FOREST, Va. – Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) football coaches selected eight members of Guilford College’s football team as All-ODAC selections Tuesday. Redshirt-senior De’Eric Bell (Jackson, Ga./Jackson), redshirt-sophomore Bryce Smith (Grayson, Ga./Grayson), and junior Jarrod Russ (Columbia, S.C./Blythewood) were first-team honorees. Junior Jeremiah Hedrick (Sedalia, N.C./Southern Guilford) and senior Matt Ingram (Winston-Salem, N.C./West Forsyth) garnered second-team laurels. Juniors Juwan Houston (Cleveland, N.C./West Rowan), J.T. Carmichael (Dillon, S.C./Dillon), and Emory Lyndon (Bailey, N.C./Hunt) received Third-Team All-ODAC recognition.
Bell, a 5-7, 195-pound running back and kick returner, enjoyed the finest season by a Guilford running back in school history. He set school season standards for rushing yards (1,334), rushing touchdowns (21), 100-yard rushing games (7), and 200-yard rushing games (2) in a season. Bell won the ODAC’s Offensive Player of the Week Award for the fifth time in his career after rushing for 225 yards and a school-record five touchdowns versus Methodist University September 8. He leads Division III all-purpose yards per game (239.89) and is fourth in rushing touchdowns (21). Bell also boasts top-seven national rankings (through games of Nov. 17) in rushing yards per game (148.2), points per game (14.2), total points (126), and total touchdowns (21).
Bell shattered all of Guilford’s career rushing, scoring, kickoff return, and all-purpose yardage records this fall. His 4,213 career rushing yards broke Reggie Kenan’s ‘77 former mark of 3,486 yards that stood since 1976. Bell set the ODAC’s career kickoff return yards record (2,342) and concluded his career ranked second among the ODAC’s career rushing, scoring (384) and touchdowns (63) leaders. His league-best 8,396 career all-purpose yards stands fifth in NCAA Division III history.
Smith, a 5-9 200-pound linebacker, started all nine games. He leads the ODAC in total tackles with 105, a mark that sits 11th in Division III. He recorded 81 solo tackles, good for first in the conference. His 9.0 solo tackles per game average leads Division III. He finished second on the squad with 10.0 tackles for loss, a mark that sits fourth in the ODAC. Smith is tied for the league lead and ranks seventh nationally with three fumble recoveries. He had seven games with over 10 total tackles, including a career-high 14 stops in wins over Ferrum College and Washington and Lee University.
Russ, a 6-0 225-pound defensive end, battled injury for much of the year and started five of his seven games. He tallied 29 total tackles and forced a fumble. He recorded a league-high 7.5 sacks, ninth-best in school history and 16th in Division III this year. Russ led the team and finished second in the ODAC with 12.0 tackles for loss. His best game came against Methodist, where he had 3.5 sacks, 4.5 tackles for loss and a forced fumble in the Quakers’ victory. His 3.5 sacks in the game rank third in school history. Russ earned ODAC Defensive Player of the Week and was named to the D3football.com Team of the Week for his performance against Methodist.
Hedrick, a 5-6 140-pound safety, only played in seven games for Guilford this season due to an early-season injury. Despite missing two contests, he ranked second on the team and is seventh in ODAC with a career-high 53 tackles. He led Guilford and tied for fifth in the ODAC with three interceptions. Hedrick forced one fumble and added a tackle for loss. His best game came in the win over Ferrum where he had a career-high 13 total tackles and an interception.
Ingram, a 6-4, 250-pound offensive tackle, and Lyndon, a 6-3, 285-pound tackle, both played in all nine games. Ingram started all nine. They helped Guilford rank fourth in Division III with 526.2 total offensive yards per game. The line allowed 1.22 sacks per game, good for third in the ODAC and 36th in Division III. The Quakers’ offensive line was named to the D3football.com Team of the Week after helping the offense put up 61 points and 618 total offensive yards.
Carmichael, 5-8, 220-pound defensive lineman, started all nine games. He had 29 total tackles, five for a loss, and recorded 3.5 sacks, good for third on the team. Carmichael had two sacks and eight total tackles in the victory over Ferrum.
Houston, a 5-9, 165-pound wide receiver, started all nine games. He led Quakers in receptions (39) and shared the lead with 604 receiving yards and four touchdowns. His best game of the season came against Shenandoah University, where he had 208 receiving yards and one touchdown on 12 receptions, all career- and game-high totals. The 208 receiving yards rank sixth in school history for a single game.
Emory Lyndon (Bailey, N.C./Hunt)
Coach Chris Rusiewicz’s Quakers posted a 3-6 overall record and went 2-5 in the ODAC.