MOREHEAD, Ky. -- Morehead State Football has once again honored its own with five prestigious team awards.

For the second consecutive season, the Phil Simms Offensive Most Valuable Player is senior wide receiver BJ Byrd. The Dave Haverdick Defensive MVP is senior defensive end Vaughn Taylor, Jr., and the John Christopher Special Teams MVP is grad strudent kicker/punter Andrew Foster - also a repeat winner. Those three awards are voted on by coaches and student-athletes.

The Appel Academic Award is freshman offensive lineman Jaxsen Spears, and the Mike Gottfried C3 (Character, Community, Championship Effort) Award was given to senior offensive lineman Dalton Lewis.

The award namesakes honor some of the best and most honored student-athletes and a future coach in Morehead State history.

The PFL Offensive Player of the Year and First-Team All-PFL, Byrd - of Richmond, Calif. - ended the regular season as the FCS' top receiver. He has also been named All-American by the AP and Hero Sports and Academic All-PFL. He led the subdivision with 1,313 receiving yards, 90 receptions, and 8.2 receptions per game in 2021. Byrd's yardage total, catches and his 13 touchdowns are all MSU single-season records. He also set the single-game record with four TDs against Stetson. Byrd ranked second along all FCS players in touchdown receptions and receiving yards per game (119.4 ypg) during the season. He had an FCS-best eight 100-yard receiving performances in 11 games, including his 223-yard, four-touchdown day against Stetson. Byrd was one of 25 finalists for the Stats Perform FCS Walter Payton Award. He also finished his two-year career ranked among the best receivers in program history. In just 18 games (seven spring games after transferring from Jacksonville), Byrd compiled 1,780 yards, 21 touchdowns, averaging 98.9 yards per game. Byrd also earned his bachelor's degree in strategic communications this term.

Taylor, from Washington, D.C., is the PFL Defensive Player of the Year and also Academic All-PFL. He is an All-American, named by the AP and Hero Sports. He led all PFL defenders with 23 tackles for loss in the regular season and his 2.09 tackles for loss per game, ranking second among all FCS athletes in 2021. He also finished the season with 10 sacks and was 14th in the PFL with 71 total tackles, ranking in the top 20 among FCS players in sacks per game. He recorded a sack in eight of 11 games in 2021, including all five games in October, and had a tackle for loss in all 11 games. Taylor was one of 25 finalists for the Stats Perform FCS Buck Buchanan Award. He also set the Morehead State career record in tackles for loss during the year and wrapped up his career with 60 TFLs. He also had 190 career total tackles.

Foster, a Knoxville, Tenn., native, ranked among the FCS leaders and set the PFL single-season record for punting average at 45.7. Foster was named All-PFL and Academic All-PFL. He also became the first Eagle punter in program history to average 40+ yards four consecutive seasons, coming up just 0.4 short of the career average record for the Eagles. He also made 12 field goals and was 40-of-42 on PATs, setting the record for consecutive extra point kicks during the year. Foster is a semifinalist for the FCS Punter of the Year Award.

The Plainfield, Ind, product Spears has maintained a perfect 4.0 grade-point average as an accounting major. At center, Spears helped the Eagles average 434 yards per game and rank among the FCS's top 20 in fewest sacks allowed. MSU also ranked among the top team in the nation in passing this season. Spears was tabbed Honorable Mention All-PFL and also Academic All-PFL.

Lewis, from Sterling, Va., was injured and did not get to see action this fall, but he maintained a leadership role. He has been on the PFL Academic Honor Roll every season and recently earned his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering. He was chosen as the commencement speaker for the College of Science at graduation ceremonies this semester. Lewis has been accepted into the graduate program for mechanical engineering at prestigious Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pa., where he'll enroll in the spring.