Grant & Nofri Headline 12 All-NEC Honors
11/24/2021 3:29:00 PM | Football
Junior running back claims Player of the Year; Nofri earns fifth accolade.
SOMERSET, N.J. – Champions of the Northeast Conference for the second time in seventh months, the Sacred Heart University football team hauled in 12 postseason conference awards as announced by the league office on Wednesday. Junior Malik Grant was named NEC Offensive Player of the Year and Mark Nofri captured Coach of the Year.
Grant was joined on the First-Team All-NEC by offensive tackle, J.D. DiRenzo, punter Noah Gettman, defensive back Salaam Horne, defensive end Kevin Peprah and center/guard Josh Sokol. Second-Team accolades went to wide receiver Naseim Brantley, linebacker DeAndre Byrd, running back Julius Chestnut and tight end Ed Cuddahy.
Named a finalist for the Walter Payton Award earlier this week, Grant ranks third in the country and leads the conference with 121.7 yards per game and 1,288 total yards. In addition, his 129.82 all-purpose yards rates 13th. Grant has crossed the goal line 11 times, which is tops in the NEC and 32nd nationally.
Named NEC Offensive Player of the Week five times, Grant burst onto the national scene against Merrimack with 228 yards, the sixth-highest single-game total in school history and the 10th-best in the FCS this year. His season total is fifth all-time.
"This is a great honor for Malik," Nofri said. "He's a hard worker on the field and in the weight room, but he's an even better person off the field. We have a next man up mentality and Malik approached every practice that way, so we knew he was ready to take over when Julius went down. Malik really stepped up for our team and became the leader we knew he could be. We're so proud of him and what's he was able to accomplish this fall."
Nofri has the Pioneers back in the playoffs for the second-straight season. Sacred Heart has won the NEC outright or had a share of the title three of the last four seasons. This is the fifth time (2013, 2014, 2018, 2020-21) he's earned the league's top coaching honor.
Defense has been the name of the game for Sacred Heart. The Pioneers are first in the country, only allowing 113.1 passing yards per game. SHU has the number five scoring defense and ranks seventh in total defense.
"It's nice to be recognized by the coaches in the NEC, but this award is as much about my staff and our players as it is about me," Nofri noted. "I have a tremendous staff that does a great job getting our team ready every week and then our players go out and play their hearts out every Saturday for each other and Sacred Heart football. It's not about me or one player, it is about us as a team."
Anchors for one of the best rushing attacks in the country, DiRenzo and Sokol each earned their third All-NEC accolades after a second-straight Preseason All-NEC selection. A native of Hopkinton, Mass., Sokol has played in 49 games while serving as one of the team captains for the past two seasons. DiRenzo, a Hammonton, N.J. native, has 39 games under his belt and was an All-America selection during the spring season.
This is Gettman's second-straight First-Team selection after a nod in the spring. He leads the league in punting for the second year in a row, averaging 40.4 yards per punt which is third-best on the SHU single-season list. The Daytona Beach, Fla. native has 13 punts inside the 20, five over 50 yards and a long of 60. He's also made three field goals and a perfect 13-of-13 on extra points.
A Second-Team honoree in the spring, Horne leads the conference and is amongst the national leaders with a trio of interceptions to go along with three more pass breakups. The Vineland, N.J. native is also fourth on the team with 40 tackles. His six career interceptions are tied for seventh all-time.
Peprah has been a one-man wrecking crew on the defensive line. His 9.5 sacks rates 17th in the NCAA while his 13 tackles for a loss are 35th. Twice named NEC Defensive Player of the Week, the Woodbridge, Va. native also rates eighth in the country with four forced fumbles. A First-Team selection in the spring, Peprah is third on the team with 46 tackles, including a career-high nine against Wagner.
Repeating All-NEC honors from the spring, Brantley is one of the best big-play receivers in the league. Ninth in the NEC at 45.50 receiving yards per game, he's second at 18.2 yards per reception. The Freehold, N.J. native has at least one catch of 25 yards or more in eight contests, topped by a 40-yard haul versus Bucknell.
Overlooked in year's past, Byrd received his first all-conference nod. He rates 17th in the league at 4.8 tackles per game while his 48 stops are second on team. A native of Lawrenceville, Ga., Bryd is one of the most consistent players on the team, recording five or more tackles in six games, including the last three. He had a season-best 12 tackles at Bryant.
Last year's Offensive Player of the Year, Chestnut missed seven games with an injury but has come back to average 105.6 yards the last three games with two touchdowns. In those three contests, he's averaging 6.6 yards per carry. The Bowie, Md. started the year with 170 yards against Bucknell.
