12 Tulane Football Players Earn Phil Steele Honors

NEW ORLEANS – Tulane University senior punter Ryan Wright headlined a list of 12 Green Wave football players that were honored by Phil Steele Magazine, as he earned First Team All-Conference and All-America Honorable Mention honors.

Redshirt freshman Tyjae Spears earned a spot on the All-Conference Second Team, making his first appearance on the postseason list.

Offensive lineman Sincere Haynesworth, linebacker Dorian Williams and defensive back Macon Clark all etched their names on the All-Conference Third team.

Rounding out the team nominations were fourth team recipients tight end Tyrick James, offensive lineman Corey Dublin, defensive lineman Jeffery Johnson, linebacker Nick Anderson, defensive lineman Darius Hodges, punt returner Jha'Quan Jackson and long snapper Ethan Hudak.

Phil Steele All-American Athletic Conference Team
First Team
Ryan Wright, P

Second Team
Tyjae Spears, RB

Third Team
Sincere Haynesworth, C
Dorian Williams, LB
Macon Clark, DB

Fourth Team
Tyrick James, TE
Corey Dublin, OL
Jeffery Johnson, DL
Nick Anderson, LB
Darius Hodges, DL
Jha'Quan Jackson, PR
Ethan Hudak, LS

Wright received first-team honors after he posted career highs in punting average (47.5) and posted a career-long 69-yard punt. His punting average led The American and ranked seventh nationally. Wright also was selected as a semifinalist for the Ray Guy Award – an award given to the nation's top collegiate punter, was the AAC Punter of the Year and All-AAC First Team.

Spears earned his second-team nod after a breakout year for the Green Wave, closing it out with a career-high 863 yards and nine touchdowns. The Louisiana Native rushed for over 100 yards in four of the last five games of the season, posting a career-high 264 yards in the season finale versus Memphis.

Haynesworth earned third-team honors after he played a key role in paving the way for Tulane's rushing attack which averaged 164.8 yards per game – a figure that ranked fifth in The American. Haynesworth made starts in all 12 games this past season.

Williams took home third-team recognition after he established himself as one of the league's top linebackers. As a junior, the Fort Mill, South Carolina, native averaged 6.1 tackles per game and accumulated 73 total on the season.

Clark earned his first all-conference nod this season after finishing as the Green Wave's leading tackler with 74 stops on this season. The Louisiana native averaged 6.1 tackles per game and picked off four passes for a total of 78 yards this season, ranking third in the AAC.

James earns his fourth team nod after posting career-high single-season stats with 31 receptions for 429 yards and four touchdowns through the 2021 campaign.

Dublin was tabbed fourth team after playing a key role on the Green Wave offensive line. Dublin made 60 career starts during his time at Tulane.

Johnson and Hodges were both selected fourth team following both starting in all 12 games for the Green Wave. Johnson had 44 tackles, 5.0 tackles for loss, and 1.0 sacks in his senior season. Hodges tallied 40 tackles, 16.5 tackles for loss, 5.0 sacks and forced two fumbles to finish his redshirt freshman campaign.

Anderson put his name on the fourth team after battling back from a lower-body injury that forced him to miss two games. The Mississippi native finished the season strong with 56 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, 4.0 sacks and a forced fumble.

Punt returner Jha' Quan Jackson made the fourth team after averaging 12.2 yards per return. Jackson had 13 returns for 132 yards on the season.

Hudak established himself as one of the most reliable long snappers in the AAC and took home fourth-team honors. He also appeared in all 12 games.

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12 Tulane Football Players Earn Phil Steele Honors

Players Mentioned

Nick Anderson

Macon Clark

Corey Dublin

Sincere Haynesworth

Darius Hodges

Ethan Hudak

Jha'Quan Jackson

Tyrick James

Jeffery Johnson

Tyjae Spears

Dorian Williams

Ryan Wright

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