IRVING, TEXAS — East Carolina running back Rahjai Harris has been named the American Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year and a first-team all-conference selection the league office announced Tuesday.
Cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian and receiver/return specialist Tyler Snead earned second-team all-conference accolades, while linebacker Xavier Smith earned honorable mention status.
Harris, who is the first ECU true freshman to be named a first-teamer since Travis Williams in 2004, rushed for 624 yards with four touchdowns in eight games where he averaged 4.9 yards per carry and stood third in The American in rushing per game (78.0 ypg). The Duncan, S.C. native ran for 100-plus yards in three consecutive games (115/USF, 172/Navy, 118/Tulsa), becoming the first Pirate running back since Tay Cooper (2012) to reach that standard. His 172 yards against the Midshipmen were the most in a game since Breon Allen racked up 211 yards against North Carolina in 2014, and it was the second-highest ever turned in by an ECU freshman following Scott Harley’s 175-yard outing against Temple in 1995. Harris also caught six passes out of the backfield for 31 yards and one score.
McMillian, a two-year starter, picked off a team-best four passes while booking 33 tackles (27 solo) during his sophomore campaign. It marked the second-straight season he led the unit in picks (three in 2019) with his pass thefts against Georgia State, Tulane and his two in the fourth quarter during the Pirates’ 52-38 win against SMU. The Winston-Salem, N.C. native booked multiple tackles in eight of nine games in 2020, which included a season-high five on three occasions.
Snead, who earned all-conference honors as a receiver and return specialist, led the team in receptions (53), punt returns and yards (12 for 144), kickoff returns and yards (18 for 409) and all-purpose yards 1,145. He reached the endzone seven times on the year (5/rcv, 1/rush, 1/KOR) and threw for a score in the season finale against SMU. The Raleigh, N.C. native authored a pair of 100-yard receiving games (105/Georgia State, 108/Tulsa) and topped 100-plus all-purpose yards four times, including 231 at Georgia State and 244 at Temple. Snead’s lone special teams touchdown came during the second quarter against the Owls when he returned his second career kickoff 95 yards earning him AAC Special Teams Player-of-the-Week accolades.
For the second-straight season, Smith was the top tackler on the team by booking 72 stops, an average of 8.0 per contest to stand fifth in The American. He also led the unit in TFLs (8.0/-30 yards) and pass breakups (six), while ranking second in sacks (2.5/-22 yards). The Stafford, Va. native closed out the season with six stops against SMU, which pushed his current streak to 21-straight games with multiple tackles. Against Navy, he logged a personal-best 15 tackles, marking the fourth time in his career with double-digit stops.
2020 AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE FOOTBALL AWARDS
AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Desmond Ridder, QB, Cincinnati
AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Zaven Collins, LB, Tulsa *
AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Chris Naggar, K, SMU
AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE ROOKIES OF THE YEAR
Rahjai Harris, RB, East Carolina
Ulysses Bentley IV, RB, SMU
AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE COACH OF THE YEAR
Luke Fickell, Cincinnati
