An All-American placekicker who was nearly perfect in field goals and extra points has been named NC Football News’ Most Outstanding Special Teams player for 2023.
Richard McCollum, a redshirt senior at Western Carolina, collects the honor after leading the Southern Conference in scoring and nearly breaking his school’s all-time scoring mark.
Other Most Outstanding Special Teams performers for 2023, by division, include NC State long snapper Joe Shimko (FBS), Lenoir-Rhyne return specialist DeAree Rogers (Division II) and NC Wesleyan placekicker Braxtyn Green (Division III).
Richard McCollum | Western Carolina | PK
McCollum has appeared on three All-America teams following the season. He earned first-team All-America on the FCS Football Central list, third-team FCS All-America from Stats Perform and fourth-team FCS All-America by Phil Steele College Football.
McCollum, who played for Southern Lee High School in Sanford before joining the Catamounts, led the Southern Conference with 93 total points in his senior season. Before the playoffs, that number ranked fourth-best among FCS players.
He booted 14-of-15 field goals and hit 51-of-52 extra points. His only misses came during a rainy Sept. 16 outing at Eastern Kentucky, which WCU still won 27-24.
McCollum made four kicks from 40 yards or longer and all of his attempts from inside 34 during the season.
His WCU teammates kept him busy during a 77-21 win against Charleston Southern on Sept. 23. McCollum hit all 11 extra points. The next week he made 7-of-7 extra points in a romp over The Citadel.
He scored 12 total points in an upset of top-10 Samford, including three key field goals. Western nipped a top-25 Chattanooga squad later in the season thanks to a walk-off 32-yarder.
McCollum entered the transfer portal following the 2022 campaign but opted to come back to Cullowhee for one last run this fall. He finished his career just two points shy of the Western Carolina all-time scoring record of 302, set by Kirk Roach in the 1980s.
He saved one of his best performances for his final home game, a victory over East Tennessee State on Nov. 11. He scored 16 points in the 58-7 blowout, making field goals from 32, 41 and 24 yards and knocking through seven PATs. That contest earned him FedEx Ground National Special Teams Player of the Week recognition.
McCollum was twice named SoCon special teams player of the week in 2023 and earned that honor six times in his career.
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Joe Shimko | NC State | LS
The graduate student from Belmar, N.J. (Wall Township HS) collected the Patrick Mannelly Award, recognizing the best long snapper in college football, earlier this month. Shimko had been a semifinalist for the honor in both 2021 and 2022.
Shimko made 125 successful snaps this past season and has totaled 600 snaps during his 61-game career. Not once did he make a bad snap over a five-year career. He played a key role in helping placekicker Christopher Dunn win the Lou Groza Award last season.
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DeAree Rogers | Lenoir-Rhyne | RS
The redshirt freshman’s first season with the Bears landed him on the D2CCA first-team All-America list as a returner. Rogers, from Lexington, S.C. (Irmo HS), returned three punts for touchdowns — breaking the school’s single-season record. Two of those scores came in the same game, against Erskine on Sept. 16.
Rogers’ 357 punt-return yards for the season ranks him third on Lenoir-Rhyne’s single-season list. Rogers finished wtih 53 catches for the Bears’ offense, totaling 690 yards and six touchdowns.
Other honors this season include first-team All-South Atlantic Conference and first-team D2CCA All-Super Region 2.
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Braxtyn Green | NC Wesleyan | PK
The freshman from Live Oak, Fla. (Suwannee HS) set school records in his first campaign with the Battling Bishops and was voted the USA South Athletic Conference specialist of the year.
Green hit seven of nine field goals, including a school-best 51-yarder in an Oct. 21 win over Southern Virginia. He also had field goals covering 40 and 45 yards.
Green finished the season with 39 total points, including a perfect 18-of-18 on PATs.
In addition to placekicking duties, Green handled the punting for NC Wesleyan. He averaged almost 37 yards per punt and had a 53-yarder in a win over Southern Virginia. Green was twice named USA South specialist of the week
Special Teams Honor Roll
- Porter Wilson | FBS| Duke | Punter
- Noah Burnette | FBS | North Carolina | Placekicker
- Alijah Huzzie | FBS | North Carolina | Specialist
- Demond Claiborne | FBS | Wake Forest | Specialist
- Michael Hughes | FBS | Appalachian State | Kicker
- Grant Gonya | FBS | Charlotte | Punter
- Stephen Brantley | FCS | Western Carolina | Punter
- Adrian Olivo | FCS | North Carolina Central | Kicker
- Brandon Codrington | FCS | North Carolina Central | Return Specialist
- Tristan Allen | FCS | Davidson | Punter
- Adam Zouagui | FCS | Davidson | Kicker
- Taymon Cooke | FCS | NC A&T | Kick Returner
- Bobby Cleary | FCS | Campbell | Long Snapper
- Donte Lee | D2 | Shaw | Kick Returner
- Josiah Boyd | D2 | Fayetteville State | Punter
- Barry Elliott | D2 | Fayetteville State | Kick Returner
- Dick Cureton | D2| Johnson C. Smith | Punt Returner
- Jacob Meneses | D2| Fayetteville State | Kicker
- Caleb Bonesteel | D2 | Wingate | Placekicker
- Bryson Sims | D2 | Catawba | Placekicker
- Carson Keaton | D2 | Lenoir-Rhyne | Long Snapper
- Bo Pryor | D2 | Catawba | Return Specialist
- Bear Huggins | D2 | Barton | Punter
- Ja’Shawn Harris | D3 | Greensboro | Return Specialist
- Burke Nettles | D3 | Guilford | Punter
- Noah Abbott | JUCO | Louisburg College | Kicker
