University of North Texas Athletics
Nine Named to Phil Steele's All-C-USA Team
6/24/2021 11:00:00 AM | Football
CLEVELAND – Nine members of North Texas football were named to Preseason All-Conference USA teams by Phil Steele, the publication announced this week.
Senior defensive lineman Dion Novil earned first team honors for the Mean Green. Redshirt sophomore receiver Jyaire Shorter, redshirt junior offensive linemen Jacob Brammer and Manase Mose were recognized on the second team, while redshirt freshman running back Oscar Adaway III and redshirt junior long snapper Nate Durham made the third team. Senior running back DeAndre Torrey, junior linebacker KD Davis and redshirt junior defensive back John Davis, Jr., garnered fourth team accolades.
Novil earned First Team All-Conference USA honors after his season performance in 2020. He finished with 38 total tackles, a team-high 8.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks at nose tackle for the Mean Green. He also was also credited with two forced fumbles and a quarterback hurry while starting in all 10 games. Throughout his career in Denton, Novil has appeared in 39 games, posting 136 tackles, 28.5 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks. He was named Pro Football Focus National Defensive Player of the Week and C-USA Defensive Player of the Week after his team-high eight tackles, a career-high 5.0 tackles for loss, a sack and two forced fumbles in the win vs. Rice on November 21, 2020.
Shorter amassed 97 receiving yards on just four receptions in three games in 2020. An injury ended his campaign prematurely, but he looks to build on his breakout 2019 season in which he accounted for nine touchdowns on 24 receptions for 473 total yards. During the 2019 season, Shorter averaged nearly 20 yards per catch and earned and 39.4 yards per game. On October 26, 2019, he caught three passes for a career-high 111 yards and three touchdowns against Charlotte. He earned All-Conference USA honorable mention honors for his season performance.
Brammer, a two-year starter at right tackle, has appeared in 26 games for the Mean Green. He was named Second Team All-Conference USA after the 2020 season and served as an anchor on the much-improved offensive line that helped lead North Texas to become one of C-USA's top scoring offenses last year.
Mose is a three-year starter on the offensive line, making the move to center in 2020 from right guard. He started in all 10 games in 2020, totalling a combined 35 starts over the past three seasons. Mose has helped pave the way for one of the most explosive offenses in Conference USA over that timeframe.
Adaway enters the 2021 season having rushed for 578 yards on 99 attempts in seven games last season. He averaged 5.8 yards per carry en route to scoring three touchdowns. The back added eight yards on two catches in 2020. Adaway had three 100+ yard rushing performances in 2020, including a 118-yard game against Houston Baptist on September 5, in which he scored his first career touchdown.
Durham has been a consistent fixture of the Mean Green special teams unit, appearing in 38 games in four seasons with North Texas. He has ranked among the top long snappers in the nation according to Pro Football Focus in both 2019 and in 2018, when he was named All-Conference USA honorable mention.
Torrey enters 2021 ranked seventh in program history in career rushing touchdowns (23), tied for eighth in total career touchdowns (27), 12th in career rushing yards (2,013) and ninth in career all-purpose yards (3,324). During the 2020 season, he rushed for 656 yards on 113 attempts, while adding 20 yards on four receptions and 159 yards on nine kickoff returns. Torrey accounted for six rushing touchdowns in 2020. On December 12, 2020 he became the 12th North Texas player all-time to rush for at least 2,000 yards.
KD Davis, continuing the success of his 2019 campaign, once again proved to be a defensive stalwart in 2020. For the second consecutive season, Davis led the Mean Green in tackles with 75, and was credited with 5.5. tackles for loss, three sacks and three quarterback hurries. He was named Conference USA Defensive Player of the Week after having a team-high nine tackles, one for loss and a sack, and two quarterback hurries in the season-opening win against HBU on September 5. Since becoming a starter in 2019, he has appeared in 21 games for UNT, 20 of which were starts.
John Davis, Jr., appeared in nine games last season for the Mean Green, making his presence felt in the backfield with 25 total tackles and five pass break-ups. The Euless native racked up a career-high seven tackles and two pass break-ups against UTSA on November 28.
New 2021 season tickets and mini plans are now available and can be purchased HERE. Any ticket-related questions may be directed to the Mean Green Athletics Ticket Office via email at ticketoffice@unt.edu or by phone at (940) 565-2527.
