Photo by: Tim Benko, Benko Photographics
Shenault Repeats As Football's MVP
December 08, 2019 | Football
CU's Annual Senior Banquet Held Sunday
BOULDER — Junior wide receiver Laviska Shenault, Jr., was named the University of Colorado's most valuable player at the team's annual senior banquet Sunday afternoon at the Dal Ward Athletic Center.
Shenault, who announced this past Tuesday that he will forego his senior year in declaring for the National Football League draft, is just the sixth player in school history be named the team's MVP on multiple occasions. The first year of the award was in 1959.
Joe Romig remains the only three-time recipient of the honor, as the guard/linebacker won it his sophomore through senior years (1959-61); Shenault joins James Mayberry (running back, 1977-78), quarterback Darian Hagan (1989, 1981), and receivers Rae Carruth (1995-96) and Nelson Spruce (2014-15) as two-time winners. Shenault was the fifth sophomore to win when he was honored for 2018, and is now the seventh junior to be recognized.
Despite missing one full game and the better part of four others due to injuries, he tied for the team lead in receptions with 56 but led in yards with 764. He scored six touchdowns, four receiving and two rushing, as he had 23 carries for 161 yards. He earned 46 first downs, 26 on third for fourth down plays and was second on the Buffs in all-purpose yards with 979.
Shenault finished his CU career eighth all-time in receptions (149), 11th in receiving yards (1,943), 25th in yards from scrimmage (2,223) and 35th in all-purpose yards (2,332). He was 45th in scoring (108 points on 18 touchdowns, 10 scored via receiving).
While captains were selected for every game by the coaches, the team selected the ones who would go down as the captains for the season. Punter Alex Kinney, quarterback Steven Montez and outside linebacker Davion Taylor, all seniors, and junior linebacker Nate Landman were selected to go down in history for the 2019 season.
The coaches instituted a new award, based on the program's 2019 theme of being relentless. The "Relentless Award"
Was presented to sophomore tight end Brady Russell as he best exemplified the "severity, intensity, strength and pace to which the CU program, is held to, and operates at high velocity and an uncompromising effort on a daily basis."
Russell, who was placed on scholarship prior to the season, caught 23 passes for 221 yards and two touchdowns, and also caught a pass for a two-point conversion. The nephew of Matt Russell, CU's Butkus Award-winning linebacker in 1996, he also played on special teams.
The John Mack Award for the most outstanding player on offense was given to quarterback Steven Montez, who wrapped up his CU career the owner of 51 records (37 outright, 14 shared). Included among those were several notable ones such as career passing yards (9,629), touchdown passes (63) and total offensive yards (10,609). This season, he completed 63 percent of his passes for 2,808 yards and 17 touchdowns (against 10 interceptions), and ran for another 153 yards and three scores. It was his third straight season with over 2,500 yards passing, one of his school marks as he finished his time at CU making 36 consecutive starts, a record for the quarterback position.
The Dave Jones Award for the outstanding defensive player was presented to junior inside linebacker Nate Landman, who shared the honor a year ago. He led the team in tackles for a second straight year with 137, the most by a Buffalo in 12 seasons. Of those 137, 112 were credited as solo stops, second-most in CU history. He'll enter his senior season 21st on CU's all-time tackle list with 277; this year, he also played the most snaps on defense (785 out of 815), led the team in third down stops (15), had one interception and caused two, recorded eight tackles for loss including two quarterback sacks, had five tackles for zero (giving him 13 tackles at or behind the line of scrimmage), and had five passes broken up.
The Bill McCartney Award for special teams achievement was awarded to tight end Beau Bisharat and punter Alex Kinney. Bisharat finished as CU's special teams points leader for the third straight year, earning 28 on the strength of eight tackles (two inside-the-20), six forced fair catches, five first downfield credits that altered returns, five knockdowns and two downed punts. He finished with 98 career points, second in school history since the points program started in 1987.
Kinney averaged 41.9 yards for 262 career punts, 10th-best at Colorado, with school records of 96 punts inside-the-20 and 63 inside-the-15. This year, he averaged 44.4 yards for 59 punts, with 23 inside-the-50 (18 inside-the-15) and 14 that traveled 50 or more yards.
The coaches also added three new "most improved" awards for the fall that have usually been awarded previously only in the spring. Sophomore tailback Alex Fontenot was the choice on offense, junior inside linebacker Akil Jones on defense and receiver Jaylon Jackson on special teams.
Fontenot led the team in rushing with 874 yards as well as in all-purpose yards with 996, scoring five touchdowns and having the second-most first downs earned with 61. Jones was fourth on the team in tackles with 61 (50 solo), seven at or behind the line of scrimmage with three third down stops and two pass break-ups. Jackson, one of the gunners on the punt coverage unit, earned 13 special teams points (third on the team), with two tackles (both inside-the-20), a forced fumble and five forced fair catches.
