A trio of senior standouts headline the list of 2017 preseason Conference USA Football award winners, as chosen by the league’s 14 head coaches.  WKU senior QB Mike White was selected as the C-USA Offensive Player of the Year, Rice senior LB Emmanuel Ellerbee was tabbed the Defensive Player of the Year, while WKU senior KR Kylen Towner earned Special Teams Player of the Year honors.

2017 C-USA Football Preseason Awards Release
 
White returns for his second season at WKU after being named the C-USA Newcomer of the Year in 2016.  He completed 67 percent of his passes (280-of-416) for 4,383 yards (fifth in the FBS) and 37 touchdowns with just seven interceptions.  White registered eight 300+-yard passing performances, including seven of the last nine.  After leading the nation’s top scoring offense and securing WKU’s second consecutive C-USA title, White returns to The Hill as the nation’s No. 2 returning passer behind Oklahoma QB Baker Mayfield.  White (10.5) and Baker Mayfield (11.1) were the only two quarterbacks in the country last season to average 10 yards or better per passing attempts, a Conference USA single-season record.  White's 181.4 passer rating not only ranked No. 3 nationally and second all-time in C-USA history, it also set a single-season school record.
 
Despite missing one game last season with an injury, Ellerbee led C-USA and Rice with 10.7 tackles per game which ranked sixth nationally.  His average was the highest by an Owl since Larry Izzo averaged 11 tackles per game in 1995 (122 in 11 games).  Ellerbee’s 118 total tackles were second in the conference and matched Brian Raines’ 2006 total for the 10th-most in school history.  His 70 solo tackles tied for 14th in the nation and he finished with seven double-digit tackle games in 2016, the most double-digit tackle games since Izzo recorded seven in 1995.  Ellerbee had eight tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, one interception, one fumble recovery and two pass breakups.
 
Towner had a record-breaking season in 2016, setting the NCAA's FBS single-season record for kickoff return average at 40.3 yards per return.  He also became WKU's career record holder in kickoff return yardage at 2,441 yards, passing Joey Stockon's mark of 2,302 yards from 1994-97.  Towner tallied 1,048 yards on 26 returns with a long of 93 in a return score on the opening kickoff against Marshall.  It marked the first time in the FBS era that WKU returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown.  Towner also had a six-yard scoop-and-score on a blocked punt at Louisiana Tech.
 
Two-time defending champion WKU had the most overall preseason selections with seven, while Old Dominion and UTSA each had players comprising four spots.  Six schools had multiple players named to the squad.
 
The league’s 22nd football season begins on Thursday, August 31.  The 13th annual Conference USA Football Championship Game, pitting the champions of the East and West Divisions, will be held Saturday, Dec. 2. 
 
The C-USA Media Poll (Predicted Order of Finish) will be released on Tuesday.
   

2017 C-USA Football Coaches Preseason Awards

Offensive Player of the Year

Mike White, Sr., QB, WKU
 

Defensive Player of the Year

Emmanuel Ellerbee, Sr., LB, Rice
 

Special Teams Players of the Year

Kylen Towner, Sr., KR, WKU
 

Offense

QB          Mike White, Sr., WKU
RB          Ray Lawry, Sr., Old Dominion
RB          Ito Smith, Sr., Southern Miss
OL          O’Shea Dugas, Jr., Louisiana Tech
OL          Will Hernandez, Sr., UTEP
OL          Trey Martin, Sr., Rice
OL          Austin Pratt, Sr., UTSA
OL          Brandon Ray, Sr., WKU
TE          Ryan Yurachek, Sr., Marshall
WR         Richie James, Jr., Middle Tennessee
WR         Jonathan Duhart, Sr., Old Dominion
WR         Allenzae Staggers, Sr., Southern Miss
 

Defense

DL          Marcus Davenport, Sr., UTSA
DL          Jaylon Ferguson, So., Louisiana Tech
DL          Chris Johnson, Sr., WKU
DL          Oshane Ximines, Jr., Old Dominion
LB           Emmanuel Ellerbee, Sr., Rice
LB           Alvin Jones, Sr., UTEP
LB           Josiah Tauaefa, So., UTSA
LB           Anthony Wint, Sr., FIU
DB          Brandon Addison, Sr., Old Dominion
DB          Nate Brooks, Jr., North Texas
DB          Joe Brown, Sr., WKU
DB          Kishawn McClain, Sr., North Texas
 

Special Teams

K             Canon Rooker, Sr., Middle Tennessee
P             Jake Collins, Jr., WKU
KR          Kylen Towner, Sr., WKU
PR          Nacarius Fant, Sr., WKU
LS           Matt Bayliss, Sr., UTSA