DALLAS – Conference USA announced its 2023 Players of the Year Wednesday, as selected by the league’s nine head football coaches.
Liberty QB Kaidon Salter was selected as the CUSA Most Valuable Player after his phenomenal season in Lynchburg for the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl-bound Flames. Salter led No. 23 Liberty to its first-ever CUSA championship and currently has the Flames at 13-0. Salter is responsible for 43 Flames touchdowns, has completed 162-266 passes for 2,750 yards, 31 passing touchdowns to just five interceptions and 1,064 yards rushing on 153 carries with 12 scores on the ground. The Cedar Hill, Texas, native enters bowl season as the national leader in passing yards per completion (16.98), is third in FBS in passing efficiency (182.4), is third in points responsible for (258), third in yards per pass attempt (10.34), fifth in points responsible for per game (19.8), fifth in passing touchdowns (31), seventh among all players in rushing yards per carry (6.95), 24th among all players (second among quarterbacks) in rushing touchdowns (12) and 30th among all players (second among quarterbacks) in rushing yards (1,064).
New Mexico State QB Diego Pavia is the league’s Offensive Player of the Year. Pavia led the Aggies to the second 10-win season in program history, and first since 1960. New Mexico State also reached the CUSA Championship Game in the Aggies’ first year as a member of the league, and NM State is headed to its second consecutive bowl game, a feat that has only been accomplished one other time in program history. Pavia has completed 210-341 passes for 2,915 yards with 26 touchdowns to just eight interceptions and has also carried 158 times for 853 yards and six more scores on the ground. The Albuquerque native orchestrated the nation’s 12th-best rushing attack in the country (202.7 yards per game) as the team’s leading rusher. He enters bowl season ranked 14th nationally in passing touchdowns (26), 15th in FBS in yards per completion (13.88), 18th in points responsible for (192), 21st in yards per pass attempt (8.55) and has the fourth-most rushing yards by a quarterback (853).
Liberty LB Tyren Dupree has earned CUSA Defensive Player of the Year honors. Dupree anchored a defensive unit that forced 25 turnovers (second-most in the country) and 21 interceptions (most in FBS) for the 13-0 No. 23 Flames, who are headed to the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl. The Leesburg, Alabama, native heads into bowl season with 115 total tackles, 8.0 TFL, 2.5 sacks, a fumble recovery, two interceptions, three pass breakups and six quarterback hurries. Dupree ranks 27th nationally in total tackles (8.9 per game) and helped the Flames to the program’s first CUSA title in their first season in the league.
New Mexico State K Ethan Albertson is the league’s Special Teams Player of the Year after a stellar season for the Aggies in Las Cruces. The San Diego native finished 18-23 on field goals with a long of 52 and an average of 62.0 yards per kickoff with 49 touchbacks. Albertson led the conference in field goals per game (1.29) and finished with a 78.3% field goal percentage, which ranked first in the league among kickers with 16 or more attempts. The redshirt senior was named CUSA Special Teams Player of the Week a league-high three times and made a pair of game-winning field goals in the final minutes of games for the 10-win Aggies.
LA Tech DB Michael Richard was selected as the CUSA Freshman of the Year after a breakout campaign for the Bulldogs. The New Orleans native appeared in all 12 games for the Bulldogs, making six starts and leading all CUSA freshmen in pass breakups with seven. He totaled 32 tackles with 1.5 TFL and a pair of quarterback hurries. According to Pro Football Focus, he posted an 83.5 coverage grade, which ranked fourth among all CUSA defensive backs and opponents completed just 40 percent of passes (14-35) against him. In addition to his prowess in the secondary, Richard also made an impact on special teams, returning a blocked punt for a touchdown in the season finale against Jax State.
Liberty RB Quinton Cooley was named CUSA Newcomer of the Year following his exceptional season for the 13-0 Flames. The league’s leading rusher, Cooley carried 213 times for 1,322 yards and 16 touchdowns for No. 23 Liberty. The Wake Forest transfer paced the nation’s top rushing attack (302.9 yards per game) and had seven games with 100 or more rushing yards, and five games with multiple touchdowns. The Bailey, North Carolina, native had three rushing scores in Liberty’s 49-35 win over New Mexico State in the 2023 CUSA Championship Game, and enters bowl season ranking sixth nationally in rushing touchdowns (16), ninth in rushing yards (1,322), 14th in rushing yards per game (101.7) and 21st in yards per carry (6.21).
2023 CUSA Players of the Year
MVP: Kaidon Salter, Liberty, QB
Offensive Player of the Year: Diego Pavia, New Mexico State, QB
Defensive Player of the Year: Tyren Dupree, Liberty, LB
Special Teams Player of the Year: Ethan Albertson, New Mexico State, K
Freshman of the Year: Michael Richard, LA Tech, DB
Newcomer of the Year: Quinton Cooley, Liberty, RB