CU's inspirational honors went to cornerback Lucas Cooper and outside linebacker Nu'umotu Falo, both seniors, as they received the Derek Singleton Award for spirit, dedication and enthusiasm; senior outside linebacker Davion Taylor and junior receiver K.D. Nixon shared the Eddie Crowder Award for outstanding team leadership; redshirt freshman defensive tackle Jalen Sami was the recipient of the Tyronee "Tiger" Bussey Award for inspiration in the face of physical adversity; and the Tom McMahon Award, for dedication and work ethic, was shared between three seniors: cornerback Delrick Abrams, receiver Tony Brown and safety Mikial Onu.
Fifth-year senior center Tim Lynott Jr. claimed the Dean Jacob Van Ek Award for academic achievement. Lynott graduated last May with a bachelor's degree in strategic communication and currently has a 4.0 grade point average in graduate course work in organizational leadership.
The Scout Team Awards recipients were freshmen offensive linemen Austin Johnson and walk-on quarterback Matt Ryan on offense; freshman outside linebacker Alec Pell and sophomore transfer, Ryan Travis, walk-on safety. This year, the coaches added awards for special team performers, with those going to freshmen receivers Clayton Baca and Alex Smith, both walk-ons. The players selected for these honors are those who contributed the most to the weekly preparation on their respective scout teams over the course of the entire season.
The Lee Willard Award for the most outstanding freshman was shared by tailback Jaren Mangham and cornerback K.J. Trujillo, both true frosh. Mangham rushed for 441 yards, the eighth-most in a single-season by Buff freshman, and scored three touchdowns. He also had 10 receptions for 41 yards and earned 28 first downs overall. Trujillo started six games after being pressed into duty due to injuries, and was on 21 tackles (16 solo, including a quarterback sack) in 438 snaps from scrimmage. He had an interception, five passes broken up, five third down stops and two touchdown saves.
Montez once again earned the "Best Interview" honor from CU's beat media, for his attending every weekly press luncheon to being available postgame, whether the Buffaloes won or lost. He's the fifth player to win the honor twice since its inception in 1987, joining Matt Russell (1995-96), George Hypolite (2007-08), Scotty McKnight (2009-10) and Phillip Lindsay (2016-17).
Head coach Mel Tucker, who completed his first season at Colorado with a 5-7 record, told the crowd in attendance that this season "Was not just about wins and losses. It was about building a culture from the ground up through everything that we did on a daily basis. You have to believe in yourself and embrace the vision; you can't wait for someone else to show you how to do it."
In all, 78 players earned letters this season, including 17 seniors and 32 who were cited as first-year lettermen. The lettermen broke down into 36 on offense, 37 on defense and five specialists.
The complete list of CU award winners announced Sunday, selected by the coaching staff unless otherwise noted:
Team Captains (player vote): Alex Kinney, Nate Landman, Steven Montez, Davion Taylor
Relentless Award (exemplifies traits program held to): TE Brady Russell
Zack Jordan Award (most valuable player): WR Laviska Shenault
John Mack Award (outstanding offensive player): QB Steven Montez
Dave Jones Award (outstanding defensive player): ILB Nate Landman
Bill McCartney Award (special teams achievement): TE Beau Bisharat & P Alex Kinney
Lee Willard Award (outstanding freshman): TB Jaren Mangham & K.J. Trujillo
Most Improved Award (Offense): TB Alex Fontenot
Most Improved Award (Defense): ILB Akil Jones
Most Improved Award (Special Teams): WR Jaylon Jackson
Offensive Scout Player of the Year: OL Austin Johnson & QB Matt Ryan
Defensive Scout Players of the Year: OLB Alec Pell & S Ryan Travis
Special Teams Scout Players of the Year: WR Clayton Baca & WR Alex Smith
Dean Jacob Van Ek Award (academic excellence): C Tim Lynott, Jr.
Derek Singleton Award (spirit/dedication/enthusiasm): S Lucas Cooper & OLB Nu'umotu Falo
Tyronee "Tiger" Bussey Award (inspiration in the face of physical adversity): DT Jalen Sami
Tom McMahon Award (dedication/work ethic): CB Delrick Abrams, WR Tony Brown &S Mikial Onu
Eddie Crowder Award (outstanding team leadership): WR K.D. Nixon & OLB Davion Taylor
Offensive Trench Award: OT Arlington Hambright & OT William Sherman
Defensive Trench Award: DE Mustafa Johnson & DE Terrance Lang
Best Interview (selected by team beat media): QB Steven Montez
Previously announced:
Buffalo Heart Award (selected by the fans): C Tim Lynott, Jr.
