Draft Scout Western Carolina Player News, College Football: Western Carolina

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Draft Scout College Football Player News: Western Carolina

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11/22/22 - K.J. Milner, rSr/2023, Western Carolina + More +

NOV 21 SOCON DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: KJ Milner, Sr., DE, Western Carolina, Hinesville, Ga.,...Western Carolina defensive end KJ Milner had seven tackles, including a sack, and two quarterback hurries as the Catamounts toppled No. 17/15 Chattanooga on Saturday, 32-29. The Hinesville, Georgia, senior, who battled through the flu late in the week, picked up a one-yard sack on a third-and-19 play in the third quarter, forcing a Chattanooga punt. Milner, who had three solo stops and four assisted tackles in his final game for the Catamounts, paced a Western Carolina defense that helped the squad to its first win over a nationally ranked FCS opponent since 2017 and its first winning record (6-5) since 2017. Other nominees: Ja'Varius Harrison (ETSU), Jack Barton (Furman), Ken Standley (Mercer), Fred Flavors (Samford), Devonnsha Maxwell (Chattanooga) and Stone Snyder (VMI). - SoCon Football

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DE K.J. Milner, Western Carolina
News Source: SoCon Football
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11/19/22 - TJ Jones, Sr/2023, Western Carolina + More +

TJ Jones scored on a 1-yard run in the final minute, lifting Western Carolina to a 32-29 victory over Chattanooga on Saturday. Jones scored with 53 seconds remaining then the Catamounts stopped the Mocs on downs near midfield to preserve the win. A 26-yard touchdown pass from Preston Hutchinson to Camden Overton gave Chattanooga a 29-24 lead with 6:13 left. The Catamounts (6-5, 4-4 Southern Conference) then drove 75 yards in 14 plays capped by Jones's clinching touchdown. Hutchinson was 29-of-48 passing for 323 yards with four touchdowns for the Mocs (7-4, 5-3). He was intercepted once. Western Carolina's Cole Gonzales completed 24 of 38 passes for 224 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. - Western Carolina/AP College Football

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RB TJ Jones, Western Carolina
News Source: Western Carolina/AP College Football
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11/16/22 - Richard McCollum, rSr/2024, Western Carolina + More +

NOV 14 SOCON SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Richard McCollum, R-Jr., PK, Western Carolina, Sanford, N.C.,...Western Carolina placekicker Richard McCollum earned his third weekly honor of the season after accounting for eight points in the Catamounts' 20-17 win at ETSU on Saturday to secure the Blue Ridge Border Battle trophy. The redshirt junior from Sanford, North Carolina, kicked a pair of field goals on the afternoon, converting from 40 yards with 1:33 left in the second quarter to draw the Catamounts within four points at 14-10 and then drilling a walk-off 33-yarder as time expired in the contest to lift WCU to victory. McCollum also added a pair of extra points on the day, pushing his career total to 201 points, sixth in program history. With 33 made field goals in his career, he is just two shy of third place in Western Carolina lore. Other nominees: Tyler Keltner (ETSU), Ian Williams (Furman), Trey Turk (Mercer), Bradley Porcellato (Samford), Jack Culbreath (VMI) and R.J. Khayo (Wofford). - SoCon Football

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K Richard McCollum, Western Carolina
News Source: SoCon Football
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10/14/22 - Richard McCollum, rSr/2024, Western Carolina + More +

SEPT 26 SOCON SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Richard McCollum, R-Jr., PK, Western Carolina, Sanford, N.C.,...Western Carolina placekicker Richard McCollum accounted for all of the Catamounts' scoring when he connected on a career-best four field goals in the 35-12 road loss at No. 22/21 Samford. The redshirt junior from Sanford, North Carolina, hit from 20 yards just before the half to get Western Carolina on the board before adding a 24-yarder and a 30-yarder in the third quarter. McCollum capped the scoring with a 31-yard effort in the fourth quarter, moving to 6-for-6 on the season and extending his overall streak to 19 consecutive field goal makes over the past three seasons. The selection is his second of the season. Other nominees: Erek Campbell (ETSU), Devin Folser (Mercer), Bradley Porcellato (Samford) and Gabe Boring (Chattanooga). - SoCon Football

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K Richard McCollum, Western Carolina
News Source: SoCon Football
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09/07/22 - Richard McCollum, rSr/2024, Western Carolina + More +

