FRISCO, Texas – Senior linebacker
Jalyx Hunt has been named the 2023 Southland Conference Defensive Player of the Year and earned first team all-conference honors along with fellow first team selections
Dillon Fedor and
Karl Reynolds while
Rodney Dansby and
Christian Hood were each voted to the second, the conference office announced on Wednesday morning.
Hunt was a menace defensively all season, filling up the stat sheet with 46 tackles, 6.5 sacks, nine tackles for loss, one interception returned for a touchdown, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, two pass breakups, three quarterback hurries and a blocked kick. The senior led all players in the conference with 6.5 sacks in six games while no other player in the league registered more than four sacks vs. SLC opponents. Hunt posted a three-sack performance along with a forced fumble and a fumble recovery vs. Lamar this season.
Hunt became the first FCS player this season to receive invitations to both the East-West Shrine Bowl and the Reese's Senior Bowl, accepting the Senior Bowl invite. Hunt was a second team all-conference selection last season. He is now the program's second ever SLC Defensive Player of the Year, joining current Jacksonville Jaguar Caleb Johnson. Johnson was named Co-Defensive Player of the Year in 2020.
Fedor, a junior placekicker, tied for the most made field goals in the conference this season with 10. He finished the year 10-of-13 (76.9 percent) kicking, setting a new career-best with a 50-yarder in HCU's win over Texas A&M-Commerce. Fedor was a perfect 31-of-31 on PATs and was named SLC Special Teams Player of the Week once.
Reynolds, a senior wide receiver, posted one of the best seasons in program history with 47 receptions, 661 yards and six touchdowns. His six touchdowns rank third in a single season while his 661 yards ranks fourth and his 47 catches rank fifth. He finished the year second in the conference in receiving yards and third in both receptions and touchdowns. In just two seasons, Reynolds has totaled 76 catches for 1,082 yards and 11 touchdowns, moving into the top-four in program history in each category.
Dansby, a junior linebacker, makes his third all-conference team in three seasons after leading the Huskies' defense with 96 tackles, ranking 20
th nationally at 9.6 tackles per game. The junior also racked up six tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and was credited with three quarterback hurries. Dansby has piled up an impressive 352 tackles through three seasons and 32 games, ranking third all-time at HCU.
Hood, a senior offensive lineman, picks up his second career all-SLC honor after earning first team recognition in 2020. Hood started at center for the Huskies this year and was a leader on an HCU line that led the way for the league's number two rushing attack and four 100-yard rushing performances by HCU running backs. Hood and his line-mates also allowed just nine sacks to quarterback
Colby Suits in SLC play, the second-lowest total in the league.
The Huskies wrapped up their first season under head coach
Braxton Harris with the first winning season in program history, finishing 6-5 overall and 4-3 in the Southland.
