Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1061429
www.BLUEANDGOLD.com JANUARY 2019 21 and a touchdown) coming in a 38-17 win over Stanford Sept. 29. After racking up a team-high 107 tackles during the regular season, se- nior linebacker Te'von Coney was se- lected as the Defensive Player of the Year. Coney, who made 116 stops in 2017, is the first Irish player to record back-to-back seasons of at least 100 tackles since Jaylon Smith (2014-15). Coney knows his work on the field isn't done, and he wants to continue improving in all areas. "You can always go out there and find ways to be better and not be com- placent," Coney said. "The mindset is to go out there and work hard for whatever you want. "If you want it, you have to find a way and work harder to be the best you can be." Coney had five games of at least 10 tackles during the 2018 regular season, including a high of 14 against both Ball State and Navy. Coney was named to the Pro Football Focus All-America Team with a grade of 91.7 for his play this season. His mark is the second- highest in the FBS. In somewhat of a surprise given he is a senior, running back Dexter Wil- liams was named the Offensive New- comer of the Year after exploding for nearly 1,000 yards in just eight games played in 2018. Williams rushed for 941 yards and 12 touchdowns in those eight contests. In his first game of the year, the win over Stanford, he bolted for 161 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries. In fact, he took his very first carry of the sea- son 45 yards to the end zone. Williams ran for at least 100 yards in four games and recorded his season high of 202 yards in the blowout win over Florida State. His 97-yard touch- down blast in the win over Virginia Tech broke the Lane Stadium record for the longest rush. "Sometimes we're taking everything week by week," Williams said. "Being here at the ceremony gives us a chance to reflect on everything we did and see the accomplishments we've had as a team. "We're all thankful. I'm happy to have my senior year like this, and I couldn't ask for more than being able to play football and be at this beautiful university. … It's a blessing for us." On the flip side, the winner of the Defensive Newcomer of the Year was not a surprise. After winning Scout Team Defen- sive Player of the Year in 2017, junior safety Alohi Gilman was unleashed in 2018. He finished second on the team with 76 tackles, broke up three passes and notched two interceptions, both of which came in a win over then-No. 12 Syracuse. He closed the regular season with a season-high 10 tackles versus USC. "This whole experience has been un- believable," said Gilman, who is also a finalist for the Polynesian College Football Player of the Year. "You never know where your life is going to turn out. Going to Navy and having a good season there, coming here and sitting out then having the success so far and experiencing it with my teammates has been a blessing from God. "… It's pretty surreal. From scout team to playing and all of this has been unbelievable." It was quite the year for Notre Dame senior kicker Justin Yoon. He became the all-time leading scorer in program history when he posted his 322nd point in a win over Virginia Tech. Yoon, the Special Teams Player of the Year, sits at 364 total points and a Notre Dame-career best 58 successful field goals heading into the College Football Playoff. For the season, he has made 16 of 20 field goals and 41 of 43 extra points for a total of 89 points. ✦ ✦ AWARD WINNERS MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Junior quarterback Ian Book OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Senior wide receiver Miles Boykin DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Senior linebacker Te'von Coney NEXT MAN IN: Senior quarterback Brandon Wimbush ROCKNE STUDENT-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR: Senior linebacker Drue Tranquill NICK PIETROSANTE AWARD: Senior punter Tyler Newsome MOOSE KRAUSE LINEMAN OF THE YEAR: Senior defensive tackle Jerry Tillery OFFENSIVE LINEMAN OF THE YEAR: Senior center Sam Mustipher SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Senior kicker Justin Yoon OFFENSIVE NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR: Senior running back Dexter Williams DEFENSIVE NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR: Junior safety Alohi Gilman IMPACT PLAYER ON OFFENSE: Junior wide receiver Chase Claypool IMPACT PLAYER ON DEFENSE: Junior defensive end Julian Okwara BACK OF THE YEAR: Junior cornerback Julian Love HUMBLE & HUNGRY AWARD: Senior defensive tackle Jonathan Bonner OFFENSIVE SCOUT TEAM PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Junior wide receiver Mick Assaf DEFENSIVE SCOUT TEAM PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Freshman linebacker Ovie Oghoufo FATHER LANGE IRISH CROSS AWARD: Senior offensive guard Alex Bars IRISH AROUND THE BEND WINNER: Senior tight end Nic Weishar WALK-ON PLAYER'S UNION PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Senior wide receiver Chris Finke Under the guidance of first-year defensive coordinator Clark Lea (right), senior Te'von Coney became the first Notre Dame player with back-to-back 100-tackle seasons since Jaylon Smith in 2014-15. PHOTO BY MIKE BENNETT/LIGHTHOUSE IMAGING