SEPT 5 SOUTHERN CONFERENCE SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Richard McCollum, R-Jr., PK, Western Carolina, Sanford, N.C.,...Western Carolina placekicker Richard McCollum scored 10 points in the Catamounts' season-opening 52-38 win at Charleston Southern on Saturday. The redshirt junior from Sanford, North Carolina, booted a 42-yard field goal just 3:29 into the game to open the scoring in the offensive slugfest. McCollum also converted all seven of his point-after-touchdown attempts on the afternoon, running his streak to 63 consecutive makes, which is two back of the program record set by Ken Hinsley from 1995-98. Dating back to last season, the Catamounts have now won five of their last six games after opening the 2021 campaign 0-6. Other nominees: Trace Kelley (ETSU), Ryan Leavy (Furman), Devron Harper (Mercer), Bradley Porcellato (Samford) and Andrew Southard (Chattanooga). - SoCon Football

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K Richard McCollum, Western Carolina
News Source: SoCon Football
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08/05/22 - Richard McCollum, rSr/2024, Western Carolina + More +

2022 PRESEASON ALL-SOUTHERN CONFERENCE SECOND TEAM (COACHES): PK Richard McCollum, Jr., Western Carolina,...McCollum led the Catamounts with 78 points last season, ranking seventh in the SoCon at 7.8 points per game. He finished the year as the NCAA FCS field goal percentage leader as the only kicker to remain perfect on the season, going 12-for-12 on field goal attempts. The Sanford, N.C., product was also perfect on PATs last fall, splitting the uprights on all 42 attempts. McCollum was the SoCon's Special Teams Player of the Week after scoring 11 points in the road win at Wofford in late October. - Western Carolina Football

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K Richard McCollum, Western Carolina
News Source: Western Carolina Football
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08/05/22 - TJ Jones, Sr/2023, Western Carolina + More +

2022 PRESEASON ALL-SOUTHERN CONFERENCE SECOND TEAM (COACHES): RB TJ Jones, Sr., Western Carolina,...Jones was one of four league running backs honored between the first and second teams on Thursday. The second year, Lakeland, Fla., product led the Catamounts in rushes (125), rushing yards (589), and rushing touchdowns (9) last fall. Jones averaged 53.5 yards per game on the ground, adding 306 receiving yards to finish the year with 895 all-purpose yards or 81.4 yards per game. Jones was second on the WCU squad in scoring with 72 total points coming on a team-best 12 touchdowns - nine rushing and three receiving out of the backfield - which put him tied for fourth in the SoCon in 2021. - Western Carolina Football

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RB TJ Jones, Western Carolina
News Source: Western Carolina Football
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08/05/22 - Tyler Smith, rSr/2024, Western Carolina + More +

2022 PRESEASON ALL-SOUTHERN CONFERENCE FIRST TEAM (COACHES): OL Tyler Smith, R-Jr., Western Carolina,...Smith earned preseason all-conference honors for the second-consecutive season, tallying a second-team nod as WCU's lone representative on the squad ahead of the 2021 season. The Laurinburg, N.C., native was one of just two Catamount linemen to start all 11 games a year ago and collected second-team All-SoCon postseason plaudits from the Phil Steele publication. With 37 career games played, Smith enters the 2022 season having made 32 consecutive starts along WCU's offensive line over the past three years. - Western Carolina Football

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OT Tyler Smith, Western Carolina
News Source: Western Carolina Football
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02/28/22 - Rogan Wells, rSr/2022, Western Carolina + More +

2021 ALL-SOUTHERN CONFERENCE SECOND TEAM (COACHES): QB Rogan Wells, Gr., Western Carolina,...In his final season as a collegiate, Wells tallied second-team accolades from both the coaches and media after finishing second in the SoCon in both passing (288.6 yds/gm) and total offense (349.9 yds/gm), ranking 11th and sixth nationally in FCS. He tossed 20 touchdown passes this season, missing two games due to injury. Wells also finished 10th in the SoCon in rushing, averaging 61.3 yards per game on the ground that included a pair of 100-yard rushing performances and four total touchdowns. - Western Carolina Football

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QB Rogan Wells, Western Carolina
News Source: Western Carolina Football
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11/20/21 - Rogan Wells, rSr/2022, Western Carolina + More +

Rogan Wells threw for 408 yards and four touchdowns to lead Western Carolina to a 52-24 walloping of VMI on Saturday, the Keydets' third straight loss after breaking into the FCS rankings. The victory gave the Catamounts three straight Southern Conference road victories in a season for the first time since 1984. Their four conference wins is the most since 2017. Western Carolina (4-7, 4-4) took a 21-0 lead in the first quarter that included Wells' short touchdown pass to Owen Cosenke and a 71-yard punt return for a touchdown by Daquan Patton. Seth Morgan threw two touchdown passes to bring VMI (6-5, 4-4) back to within 21-14 after one quarter and the Catamounts held a 28-21 lead at intermission. Wells hit Calvin Jones with a 56-yard touchdown midway though the third quarter to break it open and the Western Carolina defense held the Keydets to just a field goal in the second half. - AP College Football

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QB Rogan Wells, Western Carolina
News Source: AP College Football
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11/06/21 - Rogan Wells, rSr/2022, Western Carolina + More +

