SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Southern Conference officially released the league's All-Conference Football selections, distinguishing The Citadel graduate student Mike Bartilucci as the recipient of the prestigious Jacobs Blocking Award while also naming the veteran center a first-team offensive lineman, per an announcement Wednesday morning. Additionally, the Bulldogs secured four positions on the All-SoCon second team via Chris Benton (DL), Mikey Rosa (LB), Cale Williams (DB) and James Platte (P) while also picking up a trio of All-Freshman honors behind Cobey Thompkins (QB), Brady Pickett (OL) and Sayre Smothers (DB).

The Jacobs Blocking Award originated in 1928 by way of Dr. William P. Jacobs II, who helped organize Presbyterian College's first varsity football team in 1913. From 1928 to 1932, the Jacobs Award was presented to a player from the state of South Carolina, but starting in 1933, Dr. Jacobs forged a duplicate award for presentation to Southern Conference player on an annual basis. Currently, the SoCon honors Dr. Jacobs by recognizing the league's top offensive lineman by means of the position's top vote-getter during the postseason awards tally, per ballots submitted by all nine league head coaches.

A native of Jacksonville, Fla., Bartilucci anchored the offensive line throughout the 2025 campaign at center, starting all 12 games for the Bulldogs for the second consecutive season. On the ground, he led the veteran five-man corps as the unit carved out one of the nation's top rushing offenses, averaging 210.6 yards per game, good for ninth in the FCS and first amongst SoCon brethren. Bartilucci & Co. also only gave up 1.67 sacks per game, ranked second league-wide, while notably showcasing impressive discipline throughout the year behind just 4.42 penalties per game, good for ninth nationally and the top spot within the conference.

Of particular note, Bartilucci also served as a semifinalist for the acclaimed Campbell Trophy, designed to recognize an individual as the absolute best football scholar-athlete in the nation for his combined academic success, football performance and exemplary leadership.

A product of Haines City, Fla., Benton acted as a dynamic pass rusher for the Bulldogs across the 2025 season, logging a start or key playing time in all 12 games at defensive end. He closed out the year with 26.0 total tackles, including 11.0 solo, while racking up consistent backfield pressure, logging a team second-best 5.0 sacks with another five QB hurries

Rosa slotted into a starting role at linebacker during the preseason and held on to the role for the entirety of the 2025 campaign, wrapping up the year with 12 starts at the center of The Citadel defensive front. The local Charleston output tallied a team-third best 76.0 tackles -- 47.0 coming solo -- while also pacing the squad in both tackles-for-loss (8.5) and sacks (5.5). Ever the downhill threat, Rosa picked up four QB hurries, another four pass breakups, a pair of forced fumbles and one interception on a backfield deflection at Ole Miss.

Hailing from Canton, Ga., Williams started all 12 games across the 2025 season at safety, concluding the year the team's top tackler with 87.0 total with 47.0 coming unassisted. The ball-hawking senior added a team-best two interceptions -- both came at or near the goal line on the road at Chattanooga and ETSU -- while registering six pass breakups as well, good for second-best for the defense.

Platte, a product of Aiken, S.C., served as the anchor for the highly-effective Bulldogs special teams unit across the full 12-game season, averaging a program-second best 46.5 yards per kick -- fell short of his own record from last year -- behind 48 attempts for a total 2,232 yards. The grad student notably launched 20 kicks over 50 yards -- including a new career-long 72-yarder against Valdosta State -- while pinning opposing teams inside their own 20-yard line on 16 occasions, finishing with the sixth-best punt average mark within the FCS while leading The Citadel to a national No. 2 net punting rate of 42.53 yards per kick.

On a special note, Platte officially locked down the new career mark for punt average in school history, concluding his collegiate stint with the Bulldogs at 44.0 yards per kick.

Finally, the one-two-three punch of Thompkins, Pickett and Smothers on the SoCon All-Freshman team capped The Citadel on the league's postseason honors. The former composed a slew of impressive performances under center across all 12 contests, posting a team-second best 489 rushing yards with one score on 95 carries while also racking up 503 yards via a 35-of-56 outing through the air for four touchdowns with one interception. Meanwhile, Pickett held down the right tackle position during every game throughout the season, helping establish the team's dominant rushing attack and air-tight pass protection. Finally, the latter took advantage of an early opportunity as a true freshman at defensive back, logging numerous starts plus key playing time in every game during the year en route to 29.0 total tackles, two pass breakups and a fumble recovery for a touchdown in the Bulldogs' SoCon opener at Samford.


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