Shenault, who announced this past Tuesday that he will forego his senior year in declaring for the National Football League draft, is just the sixth player in school history be named the team's MVP on multiple occasions. The first year of the award was in 1959.
Joe Romig remains the only three-time recipient of the honor, as the guard/linebacker won it his sophomore through senior years (1959-61); Shenault joins James Mayberry (running back, 1977-78), quarterback Darian Hagan (1989, 1981), and receivers Rae Carruth (1995-96) and Nelson Spruce (2014-15) as two-time winners. Shenault was the fifth sophomore to win when he was honored for 2018, and is now the seventh junior to be recognized.
Despite missing one full game and the better part of four others due to injuries, he tied for the team lead in receptions with 56 but led in yards with 764. He scored six touchdowns, four receiving and two rushing, as he had 23 carries for 161 yards. He earned 46 first downs, 26 on third for fourth down plays and was second on the Buffs in all-purpose yards with 979.
Shenault finished his CU career eighth all-time in receptions (149), 11th in receiving yards (1,943), 25th in yards from scrimmage (2,223) and 35th in all-purpose yards (2,332). He was 45th in scoring (108 points on 18 touchdowns, 10 scored via receiving).
While captains were selected for every game by the coaches, the team selected the ones who would go down as the captains for the season. Punter Alex Kinney, quarterback Steven Montez and outside linebacker Davion Taylor, all seniors, and junior linebacker Nate Landman were selected to go down in history for the 2019 season.
The coaches instituted a new award, based on the program's 2019 theme of being relentless. The "Relentless Award"
Was presented to sophomore tight end Brady Russell as he best exemplified the "severity, intensity, strength and pace to which the CU program, is held to, and operates at high velocity and an uncompromising effort on a daily basis."
Russell, who was placed on scholarship prior to the season, caught 23 passes for 221 yards and two touchdowns, and also caught a pass for a two-point conversion. The nephew of Matt Russell, CU's Butkus Award-winning linebacker in 1996, he also played on special teams.
The John Mack Award for the most outstanding player on offense was given to quarterback Steven Montez, who wrapped up his CU career the owner of 51 records (37 outright, 14 shared). Included among those were several notable ones such as career passing yards (9,629), touchdown passes (63) and total offensive yards (10,609). This season, he completed 63 percent of his passes for 2,808 yards and 17 touchdowns (against 10 interceptions), and ran for another 153 yards and three scores. It was his third straight season with over 2,500 yards passing, one of his school marks as he finished his time at CU making 36 consecutive starts, a record for the quarterback position.
The Dave Jones Award for the outstanding defensive player was presented to junior inside linebacker Nate Landman, who shared the honor a year ago. He led the team in tackles for a second straight year with 137, the most by a Buffalo in 12 seasons. Of those 137, 112 were credited as solo stops, second-most in CU history. He'll enter his senior season 21st on CU's all-time tackle list with 277; this year, he also played the most snaps on defense (785 out of 815), led the team in third down stops (15), had one interception and caused two, recorded eight tackles for loss including two quarterback sacks, had five tackles for zero (giving him 13 tackles at or behind the line of scrimmage), and had five passes broken up.
The Bill McCartney Award for special teams achievement was awarded to tight end Beau Bisharat and punter Alex Kinney. Bisharat finished as CU's special teams points leader for the third straight year, earning 28 on the strength of eight tackles (two inside-the-20), six forced fair catches, five first downfield credits that altered returns, five knockdowns and two downed punts. He finished with 98 career points, second in school history since the points program started in 1987.
Kinney averaged 41.9 yards for 262 career punts, 10th-best at Colorado, with school records of 96 punts inside-the-20 and 63 inside-the-15. This year, he averaged 44.4 yards for 59 punts, with 23 inside-the-50 (18 inside-the-15) and 14 that traveled 50 or more yards.
The coaches also added three new "most improved" awards for the fall that have usually been awarded previously only in the spring. Sophomore tailback Alex Fontenot was the choice on offense, junior inside linebacker Akil Jones on defense and receiver Jaylon Jackson on special teams.
Fontenot led the team in rushing with 874 yards as well as in all-purpose yards with 996, scoring five touchdowns and having the second-most first downs earned with 61. Jones was fourth on the team in tackles with 61 (50 solo), seven at or behind the line of scrimmage with three third down stops and two pass break-ups. Jackson, one of the gunners on the punt coverage unit, earned 13 special teams points (third on the team), with two tackles (both inside-the-20), a forced fumble and five forced fair catches.
