2023 SKYHAWK FCS POSTSEASON AWARDS TRACKER

MARTIN, Tenn. – Keep up with all of the postseason All-American awards for the three-time defending conference champion University of Tennessee at Martin football team throughout the offseason.

To date, the Skyhawks have garnered numerous All-American honors with postseason recognitions for defensive end Daylan Dotson, running back Sam Franklin, specialist Aidan Laros, offensive tackle Gavin Olson and defensive end Charles Perkins. On the national stage, Dotson was named a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award while Franklin was a finalist for the Walter Payton Award. Laros was the FCS Punter of the Year Award.

Check back right here to keep up with all the Skyhawk All-America honors for the 2023 season. You can also follow the UT Martin football team on Twitter (@UTMSports | @UTM_Football) and Instagram (@UTMSports | @utmskyhawkfootball) for offseason news and updates.

Daylan Dotson | DE

2023 Buck Buchanan Award Finalist
Phil Steele FCS All-American (first team)
Associated Press FCS All-American (second team)
FCS Football Central All-American Team (second team)
Stats Perform FCS All-American (second team)

Dotson, 6-3 defensive end from Savannah, Ga., lived up to his preseason hype by maintaining his status as a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award after a strong season on the defensive line. He finished the campaign with 51 total tackles while adding 19.5 tackles for loss which ranked fourth nationally. Along with his work in the defensive backfield, he also registered 7.0 sacks, 17 quarterback hurries, seven pass breakups, a forced fumble and a recovery. He recorded multiple TFLs in eight games – including a season-best 4.0 tackles and two sacks against Eastern Illinois – while notching a season-high 10 tackles and four quarterback hurries against Missouri State.

Sam Franklin | RB

2023 Walter Payton Award Finalist
Associated Press FCS All-American (second team)
FCS Football Central All-American Team (second team)
Stats Perform FCS All-American (second team)
Phil Steele FCS All-American (third team)

Franklin, a 5-10 running back from Little Rock, Ark., built upon a strong season in which he was named OVC Freshman of the Year in 2022 by flirting with a historical season. The running back rushed 223 times for 1,386 yards and 11 touchdowns on the season – finishing just 26 yards shy of the program's single-season rushing record. A finalist for the 2023 Walter Payton Award, he ranked second nationally with his 1,386 yards while sitting third in the FCS with 126.0 rushing yards per game. He eclipsed the 100-yard rushing plateau in seven contests – including a pair of 200-yard performances against Missouri State (259 yards) and North Alabama (221 yards). Finding the endzone 11 times – ranking eighth in the program's single-season history – his most electric performance came against Missouri State by tallying a season-high three rushing touchdowns.

Aidan Laros | P

Augusta Sports Council FCS Punter of the Year
AFCA FCS Coaches' All-America (first team)
Associated Press FCS All-American (first team)
FCS ADA All-America Team (first team)
FCS Football Central All-American Team (first team)
Phil Steele FCS All-American (first team)
Stats Perform FCS All-American (first team)
Walter Camp FCS All-American

Laros, 6-2 specialist from Cape Town, South Africa, led the country in punting average and was named Big South-OVC Special Teams Player of the Year. In his first year at UT Martin, he led the FCS in punting by averaging 47.2 yards per attempt while setting a new program record. Overall he punted 51 times with a long punt of 70 yards (done twice), 18 of his punts were 50 yards or longer, 16 were downed inside the opponent's 20-yard line and he only had seven touchbacks. Laros also handled kicking duties, making 10-of-16 field goals (with a long of 43) and converting 43-of-45 point after attempts. He ranked sixth in the Association in scoring (6.67 points/game).

Gavin Olson | OL

AFCA FCS Coaches' All-America (second team)
Associated Press FCS All-American (second team)
Stats Perform FCS All-American (second team)

Olson, a 6-4 offensive tackle from Memphis, Tenn., wrapped up his decorated career by garnering his third all-conference honor in the past three seasons – adding a pair of first team honors (2022 and 2023) and a second team (2021) selection for his career. Along with starting 51 career games on the offensive line, he tallied 74 knockdowns while grading out at 84 percent or better in 827 snaps. As a team, the Skyhawks ranked eighth nationally with 222.0 rushing yards per game and 14^th in the FCS with 1.09 sacks allowed per game. On top of his athletic accomplishments, he was also named to the inaugural Big South-OVC Football Association All-Academic Team.

Charles Perkins | DE

FCS Football Central Freshman All-American
Stats Perform FCS Freshman All-American
Phil Steele FCS Freshman All-American (second team)

Perkins, a 6-3 defensive end from Memphis, Tenn., saw his production increase throughout the season en route to Freshman All-American honors. He finished the season with 24 combined tackles – including 11 solo stops – while accumulating 4.0 sacks for a total of 28 negative yards. His best game came in the season finale where he posted six tackles against Samford while also getting in on sacks against Houston Christian, Eastern Illinois, Gardner-Webb, Tennessee Tech and Samford.

2023 SKYHAWK FCS POSTSEASON AWARDS TRACKER

Players Mentioned

Daylan Dotson

Sam Franklin

Aidan Laros

Gavin Olson

Charles Perkins

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