College Football News – Guilford Places Four on First Team All-ODAC Unit

FOREST, Va. – Guilford College’s De’Eric Bell (Jackson, Ga./Jackson), Nathan Campbell (Thomasville, N.C./East Davidson), C.J. Nash III (Mt. Holly, N.C./Charlotte Christian) and Vic Smith, Jr. (Lakeland, Fla./Atlanta Sports Prep Academy), each received First Team All-Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) football honors Tuesday. The Quakers’ Tyriek Russell (Durham, N.C./Southern Durham), Ty Shwallon (Richlands, N.C./Richlands) and Reggie Williams (North Dinwiddie, Va./Dinwiddie) garnered second-team recognition according to voting by the league’s head coaches. Guilford’s Harrison Kiser (Greensboro, N.C./Page), Karsten Miller (Thomasville, N.C./North Davidson (Northwest Mississippi C.C.)), Chase Mitchell (Lexington, N.C./North Davidson (UNC Pembroke)) and Trevon Simmons (Douglasville, Ga./South Paulding) were third-team picks.

League champion Washington and Lee University captured four of the league’s five major awards. Max Garrett took home Defensive Player of the Year and Farm Bureau Insurance/ODAC Football Student-Athlete of the Year recognition. Teammate Josh Breece won the league’s Rookie of the Year honor and the Generals’ Scott Abell was named Coach of the Year. Hampden-Sydney College receiver Cam Johnson won the Offensive Player of the Year honor.

Bell, now a three-time All-ODAC selection, made his second first-team appearance at all-purpose back after a record-setting campaign. The 5-7, 195-pound redshirt junior running back set league and school standards for all-purpose yardage in a game (424, vs. Methodist) and career (6,237), kick-return touchdowns in a season (3) and punt returns in a game (11, vs. Methodist). Bell leads NCAA Division III in kick-return touchdowns (3), combined kick-return yardage (1,043), and all-purpose yards (221.10 yards per game). His 424 all-purpose yards against Methodist University September 9 set the school record and are the most by a Division III football student-athlete this year. His 11 punt returns in the game set the Division III record. Bell enters his final season ranked third in school history with 2,879 career rushing yards and 32 rushing scores, a school record he set this fall. He needs five touchdowns to set Guilford’s career standard.

A team captain, Bell returned to action this season after tearing his ACL four games into the 2016 campaign. He played in all 10 of the Quakers’ games this season, starting eight, and led the team in rushing for the third time in four years. Bell stands second in the nation through games of November 19 with a league-leading 30.8 yards per kick return, second in Quakers’ history. He also ranks fourth nationally with 831 total kick return yards, now a school-standard.

Bell ranked third among the league’s rushing leaders (88.4 ypg.) and second in rushing touchdowns with a school-record 13. He had three 100-yard rushing games, including a 227-yard, three-touchdown performance in Guilford’s win over Shenandoah University. Bell matched the Guilford standard with four touchdowns (3 rushing, 1 return) in the Quakers’ season-ending, 21-point comeback win over ODAC-rival Emory & Henry College. He twice received the ODAC’s Offensive Player of the Week Award this year.

Campbell, a six-foot, 210-pound linebacker, enjoyed the finest of his four seasons this fall with a career-high 64 tackles (33 solo), which ranked fifth on the team. His 6.5 tackles for loss stood second on the squad and his four pass breakups ranked third. Campbell averaged 6.7 tackles in four league games and had three contests with 10 or more stops. He made a career-high 11 tackles in Guilford’s season-opening win at NCAA Division III playoff participant Huntingdon College and in the Quakers’ victory over league-foe Shenandoah. Campbell concludes his career with 112 tackles (63 solo) and five fumble recoveries in 38 games. He is slated to graduate with a degree in criminal justice.

Nash, a 5-8, 210-pound defensive end, led the ODAC in sacks with a career-high 6.5 in 10 games. The team captain also saved his best for last with 47 tackles (26 solo) and 11 stops behind the line of scrimmage. In addition to leading the league in sacks, he also ranked sixth in tackles for loss. Nash led the team’s linemen in tackles and placed seventh on the squad overall. He also forced and recovered a fumble. Nash had two sacks among five tackles against Hampden-Sydney College and had 1.5 sacks among six stops at Methodist. He brought down a season-high seven ball carriers, including one sack, versus Randolph-Macon College. Nash compiled 9.5 sacks and 17 tackles for loss among his 78 career stops (39 solo) in 36 games. He is on pace to earn his degree in forensic accounting.

Smith, a 6-0, 175-pound safety, led Guilford and ranked second only to Garrett in the league with 98 tackles this season, his first as a starter. He stands 54th among NCAA Division III tackles per game leaders and 58th in solo stops per outing (5.5). Smith returned his lone interception of the season 43 yards for a touchdown in Guilford’s win over Shenandoah. He added 11 tackles during the contest and won the ODAC’s Defensive Player of the Week Award. Smith had 10 or more tackles in four of his 10 games (all starts), plus two nine-tackle efforts. He led Guilford’s tacklers in four games. Smith concludes his career with 110 tackles (62 solo) in 26 contests and is slated to graduate with a criminal justice degree.

Coach Chris Rusiewicz’s posted a 5-5 overall record (3-3 ODAC). The Quakers set or tied 19 school records this fall. Guilford won three of its last four games on the season and finished with a .500 record for the fourth time in five years. The Quakers are slated to return as many as 78 letter winners and 11 starters in 2018.