Lindenwood’s Spencer Redd was named the Big South-OVC Football Association’s 1st team all-conference kick returner in 2023. (Photo: Thomas Grove)

DeMarcus Dixon
Staff Writer

The 2023 Big South-OVC Football Association All-Conference Teams were named this week, and among them were four Lindenwood University players — two on the first team and two on the second team.

Jeff Caldwell and Spencer Redd each earned a nod on the top team. Caldwell was one of the Associations most explosive players at the wide receiver position. The Louisville, Ky. native hauled in 32 passes for 599 yards and a league-best eight touchdowns.

For the season, Caldwell averaged 18.7 yards per catch and had three scores go for 60 or more yards. The 6-foot-4-inch sophomore did all that in just nine games, before having his season end early due to injury.

Redd was a first team selection as a kick return specialist. He averaged 30 yards per kick return, which led the conference. There were only three kick return touchdowns in the Association this season and Redd had one of them, taking the opening kickoff 99 yards to the house against Tennessee Tech.

Redd has his fingerprints all over the Lindenwood football record book, ranking second in program history in kickoff return touchdowns (3), while finishing third in school history with 3,791 all-purpose yards. As a receiver, Redd caught 25 passes for 447 yards and three scores during the year.

In 2021, Redd was named Great Lakes Valley Conference Special Teams Player of the Year, after leading that league in return yards and returning both a kickoff and punt for a score.

Kobe McClendon and Ethan Stuhlsatz each earned second team honors on the defensive side of the ball. McClendon totaled 9.5 tackles for loss and a team-best 6.5 sacks. Those 6.5 sacks are the fourth-most during a single season in program history.

Stuhlsatz made an immediate impact as a transfer, tallying a team-high 70 tackles. He put together four games with 10 or more stops this season. The Wichita, Kan. native also forced two fumbles and had three quarterback hurries this season.

Gareth Warren was Lindenwood’s representative on the All-Academic Team after posting a cumulative 3.67 GPA while majoring in criminology and criminal justice. He was a nominee for Scholar Athlete of the Year in the conference.

Lindenwood sports information contributed to this story.

2023 BIG SOUTH-OVC FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION
ALL-CONFERENCE TEAMS AND ANNUAL AWARD WINNERS

FIRST-TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE
OFFENSE        
QB – Zevi Eckhaus, Jr., Bryant
RB – Sam Franklin, R-Soph., UT Martin
RB – Geno Hess, Gr., Southeast Missouri
RB – MJ Flowers, R-Fr., Eastern Illinois
WR – Ryan Flournoy, Sr., Southeast Missouri
WR – Noah Robinson, R-Jr., Robert Morris
WR – Jeff Caldwell, Soph., Lindenwood
WR – Eli Mirza, Jr., Eastern Illinois
TE – Chaese Jackson, Gr., Robert Morris
OL – Gavin Olson, Gr., UT Martin
OL – Zack Gieg, Jr., Southeast Missouri
OL – Chad Strickland, Gr., Eastern Illinois
OL – Lamar Morgan, Sr., UT Martin
OL – Drake Carroll, Gr., UT Martin
OL – Ahmad Assad, Sr., Bryant

DEFENSE
DL – Terrell Allen, Sr., Tennessee State
DL – Daylan Dotson, Jr., UT Martin
DL – Daniel Rickert, Jr., Tennessee Tech
DL – Ty French, Sr., Gardner-Webb
DL – Kenny Dyson, Sr., Bryant
LB – Bryce Norman, Jr., Southeast Missouri
LB – William McRainey, Gr., Gardner-Webb
LB – Monroe Beard III, Jr., Tennessee State
LB – Elijawah Tolbert, Jr., Eastern Illinois
LB – Malik Barnes, Sr., Charleston Southern
DB – Blake Ruffin, R-Soph., Eastern Illinois
DB – Tim Coutras, Jr., Tennessee Tech
DB – Oshae Baker, Jr., UT Martin
DB – Russell Dandy, Gr., Eastern Illinois
DB – Ja’Kai Young, R-Soph., Gardner-Webb

