The league's coaches and selected media members honored junior Germayle Franklin, junior Eugene Gross, junior Willie Hall, Littlejohn, junior J.K. Sabb, senior Cleannord Saintil, junior Colby Smith, and senior Quinton Staton as all-league picks while sophomore Bradley Robinson and junior Clint Marks earned honorable mention honors.

Littlejohn and Saintil made first team, while Franklin, Gross, Hall, Sabb, Smith, and Staton were voted to the second team.

The eight players selected to the first and second teams are the most by the Blue Raiders since 11 were honored in 2001.

Littlejohn, who led a Blue Raider defense that turned in its best year in the I-A era, finished with 34 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, an interception, and a blocked field goal. However, what he did all year in clogging up the middle could not be displayed on the stat sheet. The Gaffney, S.C., native consistently faced double teams and made it extremely hard for the opposition to run on the Blue Raiders.

"This is a great honor and I am very appreciative of how the coaches and media viewed me as a player this year," Littlejohn said. "But this is a team game and I could not have received this award without the support and high level play of my teammates. Our entire defense stepped it up this year and I will always remember playing with this bunch. It was special."

Littlejohn becomes the first player of the year since Dwone Hicks and Wes Counts in 2001 and is the first defensive player of the year since Mike Caldwell in 1992.

"It all starts up front and Jeff Littlejohn was the anchor all year, along with Quinton (Staton)," said Head Coach Andy McCollum. "He disrupted offenses all year long just the way Brandon Kennedy did for North Texas a few years back. Jeff is a quality person and no one deserves this honor more."

The Blue Raiders' other first team pick was Saintil. The Naples, Fla., native enjoyed his best year as a Blue Raider by leading the league with 66 receptions for 884 yards and three touchdowns. Saintil, who ended his career with an eight-catch, 133-yard effort at FIU, goes down as the most productive two-year receiver in school history.

Franklin and Hall both were honored for the first time after enjoying a solid 2005 campaign. Both players led the team in snaps played and knockdowns.

Gross, the first running back honored at MT since Dwone Hicks in 2002, enjoyed his best all-around season by leading the Blue Raiders in rushing for the third straight season and pacing the league in scoring with 84 points. The Statesboro, Ga., native rushed for 724 yards and a career-best 13 touchdowns while leading all Sun Belt backs with 33 receptions.

Sabb, a junior college transfer, led the Blue Raider defense with 71 tackles including a team-best 13 tackles for loss. Sabb also added two sacks, an interception, and five pass breakups. Against North Texas, Sabb set a school record with five tackles for loss while collecting a career-high 10 stops at Troy including a key one on fourth down at the goal line late in the game.

Staton pulled off a rare feat by being honored for the second year in a row and on opposite sides of the ball. In 2004, Staton earned second team honors as an offensive lineman and this year he was picked as a defensive lineman. The Chattannooga native led all Blue Raider linemen and was second on the team with 53 tackles.

"This just shows you the versatility of Quinton," said McCollum. "He is a warrior on the football field and has one of the best motors I have ever coached. He will have a chance at the next level."

Smith, who earned second team honors in 2004 as a placekicker, was selected to the second team this year as a punter. The Franklin, Tenn., native enjoyed a career year by averaging 42.1 yards a punt and placing a personal-best 19 inside the opponent's 20-yard line.

Marks and Robinson were put on the honorable mention list and both had strong cases for all-league honors. Marks, who led the SBC in passing efficiency, became the first quarterback in school history to throw for more than 2,000 yards in back-to-back seasons while Robinson may have been the biggest surprise of players not being recognized. The sophomore shared the league lead with five interceptions and was second in the league in passes defended with 12. His five picks were the most by a Blue Raider since Cedric Stegall collected five in 1998.