Hampden-Sydney College senior wide receiver Cam Johnson’s stellar 2017 season was acknowledged by coaches throughout the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) as he was named the J. Stokeley Fulton Offensive Player of the Year.

“I’m excited for Cam, and it’s well deserved,” Tigers Head Coach Marty Favret said. “He was up against some really good candidates, so I think it speaks volumes for him. He had a great year, and he led the nation in receiving, and I think it’s really good for our program and for Cam to get that kind of accolade.”

Johnson, a former Buckingham County High School star, led all NCAA Division III receivers in the nation this year with his average of 11 receptions per game.

He finished the season with 110 catches for 1,261 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Johnson said he was thoroughly excited to receive the top offensive honor in the ODAC.

“That’s a distinguishing honor, and I know that the guys who have received that honor that have came through the program have been excellent players,” he said. “They represented everything that the program has stood for. So to have my name right alongside those guys, it meant a lot.”

Favret noted that Johnson’s numbers against ODAC teams were terrific.

Johnson was pleased with his personal accomplishment but showed his team-first mentality at the same time.

“Considering it being my best year in my four years at Hampden-Sydney, it kind of comes on a somber note with us not being able to finish atop the ODAC,” he said.

The Tigers finished 6-4 overall and 4-2 in the ODAC, a significant improvement from the team’s 3-7 overall and 3-4 ODAC records of 2016.

Johnson was fifth in the nation in receiving yards this season and produced two 200-yard receiving performances this year.

In his final game as a Tiger Nov. 11, he recorded a remarkable 19 catches for 230 yards and two touchdowns.

“Coach, all year, offensively, he just told me the team was going to depend on me heavily, and I was up for the challenge,” Johnson said. “All summer, I worked to be in a position to have performances like that.”

He said the high point of the year for him, individually, was when Hampden-Sydney traveled to Emory and Henry College on Oct. 28 and he contributed 12 catches for 204 yards and a touchdown to the Tigers’ 38-30 win.

Favret said he and his staff made a point to get Johnson more touches this season.

“We used him more as a runner and got the ball in his hands, obviously, a lot, and I think it helped him,” the coach said. “He’s the kind of kid that he needed his touches early and get engaged and maybe get hit a little bit, and he fed off of it. And he’s such a smart kid, he handled all the different things we did with him (formation-wise), and we made him the focus of our offense, and he responded.”