BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Valdosta State senior quarterback Sammy Edwards and senior tight end Noah Gillan were named to the Preseason All-Gulf South Conference Team, the league office announced Thursday.
Edwards and Gillan both earned second team all-GSC honors in 2023, as both put together outstanding seasons helping VSU to its tenth Gulf South Conference title and a berth in the NCAA National Quarterfinals with a 12-2 record overall and a 7-1 mark in GSC play.
West Florida had a league-best ten student-athletes named to the preseason all-conference team, while Delta State had nine. Mississippi College and North Greenville had three each, while VSU and West Alabama had two selections apiece.
Edwards, a native of Saint Augustine, Florida, stepped into the starting role under center for the Blazers and put together a record-setting campaign capped with finishing third in the prestigious Harlon Hill Award. He earned GSC Top Ten honors for 2023-24 and was named VSU Male Athlete of the Year in April. He earned Gulf South Conference Offensive Player of the Year and was named D2 Conference Commissioners Association Super Region Two Offensive Player of the Year in 2023.
He finished second nationally for passing yards this season with 4,223, just three yards shy of tying the school-record for passing yards in a season. He went 327 of 494 passing for 34 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, while is 34 touchdown passes put him third all-time in a single season in program history. The 4,223 yards passing is third-most all-time in league history. Nationally speaking, Edwards finished 11th in completion percentage at a 66.2 clip, while he finished sixth in completions per game at 23.36. He finished 20th nationally in passing efficiency (156.3) for third in the league, while his 34 TD tosses were sixth-most nationally. Edwards finished with 301.6 yards passing per game for fifth nationally and he was fifth in total offense at 321.0 yards per game.
Gillan, also a native of Saint Augustine, played in all 14 games with two starts last season. He finished with 19 receptions for 174 yards and a touchdown. Gillan has played in 36 games for his career with 23 catches for 202 yards and two touchdowns.
Both Edwards and Gillian are key returnees for the Blazers, who were picked to win the Gulf South Conference this season in the preseason coaches poll released earlier in the week.
Blazer head coach Tremaine Jackson begins his third season at the helm of the program and six exciting home games highlight the 2024 schedule beginning Aug. 31 at 7 p.m. at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium versus rival Albany State in the First South Georgia Labor Day Classic.