CU's inspirational honors went to cornerback Lucas Cooper and outside linebacker Nu'umotu Falo, both seniors, as they received the Derek Singleton Award for spirit, dedication and enthusiasm; senior outside linebacker Davion Taylor and junior receiver K.D. Nixon shared the Eddie Crowder Award for outstanding team leadership; redshirt freshman defensive tackle Jalen Sami was the recipient of the Tyronee "Tiger" Bussey Award for inspiration in the face of physical adversity; and the Tom McMahon Award, for dedication and work ethic, was shared between three seniors: cornerback Delrick Abrams, receiver Tony Brown and safety Mikial Onu.
Fifth-year senior center Tim Lynott Jr. claimed the Dean Jacob Van Ek Award for academic achievement. Lynott graduated last May with a bachelor's degree in strategic communication and currently has a 4.0 grade point average in graduate course work in organizational leadership.
The Scout Team Awards recipients were freshmen offensive linemen Austin Johnson and walk-on quarterback Matt Ryan on offense; freshman outside linebacker Alec Pell and sophomore transfer, Ryan Travis, walk-on safety. This year, the coaches added awards for special team performers, with those going to freshmen receivers Clayton Baca and Alex Smith, both walk-ons. The players selected for these honors are those who contributed the most to the weekly preparation on their respective scout teams over the course of the entire season.
The Lee Willard Award for the most outstanding freshman was shared by tailback Jaren Mangham and cornerback K.J. Trujillo, both true frosh. Mangham rushed for 441 yards, the eighth-most in a single-season by Buff freshman, and scored three touchdowns. He also had 10 receptions for 41 yards and earned 28 first downs overall. Trujillo started six games after being pressed into duty due to injuries, and was on 21 tackles (16 solo, including a quarterback sack) in 438 snaps from scrimmage. He had an interception, five passes broken up, five third down stops and two touchdown saves.
Montez once again earned the "Best Interview" honor from CU's beat media, for his attending every weekly press luncheon to being available postgame, whether the Buffaloes won or lost. He's the fifth player to win the honor twice since its inception in 1987, joining Matt Russell (1995-96), George Hypolite (2007-08), Scotty McKnight (2009-10) and Phillip Lindsay (2016-17).
Head coach Mel Tucker, who completed his first season at Colorado with a 5-7 record, told the crowd in attendance that this season "Was not just about wins and losses. It was about building a culture from the ground up through everything that we did on a daily basis. You have to believe in yourself and embrace the vision; you can't wait for someone else to show you how to do it."
In all, 78 players earned letters this season, including 17 seniors and 32 who were cited as first-year lettermen. The lettermen broke down into 36 on offense, 37 on defense and five specialists.
The complete list of CU award winners announced Sunday, selected by the coaching staff unless otherwise noted:
Team Captains (player vote): Alex Kinney, Nate Landman, Steven Montez, Davion Taylor
Relentless Award (exemplifies traits program held to): TE Brady Russell
Zack Jordan Award (most valuable player): WR Laviska Shenault
John Mack Award (outstanding offensive player): QB Steven Montez
Dave Jones Award (outstanding defensive player): ILB Nate Landman
Bill McCartney Award (special teams achievement): TE Beau Bisharat & P Alex Kinney
Lee Willard Award (outstanding freshman): TB Jaren Mangham & K.J. Trujillo
Most Improved Award (Offense): TB Alex Fontenot
Most Improved Award (Defense): ILB Akil Jones
Most Improved Award (Special Teams): WR Jaylon Jackson
Offensive Scout Player of the Year: OL Austin Johnson & QB Matt Ryan
Defensive Scout Players of the Year: OLB Alec Pell & S Ryan Travis
Special Teams Scout Players of the Year: WR Clayton Baca & WR Alex Smith
Dean Jacob Van Ek Award (academic excellence): C Tim Lynott, Jr.
Derek Singleton Award (spirit/dedication/enthusiasm): S Lucas Cooper & OLB Nu'umotu Falo
Tyronee "Tiger" Bussey Award (inspiration in the face of physical adversity): DT Jalen Sami
Tom McMahon Award (dedication/work ethic): CB Delrick Abrams, WR Tony Brown &S Mikial Onu
Eddie Crowder Award (outstanding team leadership): WR K.D. Nixon & OLB Davion Taylor
Offensive Trench Award: OT Arlington Hambright & OT William Sherman
Defensive Trench Award: DE Mustafa Johnson & DE Terrance Lang
Best Interview (selected by team beat media): QB Steven Montez
Previously announced:
Buffalo Heart Award (selected by the fans): C Tim Lynott, Jr.