ALL-CONFERENCE FIRST TEAM
| Pos. | Player | School | Cl. | Ht. | Wt. | Hometown |
| WR | Jaylon Robinson | UCF | So. | 5-9 | 163 | Fort Worth, Texas |
| WR | Marlon Williams | UCF | Sr. | 6-0 | 215 | Mobile, Ala. |
| WR | Calvin Austin III | Memphis | Jr. | 5-9 | 162 | Memphis, Tenn. |
| OT | James Hudson | Cincinnati | Jr. | 6-5 | 310 | Toledo, Ohio |
| OT | Tyler Smith | Tulsa | RFr. | 6-5 | 332 | Fort Worth, Texas |
| OG | Cole Schneider 1 2 | UCF | Jr. | 6-4 | 312 | Fort Myers, Fla. |
| OG | Peter Nestrowitz | Navy | Sr. | 6-3 | 282 | Washington, N.J. |
| C | Matthew Lee | UCF | RFr. | 6-4 | 290 | Oviedo, Fla. |
| TE | Kylen Granson 2 | SMU | Sr. | 6-3 | 235 | Austin, Texas |
| QB | Desmond Ridder | Cincinnati | Jr. | 6-4 | 215 | Louisville, Ky. |
| RB | Gerrid Doaks | Cincinnati | Sr. | 6-0 | 230 | Indianapolis, Ind. |
| RB | Rahjai Harris | East Carolina | Fr. | 5-10 | 228 | Duncan, S.C. |
| RB | Ulysses Bentley IV | SMU | RFr. | 5-10 | 184 | Houston, Texas |
| DL | Myjai Sanders | Cincinnati | Jr. | 6-5 | 258 | Jacksonville, Fla. |
| DL | O’Bryan Goodson H | Memphis | Sr. | 6-1 | 297 | Batesville, Miss. |
| DL | Cameron Sample | Tulane | Sr. | 6-3 | 280 | Snellville, Ga. |
| DL | Jaxon Player | Tulsa | Jr. | 6-0 | 290 | Waco, Texas |
| LB | Jarell White | Cincinnati | Sr. | 5-10 | 205 | Cincinnati, Ohio |
| LB | Grant Stuard 2 | Houston | Sr. | 6-1 | 225 | Conroe, Texas |
| LB | Patrick Johnson 2 2 | Tulane | Sr. | 6-3 | 255 | Chattanooga, Tenn. |
| LB | Zaven Collins * | Tulsa | Jr. | 6-4 | 260 | Hominy, Okla. |
| CB | Ahmad Gardner 1 | Cincinnati | So. | 6-2 | 188 | Detroit, Mich. |
| CB | Coby Bryant | Cincinnati | Sr. | 6-1 | 198 | Cleveland, Ohio |
| S | Richie Grant * 1 1 | UCF | Sr. | 6-0 | 194 | Fort Walton Beach, Fla. |
| S | James Wiggins 2 | Cincinnati | Sr. | 6-0 | 205 | Miami, Fla. |
| K | Chris Naggar | SMU | Sr. | 6-1 | 195 | Arlington, Texas |
| P | Ryan Wright | Tulane | Jr. | 6-3 | 245 | San Ramon, Calif. |
| RS | Marcus Jones | Houston | Jr. | 5-8 | 185 | Enterprise, Ala. |
* unanimous selection
ALL-CONFERENCE SECOND TEAM
| Pos. | Player | School | Cl. | Ht. | Wt. | Hometown |
| WR | Michael Young Jr. | Cincinnati | Jr. | 5-10 | 190 | Saint Rose, La. |
| WR | Tyler Snead | East Carolina | So. | 5-7 | 169 | Raleigh, N.C. |
| WR | Keylon Stokes | Tulsa | Sr. | 6-0 | 194 | Manvel, Texas |
| OT | Jaylon Thomas 2 | SMU | Jr. | 6-3 | 312 | Lubbock, Texas |
| OT | Chris Paul | Tulsa | Jr. | 6-4 | 331 | Houston, Texas |
| OG | Hayden Howerton | SMU | Sr. | 6-3 | 300 | Katy, Texas |
| OG | Corey Dublin H | Tulane | Sr. | 6-4 | 312 | New Orleans, La. |
| C | Sincere Haynesworth | Tulane | So. | 6-1 | 310 | Pearland, Texas |
| TE | Josh Whyle | Cincinnati | So. | 6-6 | 235 | Cincinnati, Ohio |
| QB | Dillon Gabriel | UCF | So. | 6-0 | 186 | Mililani, Hawaii |
| RB | Otis Anderson H | UCF | So. | 6-0 | 195 | Grapevine, Texas |
| RB | Stephon Huderson | Tulane | Sr. | 5-9 | 200 | Petal, Miss. |
| DL | Marcus Brown | Cincinnati | Sr. | 6-2 | 297 | Naples, Fla. |
| DL | Elijah Ponder 1 | Cincinnati | Sr. | 6-3 | 275 | Atlanta, Ga. |
| DL | Payton Turner | Houston | Sr. | 6-6 | 270 | Houston, Texas |
| DL | Arnold Ebiketie | Temple | Jr. | 6-4 | 240 | Silver Spring, Md. |
| LB | Darrian Beavers | Cincinnati | Sr. | 6-3 | 242 | Cincinnati, Ohio |
| LB | Diego Fagot 1 | Navy | Jr. | 6-3 | 240 | Fort Lauderdale, Fla. |
| LB | Antonio Grier | USF | Jr. | 6-1 | 222 | Atlanta, Ga. |
| LB | Dorian Williams | Tulane | So. | 6-1 | 220 | Fort Mill, S.C. |
