Locals earn college all-conference football honors

Posted Dec 2, 2009 by Adam Adkins

Updated Dec 2, 2009 at 11:19 PM

With the college football season winding down, several conferences have begun announcing its respective all-conference squads. And some former Hillsborough County standouts have continued on to achieve big things at the next level.

Three county products – Derek Hatcher (Berkeley Prep), LeRoy Vann (Blake) and Chris Kuzdale (Plant) – recently earned first-team honors on their respective all-conference squads.

Both Hatcher, a senior at Richmond, and Vann, a senior at Florida A&M, were honored for their work on special teams. Hatcher was honored as the Colonial Athletic Association’s first-team punt returner, and Vann picked up first-team kick returner honors from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.

Vann, an All-American last season, ended his career at FAMU as one of college football’s greatest return specialists of all-time. He returned five punts for touchdowns this season and finished his career as the fifth player in FCS history to record more than 1,000 career yards on both kickoff and punt returns. He was a unanimous selection.

Hatcher led the CAA with a 10.1 yards per punt return average and had a 90-yard punt return for a score in a victory over Maine. Hatcher and the Spiders, the defending FCS national champions, play this week in a national quarterfinal against Appalachian State.

Meanwihle, Kuzdale, a sophomore at Charleston Southern, was a first-team All-Big South Conference selection at defensive back.

Kuzdale led the conference in passes defended (nine) and had a team-best three interceptions. He also finished tied for third on the Bucs with 64 tackles, which ranked him fourth in the league among defensive backs in statistical that category.

Also, former Armwood High standout Torrey Davis, who spent his first few seasons at Florida and helped the Gators win a national title, was named to the Ohio Valley Conference’s All-Newcomer Team after spending this past season on the defensive line at Jacksonville State.