Collecting Second-Team honors once again, Cuddahy is a reliable option for quarterback Marquez McCray. Fourth on the team with 13 receptions, many of his catches have resulted in first downs. The Leominster, Mass. native has at least one catch in nine of 11 games.
Sacred Heart plays Holy Cross on Saturday at 12 p.m. in the first round of the FCS Playoffs. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
Grant was joined on the First-Team All-NEC by offensive tackle, J.D. DiRenzo, punter Noah Gettman, defensive back Salaam Horne, defensive end Kevin Peprah and center/guard Josh Sokol. Second-Team accolades went to wide receiver Naseim Brantley, linebacker DeAndre Byrd, running back Julius Chestnut and tight end Ed Cuddahy.
Named a finalist for the Walter Payton Award earlier this week, Grant ranks third in the country and leads the conference with 121.7 yards per game and 1,288 total yards. In addition, his 129.82 all-purpose yards rates 13th. Grant has crossed the goal line 11 times, which is tops in the NEC and 32nd nationally.
Named NEC Offensive Player of the Week five times, Grant burst onto the national scene against Merrimack with 228 yards, the sixth-highest single-game total in school history and the 10th-best in the FCS this year. His season total is fifth all-time.
"This is a great honor for Malik," Nofri said. "He's a hard worker on the field and in the weight room, but he's an even better person off the field. We have a next man up mentality and Malik approached every practice that way, so we knew he was ready to take over when Julius went down. Malik really stepped up for our team and became the leader we knew he could be. We're so proud of him and what's he was able to accomplish this fall."
Nofri has the Pioneers back in the playoffs for the second-straight season. Sacred Heart has won the NEC outright or had a share of the title three of the last four seasons. This is the fifth time (2013, 2014, 2018, 2020-21) he's earned the league's top coaching honor.
Defense has been the name of the game for Sacred Heart. The Pioneers are first in the country, only allowing 113.1 passing yards per game. SHU has the number five scoring defense and ranks seventh in total defense.
"It's nice to be recognized by the coaches in the NEC, but this award is as much about my staff and our players as it is about me," Nofri noted. "I have a tremendous staff that does a great job getting our team ready every week and then our players go out and play their hearts out every Saturday for each other and Sacred Heart football. It's not about me or one player, it is about us as a team."
Anchors for one of the best rushing attacks in the country, DiRenzo and Sokol each earned their third All-NEC accolades after a second-straight Preseason All-NEC selection. A native of Hopkinton, Mass., Sokol has played in 49 games while serving as one of the team captains for the past two seasons. DiRenzo, a Hammonton, N.J. native, has 39 games under his belt and was an All-America selection during the spring season.
This is Gettman's second-straight First-Team selection after a nod in the spring. He leads the league in punting for the second year in a row, averaging 40.4 yards per punt which is third-best on the SHU single-season list. The Daytona Beach, Fla. native has 13 punts inside the 20, five over 50 yards and a long of 60. He's also made three field goals and a perfect 13-of-13 on extra points.
A Second-Team honoree in the spring, Horne leads the conference and is amongst the national leaders with a trio of interceptions to go along with three more pass breakups. The Vineland, N.J. native is also fourth on the team with 40 tackles. His six career interceptions are tied for seventh all-time.
Peprah has been a one-man wrecking crew on the defensive line. His 9.5 sacks rates 17th in the NCAA while his 13 tackles for a loss are 35th. Twice named NEC Defensive Player of the Week, the Woodbridge, Va. native also rates eighth in the country with four forced fumbles. A First-Team selection in the spring, Peprah is third on the team with 46 tackles, including a career-high nine against Wagner.
Repeating All-NEC honors from the spring, Brantley is one of the best big-play receivers in the league. Ninth in the NEC at 45.50 receiving yards per game, he's second at 18.2 yards per reception. The Freehold, N.J. native has at least one catch of 25 yards or more in eight contests, topped by a 40-yard haul versus Bucknell.
Overlooked in year's past, Byrd received his first all-conference nod. He rates 17th in the league at 4.8 tackles per game while his 48 stops are second on team. A native of Lawrenceville, Ga., Bryd is one of the most consistent players on the team, recording five or more tackles in six games, including the last three. He had a season-best 12 tackles at Bryant.
Last year's Offensive Player of the Year, Chestnut missed seven games with an injury but has come back to average 105.6 yards the last three games with two touchdowns. In those three contests, he's averaging 6.6 yards per carry. The Bowie, Md. started the year with 170 yards against Bucknell.
Collecting Second-Team honors once again, Cuddahy is a reliable option for quarterback Marquez McCray. Fourth on the team with 13 receptions, many of his catches have resulted in first downs. The Leominster, Mass. native has at least one catch in nine of 11 games.
Sacred Heart plays Holy Cross on Saturday at 12 p.m. in the first round of the FCS Playoffs. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
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