SPECIALISTS
PK – James Lowery, R-Jr., Tennessee State
P – Aidan Laros, R-Soph., UT Martin
LS – AJ Covan, Gr., Gardner-Webb
KR – Spencer Redd, Sr., Lindenwood
PR – Dalyn McDonald, Sr., Southeast Missouri
AP – Jayden Brown, Soph., Gardner-Webb

SECOND-TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE
OFFENSE        
QB – Pierce Holley, Gr., Eastern Illinois
RB – Narii Gaither, Sr., Gardner-Webb
RB – Jordan Gant, R-Fr., Tennessee State
RB – TJ Ruff, Soph., Charleston Southern
WR – Matt Prochaska, Sr., Bryant
WR – Anthony Frederick, Sr., Bryant
WR – DeVonte Tanksley, R-Jr., UT Martin
WR – Justin Thomas, Gr., Eastern Illinois
TE – Konor Lathrop, Sr., Bryant
OL – Gabriel Thompson, R-Sr., Gardner-Webb
OL – Jamichael Watts, Sr., Bryant
OL – Darius Meeks, Soph., Charleston Southern
OL – Sebastian Pares, Jr., Eastern Illinois
OL – Vance Van Every, Jr., UT Martin
OL – JaQuan Adams, R-Fr., Gardner-Webb

DEFENSE
DL – Giovanni Davis, Jr., UT Martin
DL – Michael Otty, Soph., Bryant
DL – Kobe McClendon, Soph., Lindenwood
DL – Joel Barrows, R-Jr., Eastern Illinois
DL – Hudson Tucker, Sr., Tennessee Tech
LB – Jaylon Sharpe, R-Jr., UT Martin
LB – Jacquez McGowan, Soph., Tennessee Tech
LB – Aaron Swafford, Jr., Tennessee Tech
LB – Ethan Stuhlsatz, Soph., Lindenwood
LB – Brendan Jackson, Jr., Gardner-Webb
DB – Lawrence Johnson, Gr., Southeast Missouri
DB – Lake Ellis, Sr., Bryant
DB – Jamari Brown, Gr., Gardner-Webb
DB – JaMichael McGoy, R-Soph., UT Martin
DB – Jeremiah Josephs, Gr., Tennessee State

SPECIALISTS
PK – DC Pippin, Sr., Southeast Missouri
P – Jackson Foster, Jr., Tennessee State
LS – Carson Buchanan, Jr., Tennessee State
KR – Narkel LeFlore, Jr., UT Martin
AP – Anthony Frederick, Sr., Bryant

ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM
Darnel Shillingford, DL, Gr., Bryant
Jacob Tylski, OL, Gr., Charleston Southern
Chad Strickland, OL, Gr., Eastern Illinois
William McRainey, LB, Gr., Gardner-Webb
Gareth Warren, OL, Jr., Lindenwood
Luke Beltavski, OL, Jr., Robert Morris
Paxton DeLaurent, QB, Jr., Southeast Missouri
Deveon Bryant, QB, Gr., Tennessee State
Hayden Olsen, K, Sr., Tennessee Tech
Gavin Olson, OL, Sr., UT Martin

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Zevi Eckhaus, QB, Jr., Bryant

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Terrell Allen, DL, Sr., Tennessee State

SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Aidan Laros, PK/P, R-Soph, UT Martin

OFFENSIVE FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
MJ Flowers, RB, R-Fr., Eastern Illinois

CO-DEFENSIVE FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Eriq George, DL, Fr., Tennessee State
Jermarian Jackson, DB, R-Fr., Robert Morris

COACH OF THE YEAR
Chris Wilkerson, Eastern Illinois

SCHOLAR-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
William McRainey, LB, Gr., Gardner-Webb