Reed Earns Team MVP at Football Awards Banquet

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The 2022 Lobo Football Awards Banquet saw awards spread out with 10 players taking home 11 awards, highlighted by Jerrick Reed II, who was named the Bill Brannin Most Valuable Player , highlighting the night.  The banquet served to put a cork on the 2022 season and to kickstart UNM towards 2023, which really ramps up with UNM’s National Signing Day watch party at Salt Yard East on Wednesday, December 21 from 6-7 pm.

The Lobo Football Awards Banquet was held at The Clyde Hotel in downtown Albuquerque, emceed by Voice of the Lobos Robert Portnoy.

Reed earned the Bill Brannin Most Valuable Player Award after serving as the heart-and-soul of the Lobo defense.  Reed was second on the team with 94 tackles, and he led the team with 11 PBUs, finishing his career ninth on the career list.  Along with his 94 tackles, Reed added an interception, a fumble recovery, two forced fumbles and 4.5 tackles for losses of 15 yards.  Reed was also UNM’s representative in Las Vegas for preseason Mountain West Media Day in both 2021 and 2022.  He was named honorable mention All-Mountain West in 2022, and he was a preseason All-Mountain West pick as well as a First Team pick in 2022.

While Reed was the overall MVP, both A.J. Haulcy and Cody Moon tied for the Col. H.J. Golightly Defensive MVP Award.  Haulcy was a two-time Mountain West Freshman of the Week, and he finished with 87 tackles, the most among all true freshmen in the FBS.  Additionally, Haulcy recorded 24 tackles in a single game, and the last time an FBS player had more than 24 tackles against a non-option team in the FBS was 2007.  Haulcy, both a Second Team All-Mountain West pick and a First Team PFF True Freshman All-American, added 3.0 TFls for 10 yards, two interceptions, three break ups, a QB hurry, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.

Tying with Haulcy was Moon, a two time Burlsworth Nominee and an Honorable Mention All-Mountain West pick.  Moon became the first Lobo in eight seasons to break the century mark for tackles, recording 105 on the year.  He also led the Lobos with 9.5 tackles for loss (50 yards) and 4.5 sacks (36 yards).  He added four PBUs, three hurries, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.

The Special Teams Player of the Year was punter Aaron Rodriguez, who averaged 44.2 yards per punt, and 40.5 net on an NCAA-leading 81 punts.  Rodriguez forced 35 fair catches and had 24 punts inside the 20 and 23 punts of 50 or more yards.

J.C. Davis, who led the team in snaps on offensive and started all 12 games at right tackle, was named the Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman. Duece Jones, who moved from corner to receiver, was named the Most Improved Player.  Jones had five receptions and his 14.6 yards per catch was the best among all receivers.

Radson Jang was the only player to earn two awards, being named the Chuck Cummings Most Inspirational Award winner and earning the First Team Lobo Club Award for Unselfish Devotion.  Jang earned the Cummings Award after returning from a gruesome leg injury that occured in the final game of the 2021 season.  Jang, who could have passed up his super senior season afte rthe injury, rehabbed all off-season and ended up playing in 11 games with four starts.  Jang earned the Lobo Club First Team award for the second straight year after starting games at two positions, center and tight end, moving back and forth depending upon what the teams’ needs were for the week.  Jang is the first back-to-back winner of the First Team Award since B.R. Holbrook in 2011 and 2012.

The three Scout Team MVP awards went to Elijah Spaulding on offense, Larry Allen III on defense and Leonardo Gallegos on special teams.  Spaulding was a top receiver on the scout team, consistently mimicking the best receiver for each UNM opponent.  Allen, who is never without a smile, did likewise for the defensive line, and earned himself a call-up to the travel squad by the end of the season.  Gallegos was a stalwart during special teams periods and was ready to breakthrough into the kickoff cover lineup when he got hurt and had his season ended.