SAN ANTONIO – The 2023 Southland Football All-Conference Team and Superlative Awards were announced by the league office on Wednesday. The UIW football program placed a conference-high five student-athletes on first-team offense, while three made first-team defense. Four student-athletes received second-team status and two received superlative honors. Wide receiver Brandon Porter was crowned Offensive Player of the Year and Quarterback Zach Calzada was tabbed Newcomer of the Year.
 
 
Brandon Porter – Offensive Player of the Year, First Team All-Conference Offense
 
Porter had a standout final season with the Cardinals, accumulating 1,072 yards (No. 2 in the nation) and seven touchdowns. He finished No. 2 in the nation for receiving yards per game with 107.2 while sitting at No. 9 for receptions per contest. Porter is second in the Southland Conference for all-purpose yards, while sitting in first place for receptions per game and receiving yards per game. He was named to the 2023 Southland Preseason All-Conference Team, the Phil Steele Preseason All-Southland Team, the Bluebloods Preseason All-Southland Team, Southland Offensive Player of the Week (2x), FCS Honorable Mention Player of the Week, and First Team Offense Phil Steele Midseason All American Team. Most recently, Porter was announced as a finalist for the Walter Payton Award.
 
 
Zach Calzada – Newcomer of the Year, First Team All-Conference Offense
 
Calzada led the Cardinals with 19 passing touchdowns on the season for 2,598 yards and a 159.34 passing efficiency, the ninth best in the nation. He averaged 288.67 yards in the air per game (No. 3 in the nation), while running for 57 yards and five touchdowns. Calzada is first in the Southland Conference for total offense, passing average per game, passing efficiency, passing completions, passing yards per attempt and passing yards. He was named to the Walter Payton Award Preseason Watchlist, the Phil Steele Preseason All-Southland Team, and was named the Southland Conference Player of the Week & FCS Player of the Week Honorable Mention.
 
 
First Team All-Conference Offense
 
Caleb Chapman – WR
Chapman led the Cardinals in touchdowns with eight this season and was the second-leading receiver with 656 total yards for 65.60 per game. In his final game against HCU, he had a season-high 170 receiving yards and three touchdowns. Chapman is second in the Southland Conference in scoring touchdowns and was named to the Phil Steele Preseason All-Southland Team.
 
 
Silas Robinson – OL
Robinson stepped up as a leader for the Cardinal offensive line that ran for 1,410 total yards and allowed only 14 sacks, all of which contributing to the second-best team in the nation for total offense (4, 802 yards) and the twelfth best scoring offense in the nation. Bryson was named to the Phil Stelle Preseason All-Southland Team.
 
 
Stanley mark – OL
Mark is a veteran for the Cardinal offensive line that ran for 1,410 total yards and allowed only 14 sacks, all of which contributing to the second-best team in the nation for total offense (4, 802 yards) and the twelfth best scoring offense in the nation. He was named to the 2023 Southland Preseason All-Conference Team, the Phil Steele Preseason All-Southland Team and the Bluebloods Preseason All-Southland Team.
 
 
First Team All-Conference Defense
 
Steven Parker – DL
Parker was a defensive threat for the Cardinals all season, leading the team in tackles for loss (14.5), sacks (7), quarterback hurries (6), and forced fumbles (3). Nationally, he's No. 10 for forced fumbles, No. 16 in tackles for loss and No. 25 in sacks, helping the Cardinals to the 10 ranked total defense 312^th ranked scoring defense. Parker had a season-high seven tackles and two sacks against Texas A&M – Commerce, with four tackles for loss at Northern Colorado. He was named to the Southland Preseason All-Conference First Team, Phil Steele Preseason All-Southland Team, Bluebloods Preseason All-Southland Team, while earning Southland Defensive POTW and FCS Defensive Player of the Week Honorable Mention. Most recently, Phil Steele named him as the FCS Midseason Defensive Player of the Year and he was tabbed as a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award.
 
 
Ayodele Adeoye – DL
Adeoye has been a staple to the Cardinal defensive line, totaling 42 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, 0.5 sacks, 1 break up, five quarterback hurries and one fumble recovery, helping the Cardinals to the 10 ranked total defense 312^th ranked scoring defense. He had a season-high eight tackles at Abilene Christian and two tackles for loss at McNeese. He was named to the Phil Steele Preseason All-Southland Team.
 
 
Tylan Foster – LB
Foster led the Cardinals in tackles with 84 (32 solo, 52 assisted) on the season to go along with three tackles for loss, one sack, one interception, one pass breakup and three quarterback hurries. He had a season-high 13 tackles and one interception against Texas A&M – Commerce. Foster notched double-digit tackles in five games this season for the Cardinals, earning him Southland Conference Defensive Player of the Week and FCS National Defensive Player of the Week Honorable Mention. He finished second in the Southland Conference for total tackles.
 
 
Second Team All-Conference Offense
 
Joe Bryson – OL
Bryson stepped up as a leader for the Cardinal offensive line that ran for 1,410 total yards and allowed only 14 sacks, all of which contributing to the second-best team in the nation for total offense (4, 802 yards) and the twelfth best scoring offense in the nation. Bryson was named to the Phil Stelle Preseason All-Southland Team.
 
 
Second Team All-Conference Defense
 
Brandon Richard – DB
A veteran on the team, Richard finished the season with 51 tackles, six tackles for loss, one sack, two interceptions, five pass breakups, three quarterback hurries and one forced fumble to fill the box score for the Cardinals. He was named to the 2023 Southland Preseason All-Conference First Team, the Phil Steele Preseason All-Southland Team, and the Bluebloods Preseason All-Southland Team.
 
 
Ronald Wilson – DB
Wilson led the Cardinals in interceptions with four on the season, two of which were returned for touchdowns, contributing to UIW's four defensive touchdowns on the year, which ranks them fourth nationally. He finished the season with 35 tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss, and four pass breakups. Wilson had a season-high seven tackles at Southeastern Louisiana. He was named to the Phil Steele Preseason All-Southland Team. He's second in the Southland Conference for interceptions this season.
 
 
Dekalon Taylor – KR/PR
Taylor 19 kick returns for 375 total yards and his longest run coming in at 34 yards. He ran for 207 yards on punt returns and a season-high 29-yard run. He was named to the Southland 2023 Preseason All-Conference Second Team, the Bluebloods Preseason All-Southland Team, and the Phil Steele Preseason All-Southland Team. Taylor is first in the Southland Conference for kick returns and second for kick return yards per game.
 
 
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