Six Eagles earn All-SAC honors
ROCK HILL, S.C. – Carson-Newman football has had six players named to the South Atlantic Conference’s all-league teams, the conference office announced Friday morning.
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ROCK HILL, S.C. – Carson-Newman football has had six players named to the South Atlantic Conference's all-league teams, the conference office announced Friday morning.
C-N placed two student-athletes on the first team defense – linebacker Cruz Temple (Abbeville, S.C.) and defensive back Champ Baker (Lilburn, Ga.). Two other Eagles were picked as second-team defensive selections in outside linebacker Mekhi Brown (Wauchula, Fla.) and defensive lineman Martavis Mason (Ninety Six, S.C.). Finally, C-N had two specialists make the second team in punter Grayson Campbell (Lebanon, Tenn.) and longsnapper Brendan Shoaf (Oak Island, N.C.).
This brings Carson-Newman's all-time All-SAC selections to a league-best 507, including a league-best 127 all-time first team defense picks.
Temple led Carson-Newman in tackles in 2025 with 66 stops, 31 of which were solo. He made 3.5 tackles for loss and had a sack. He hurried the QB seven times. He forced a fumble against Catawba while recovering one in the finale against Tusculum. Temple earned SAC and TSWA Player of the Week honors following C-N's 28-6 win at Anderson. He had nine tackles, a tackle for loss and three quarterback hurries.
Baker led C-N's secondary with 36 tackles, 21 solo, as well as 3.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. He broke up six passes on the year. Baker was an instrumental part of Carson-Newman's pass defense. The Eagles ranked 12th nationally in passing yards allowed, giving up 168 a game – the top figure in the SAC. Carson-Newman ranked sixth in the country in scoring defense, giving up 14.5 points per game.
Brown earns postseason honors from the league for a third time in his career. He had 34 tackles with four tackles for loss and four sacks. He moved into the top 10 all-time in school history for career sacks. Brown also logged a QB hurry. He produced a pair of seven-tackle days, both on the road, at Mars Hill and at Wingate.
Mason finished third on the team in tackles with 41 on the year. He had a team-best 8.5 tackles for loss and a team-best five sacks. He also forced a fumble, picked up two QB hurries and batted down a pair of passes. He finished with a season-best eight tackles at Emory & Henry. He registered a half tack for loss or more in all but one week of the season.
Shoaf continues long tradition of exceptional long snappers. Carson-Newman only had one punt blocked on the season. Carson-Newman's last four long snappers, Dusty Nance, Dawson Campbell, Andrew Bradshaw and now Shoaf, have all earned postseason honors from the league office. This streak of snapping excellence dates back to 2012.
Campbell finished the season with a 41.3 yard per punt average. He had a long boot of 62 yards. Only two of his 36 punts were touchbacks and he pinned opponents inside of their 20 on a quarter of his punts – nine times. He booted five punts of 50 yards or longer.