Kenny Benjamin scored a go-ahead 85-yard touchdown with 6:53 remaining and Western Carolina held off Furman 43-42 on Saturday for its third straight win. Benjamin was left wide open over the middle at midfield and he easily raced into the end zone. Western Carolina was forced to punt with 2:47 remaining in the fourth and Dejuan Bell returned it 28 yards before a blind-side hit forced the ball out and the Paladins recovered it. The Catamounts held Furman scoreless in the fourth quarter, including the Paladins missing a 62-yard field goal as time expired. Rogan Wells was 22-of-33 passing for 386 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions for Western Carolina (3-6, 3-3 Southern). Wells also carried it 13 times for 91 yards and a score. TJ Jones added two rushing touchdowns, carrying it 13 times for 14 yards. Dominic Roberto scored four touchdowns on the ground, while rushing for 196 yards for Furman (4-5, 2-4). - AP College Football

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QB Rogan Wells, Western Carolina
News Source: AP College Football
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10/30/21 - Rogan Wells, rSr/2022, Western Carolina + More +

Rogan Wells threw for 309 yards and four touchdowns, ran for a fifth and Western Carolina shot past Wofford 41-21 on Saturday. The Catamounts (2-6, 2-3 Southern Conference) built a 41-7 lead while keeping Wofford winless in conference play. The Terriers (1-7, 0-6) gained 299 yards on the ground but passed for just 35. Wofford has lost 11 straight in conference. Raphael Williams caught 16 passes for 177 yards and touchdown receptions of 9 and 27 yards for Western Carolina. Calvin Jones hauled in a 72-yard TD pass. Wofford scored twice in the last 7:35. Irvin Mulligan carried 12 times for 101 yards and a touchdown from the 1-yard line. David Legette added a 19-yard rushing score. Bryce Corriston and Kyle Pinnix were a combined 4-of-12 passing. Corriston was intercepted once and Pinnix threw an 11-yard touchdown to Wyatt Bartkowiak. - AP College Football

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QB Rogan Wells, Western Carolina
News Source: AP College Football
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02/23/21 - Paxton Robertson, rSr/2025, Western Carolina + More +

FEB 22 SOCON SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Paxton Robertson, Western Carolina, Fr., Kicker, Knoxville, Tenn.,...Western Carolina freshman kicker Paxton Robertson handled his usual kickoff duties and filled in admirably for starting punter Brandon Dickerson in the Catamounts' 35-7 loss to No. 15 Furman. The rookie from Knoxville, Tennessee, kicked off twice for an average of 63.0 yards and punted a career-high eight times for an average of 43.0 yards. Robertson had three punts of 50 yards or more, including a career-long 55-yarder, and saw five kicks downed inside the Paladins' 20-yard line. Other nominees: Alijah Huzzie (ETSU) and Dawson Henis (Wofford). - SoCon Football

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K Paxton Robertson, Western Carolina
News Source: SoCon Football
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12/10/20 - Mateo Sudipo, rSr/2025, Western Carolina + More +

The Coastal Carolina Chanticleers preserved their undefeated season with a tackle at the one-yard line on the final play of a 22-17 win over No. 8 BYU last Saturday. Their notable win over previously-unbeaten BYU helped Coastal Carolina join Rice as the Reveal Suits National Teams of the Week for games of the weekend of Dec. 5, as selected by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA). The Chanticleers' win was historic as it was their first over a top-10 FBS program and second-ever over a ranked team in a game that was hastily put together only two days prior.

Coastal's 10-0 start is the best in Sun Belt Conference history and part of an 11-game win streak dating back to last season. Mateo Sudipo tackled BYU receiver Dax Milne at the one-yard line to finish off a game in which CCU ran for 281 yards against a Cougars defense that entered the game sixth nationally in rushing defense at 88.3 yards per game. The rushing success allowed the Chanticleers to hold the ball for 37:51. On the other side, Coastal's defense held up BYU's offense averaging 47.6 points per game to a season-low 17 points. - Coastal Carolina Football

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SS Mateo Sudipo, Western Carolina
News Source: Coastal Carolina Football
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08/12/20 - Rogan Wells, rSr/2022, Western Carolina + More +

The Gulf South Conference will postpone competition in basketball, football, soccer, and volleyball until at least January 1. These sports are identified as high contact risk sports by the NCAA and are subject to significant testing requirements for all student-athletes and "inner bubble" personnel. All practice, strength and conditioning, team meetings, and other countable athletic related activities (CARA) shall be subject to NCAA rules, NCAA health and safety requirements, and institutional discretion. In the sports of football, soccer, and volleyball, the conference will evaluate options for spring competition that provide meaningful competition for these student-athletes. A spring season may not feature the use of traditional formats for regular season play or tournaments. - Gulf South Football

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