| LB | Justin Wright | Tulsa | So. | 6-2 | 234 | Abilene, Texas |
| CB | Aaron Robinson 2 | UCF | Sr. | 6-1 | 193 | Deerfield Beach, Fla. |
| CB | Ja’Quan McMillian | East Carolina | So. | 5-10 | 161 | Winston-Salem, N.C. |
| S | Quindell Johnson | Memphis | So. | 6-1 | 195 | New Orleans, La. |
| S | Cristian Williams | Tulsa | Sr. | 6-0 | 180 | Dallas, Texas |
| K | Zack Long | Tulsa | Sr. | 5-10 | 172 | Pacific, Mo. |
| P | James Smith 1 1 2 | Cincinnati | Sr. | 6-5 | 235 | Wangaratta, Australia |
| RS | Tre Tucker | Cincinnati | So. | 5-9 | 172 | Akron, Ohio |
| RS | Tyler Snead | East Carolina | So. | 5-7 | 169 | Raleigh, N.C. |
ALL-CONFERENCE HONORABLE MENTION
| Pos. | Player | School | Cl. | Ht. | Wt. | Hometown |
| OG | Lokahi Pauole | UCF | So. | 6-4 | 320 | Kapolei, Hawaii |
| S | Darrick Forrest 1 | Cincinnati | Sr. | 6-0 | 200 | Columbus, Ohio |
| OT | Darius Harper | Cincinnati | Sr. | 6-7 | 308 | Springfield, Ohio |
| LB | Xavier Smith | East Carolina | Jr. | 6-0 | 246 | Stafford, Va. |
| OG | Braylon Jones | Houston | Sr. | 6-4 | 315 | Tyler, Texas |
| CB | Damarion Williams | Houston | Sr. | 5-11 | 180 | Atlanta, Ga. |
| TE | Sean Dykes | Memphis | Sr. | 6-2 | 224 | Houston, Texas |
| DL | Morris Joesph | Memphis | Jr. | 6-2 | 275 | Orange, Texas |
| LB | Richard McBryde | SMU | Sr. | 6-1 | 232 | Troy, Ala. |
| WR | Jadan Blue 2 | Temple | Jr. | 6-0 | 185 | Randallstown, Md. |
| OT | Joey Claybrook | Tulane | Jr. | 6-6 | 295 | Starkville, Miss. |
| OG | Dante Bivens | Tulsa | Jr. | 6-3 | 324 | Spring, Texas |
| OG | Dylan Couch | Tulsa | Sr. | 6-3 | 299 | Pryor, Okla. |
| CB | Allie Green IV | Tulsa | Sr. | 6-3 | 206 | Austin, Texas |
| S | Kendarin Ray | Tulsa | So. | 6-4 | 200 | Brenham, Texas |
| C | Gerard Wheeler | Tulsa | Jr. | 6-3 | 331 | Plano, Texas |
1 2 H indicates previous selections to first team, second team, or honorable mention
American Athletic Conference Offensive Players of the Year
2013 Blake Bortles, QB, UCF
2014 Shane Carden, QB, East Carolina
2015 Keenan Reynolds, QB, Navy
2016 Quinton Flowers, QB, USF
2017 McKenzie Milton, QB, UCF
2018 McKenzie Milton, QB, UCF
2019 Malcolm Perry, QB, Navy
2020 Desmond Ridder, QB, Cincinnati
American Athletic Conference Defensive Players of the Year
2013 Marcus Smith, DE, Louisville
2014 Jacoby Glenn, CB, UCF
Tank Jakes, LB, Memphis
2015 Tyler Matakevich, LB, Temple
2016 Shaquem Griffin, LB, UCF
2017 Ed Oliver, DT, Houston
2018 Nate Harvey, DE, ECU
2019 Quincy Roche, DE, Temple
2020 Zaven Collins, LB, Tulsa *
American Athletic Conference Special Teams Players of the Year
2013 Demarcus Ayers, WR/KR, Houston
Tom Hornsey, P, Memphis
2014 Jake Elliott, K, Memphis
2015 Jake Elliott, K, Memphis
2016 Tony Pollard, WR/RS, Memphis
2017 Tony Pollard, WR/RS, Memphis
2018 Isaiah Wright, WR/RS, Temple
2019 Dane Roy, P, Houston
Antonio Gibson, WR/RS, Memphis
2020 Chris Naggar, K, SMU
American Athletic Conference Rookies of the Year
2013 John O’Korn, QB, Houston
2014 Marlon Mack, RB, USF
2015 Tre’Quan Smith, WR, UCF
2016 Ed Oliver, DT, Houston
2017 T.J. Carter, CB, Memphis
2018 Desmond Ridder, QB, Cincinnati
2019 Kenneth Gainwell, RB, Memphis
2020 Rahjai Harris, RB, East Carolina
Ulysses Bentley IV, RB, SMU
American Athletic Conference Coaches of the Year
2013 George O’Leary, UCF *
2014 Justin Fuente, Memphis *
2015 Tom Herman, Houston
Ken Niumatalolo, Navy
2016 Ken Niumatalolo, Navy
2017 Scott Frost, UCF *
2018 Luke Fickell, Cincinnati
2019 Ken Niumatalolo, Navy
2020 Luke Fickell, Cincinnati
* unanimous selection
