Stetson sophomore Donald Payne, who earlier this week was named the 2014 Pioneer Football League Defensive Player of the Year, added another award to his trophy shelf on Wednesday by earning a spot on the 2014 PFL Academic All-Conference squad.
A total of 51 student-athletes from across the 11-team league were named to either the first or second team Academic Teams for 2014.
In addition to Payne earning first team honors, the Hatters placed three players on the second team – senior center Fletcher Eldemire, sophomore defensive lineman Davion Belk and sophomore linebacker David Lazear.
Butler senior defensive back JoJo Ciancio and Drake junior linebacker Taylor Coleman were each named the first Pioneer Football League Scholar-Athletes of the Year as part of the 22nd annual Academic All-PFL teams.
Ciancio and Coleman become the first Scholar-Athlete of the Year honorees, an award added prior to the 2014 season to recognize the PFL's top student-athlete – both on the field and in the classroom. This year, there were two honorees due to a tie in the voting, which was conducted among the league's sports information directors.
Ciancio, from Darien, Illinois, is an economics and finance double-major and brought a 3.83 grade-point average into his senior season at Butler. He was named to the Capital One Academic All-District Teams ®. A two-time Academic All-PFL selection, Ciancio also was named to the PFL's Academic Honor Roll each of his three previous seasons.
On the field, Ciancio led the Bulldogs with 84 tackles, ranking ninth among the league's defensive players and second among its defensive backs with 7.5 tackles per game. He also recorded three interceptions and was tied for 10th among league interception leaders. He was a honorable mention All-PFL selection this season.
Coleman, of Hawthorn Woods, Illinois, is a finance major and carried a 4.00 grade-point average into the 2014 campaign at Drake. He also was named to the Capital One Academic All-District Teams®, one of nine all-district honorees to post a 4.0 GPA. Coleman has been named to the Academic All-PFL team the two years he has been eligible and is a two-time PFL honor roll member.
Coleman led Drake with 95 tackles in 2014 and ranked sixth among league tacklers and fifth among linebackers with 8.6 tackles per game. He also posted 8.5 tackles for loss, including 1.5 sacks, to finish the season ranked among the PFL's top 20 in tackles for loss. Coleman posted three double-digit tackle games during 2014, including a 19-tackle outing at Dayton. He was an honorable mention All-PFL selection this season.
San Diego senior linebacker Troy McClelland became the 32nd PFL student-athlete to receive First-Team Academic All-PFL honors three times during his career.
McClelland and Ciancio also were among a group of 11 repeat First-Team Academic All-PFL selections that also earned the honor in 2013. Joining that pair as repeat first-team honorees were Davidson senior defensive back Bryant Bednarek, Davidson senior linebacker Colin Merrill, Valparaiso junior linebacker Alex Green, junior defensive back Danny Leach, Dayton senior quarterback Will Bardo, Campbell junior tight end Hunter Somerville, Drake senior quarterback Andy Rice, Dayton senior wide receiver Ross Smith and Campbell senior punter/kicker Adam Lutz.
The Academic All-PFL teams are a complement to the Capital One Academic All-America® program presented by the College Sports Information Directors of America. Eleven PFL student-athletes were named to their respective Capital One Academic All-District Teams® this fall. The 2014 Capital One Academic All-America Teams® will be announced Thursday.
Pioneer Football League athletic directors established the Academic All-PFL squads in 1993 as a way to recognize the league's outstanding student-athletes. To be eligible for Academic All-PFL consideration, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative grade-point average of 3.30 on a scale of 4.00 and reached their second season both athletically and academically at his current institution.
Payne is a finance major with a 3.41 GPA from Fayetteville, Ga., and is the face of the Stetson football program. In addition to leading all of college football with 185 tackles (94-91) in 2014, he led the PFL in tackles for a second consecutive year. He tied an all-time, NCAA all-division record with 30 tackles at Campbell and recorded double-figure tackle performances eight times, including each of the last six games during which he averaged 21.3 tackles per game.
He was named PFL defensive player of the week three times during the season and was second in the PFL in TFL (behind teammate Davion Belk) with 19. Payne recorded 5.5 sacks, had two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries, four interceptions, six QB hurries and eight pass breakups. He returned a blocked punt for a TD in the season-opener. He was twice named national defensive player of the week and is a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award as FCS Defensive Player of the Year. He was named to the CoSIDA Capital One Academic All-District Team® for District 4.
Over two seasons Payne has 298 total tackles with 35 TFL and 10 sacks. He was PFL Defensive Freshman of the Year in 2013 in addition to earning first team All-Conference honors. He was a finalist for the Jerry Rice Award and was named to multiple All-America teams in addition to being named to the 2013 PFL Academic Honor Roll.
Belk is a marketing major with a 3.44 GPA from Chicago, Ill., who finished the 2014 season second on the team with 84 total tackles (42-42) and edged teammate Donald Payne for the team lead with 19.5 TFL. He also led the Hatters with 8.0 sacks and ranked among the top five in the league in both sacks and TFL. He also led the team with 13 QB hurries.
Belk has overcome growing up in and around violence in Chicago, including the shooting deaths of two siblings. He returns to Chicago each summer to work as an operations assistant at RML Specialty Hospital. Over two seasons in the PFL he has 142 tackles, including 29 for loss and 11 sacks. He was an honorable mention All-PFL pick in 2013 and was named to the PFL Academic Honor Roll.
Eldemire is a pre-med/biology major with a 3.55 GPA from Longwood, Fla. He will forego his final year of eligibility in order to enter medical school next fall. Eldemire was one of the first students on campus to express interest after it was announced that football would be returning to Stetson. He worked closely with coach Roger Hughes during the recruitment of the first Stetson signing class in 2012, hosting every campus visit and helping with the signing of 108 players.
This year Eldemire saw action in all 12 games, starting seven despite battling an ankle injury for much of the season. He was credited with 17 knockdown blocks and also held responsibility for identifying all defensive fronts and blitzes and directing protection calls. Eldemire was selected as team captain in 2013 and was named to the 2013 PFL Academic Honor Roll.
Lazear is an economics and chemistry double major with a 3.66 GPA from Newark, Del., and is one of just four players who has started every Stetson game over two seasons. He finished this season with 55 total tackles including four for loss and one sack. He was credited with six pass breakups and six QB hurries and also recovered a fumble. He has 115 total tackles over two seasons. Lazear plans to go to medical school after completing his undergraduate degrees. He was named to the 2013 PFL Academic Honor Roll.
