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Hampden-Sydney College placed 11 student-athletes on the 2020-21 All-Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Football Teams, including six first Team and five second Team selections, while senior offensive lineman Tyler Howerton of Alexandria was chosen as the ODAC Scholar-Athlete of the Year, and freshman defensive back Will Pickren of Mt Pleasant, South Carolina was picked as the ODAC Rookie of the Year.

Earning First Team All-ODAC honors were Howerton and Pickren, along with senior offensive lineman Brad Gholson of Montpelier, senior tight end Ed Newman of Farmville, junior all-purpose back Kaleb Smith of Rocky Mount and senior linebacker Brendan Weinberg of Apex, North Carolina. Garnering Second Team All-ODAC accolades were senior running back Cole Becker of Spring Lake, North Carolina, junior quarterback Tanner Bernard of Lynchburg, junior defensive back Jordan Fields of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, senior wide receiver Blake Page of Richmond and senior defensive lineman Phil Pullen of Manassas.

Tyler Howerton, a team captain, started the final three games this spring after missing the first two, helping to anchor the offensive line from his left tackle position as the Tigers accounted for 1,772 yards of total offense in five games, including 819 yards rushing and 953 yards passing with 20 touchdowns. A two-time All-ODAC honoree, he has started all 32 games. Off the field, Howerton was named one of 12 finalists among all NCAA divisions and the NAIA for the 2020 William V. Campbell Trophy, and is a Goldwater Scholar-the college’s first-ever physics department recipient-a member of the 2021 National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame (NFF) Hampshire Honor Society, the 2020 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class, a 2019 Academic All-America Division III Football First Team honoree, the recipient of the President’s Award for Overall Academic Excellence, given to the senior at H-SC who stands highest in his class, and a three-time ODAC All-Academic Team member.

Will Pickren started all five games at a safety position and led the Tigers in tackles with 39, including 20 solo and 19 assists, with four tackles for loss, one interception and two pass breakups. He tied for sixth in the ODAC in interceptions, ranked seventh in tackles and tackles per game (7.6), while tied for 14th in pass breakups. The first-year standout delivered several big hits throughout the season, making his presence felt in all five games.

Brad Gholson started all five games, helping to anchor the offensive line from his right tackle position as the Tigers accounted for 1,772 yards of total offense in five games, including 819 yards rushing and 953 yards passing with 20 touchdowns. He allowed no sacks this spring and has started 22 of 24 career games.

Ed Newman started all five games and led the Tigers with 19 receptions for 281 receiving yards and two touchdowns. He was tied for fourth in ODAC receiving yards, fifth in receiving yards per game (56.2), tied for sixth in receptions and tied for eighth in receiving touchdowns. He has started 18 of 26 career games with 59 career receptions for 834 career yards and six career touchdowns.

Kaleb Smith started three of four games and accounted for 290 all-purpose yards, including 191 yards rushing and 99 yards receiving with three touchdowns. He had 36 rushing attempts with 5.3 yards per carry and three touchdowns along with 13 receptions. Smith was second in the ODAC in yards per carry, eighth in yards per game with 47.8 and ninth in rushing yards. A three-time All-ODAC honoree, he has started nine of 18 career games and has rushed for 1,155 career yards on 281 career carries with 12 career rushing touchdowns, adding 116 career receptions for 1,062 career receiving yards with four career receiving touchdowns.

Brendan Weinberg started all five games with 31 tackles, including 11 solo and 20 assists, with 3.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. He ranked 11th in the ODAC in tackles, tied for 13th in tackles for loss, and was 15th in tackles per game (6.2). A two-time All-ODAC honoree, Weinberg has started 31 of 32 career games with 219 total career tackles (6.8), including 120 solo and 99 assists, 24 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, four interceptions and six pass breakups.

Cole Becker started three of five games and rushed for 290 yards on 62 carries with two touchdowns, adding one reception for 12 yards. He was fifth in the ODAC in rushing yards, yards per game and yards per carry. Becker started six of 16 career games and rushed for 603 career yards on 146 career carries with four career rushing touchdowns, adding 10 career receptions for 54 career receiving yards.

Tanner Bernard started all five games and passed for 933 yards (72-119, 60.5%) and eight touchdowns, averaging 186.6 yards passing per game. He ranked second in ODAC passing yards, passing touchdowns and passing efficiency, third in yards per game and fourth in completion percentage.

Jordan Fields started four of five games with 16 tackles, including five solo and 11 assists, with one interception and one PAT return of 98 yards for two points. He tied for sixth in the ODAC in interceptions. Fields has started 10 of 15 career games 39 total career tackles, including 21 solo and 18 assists, and two interceptions and the PAT return.

Blake Page started all five games and had 11 receptions for 232 receiving yards and three touchdowns. He was second in the ODAC in yards per reception (21.1), tied for third in receiving touchdowns, and eighth in receiving yards and receiving yards per game (46.4). Page has started 23 of 31 career games with 70 career receptions for 1,066 career yards and nine career touchdowns.

Phil Pullen, a team captain, started all five games with 19 tackles, including nine solo and 10 assists, with five tackles for loss, one sack, one forced fumble, two quarterback hurries and one pass breakup. He tied for eighth in the ODAC in tackles for loss. Pullen has started 24 of 32 career games with 99 total career tackles, including 46 solo and 53 assists, 19 tackles for loss, five sacks, two forced fumbles, two QB hurries and one pass breakup.