Citadel
LB - Zion Rutledge, Chattanooga
LB - Stephen Dean III, VMI
DB - Cale Williams, The Citadel
DB - Mike Jenkins, ETSU
DB - Kam Baah-Slay, Chattanooga
DB - Eli Campbell, Wofford
DB - Darius Malcolm, Jr., Wofford
 
Second team special teams
PK - Ian Williams, Furman
P - James Platte, The Citadel
LS - Alex Applefield, Samford
RS - Brayden Smith, Mercer
 
All-Freshman Offense
Brady Pickett, The Citadel
Cobey Thompkins, The Citadel
Jeremiah Harrison, ETSU
Cole Norred, ETSU
Braden Atkinson, Mercer
Evan James, Furman
Ty Doughty, Mercer
Gavin Marks, Mercer
Owen Sweeney, VMI
Josiah Thomas, Western Carolina
Markel Townsend, Western Carolina
 
All-Freshman Defense
Sayre Smothers, The Citadel
Demetrius Baldwin, Furman
Kobe McInnis, Mercer
KJ Thomas, Mercer
Trey Lenhardt, Samford
Kamari Todd, Chattanooga
KJ Sejour, Chattanooga
Donovan Burnett, VMI
Derek Hite, VMI
Darius Malcolm Jr., Wofford
Wyatt Ward, Wofford
 
All-Freshman Special Teams
Caleb Easterling, Furman
Jake Garner, Samford
Marcus Trout, Western Carolina
Cavan Craig, Wofford