GLIAC -- The 2024 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) football postseason awards have been announced, following a vote by the league's coaches. 

PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Trinidad Chambliss, Ferris State
Ferris State University junior quarterback Trinidad Chambliss guided the nation’s top-ranked Bulldogs to their first GLIAC Championship since 2021. The standout signal caller claimed the GLIAC Offensive Player of the Week honors five times this year and also earned the D2Football.com National Offensive Player of the Week Award. Chambliss directed one of the nation’s top offensive attacks, leading FSU to 10-straight wins to close out the regular-season following a season-opening setback at Pittsburg State. This year, Chambliss has accounted for 33 touchdowns, including 19 in the air and 14 on the ground. He’s completed 169 of 276 passes for 2,203 yards while leading the Bulldogs’ rushing attack with 615 yards on 107 carries. His play has helped the Bulldogs roll up 41.7 points per game along with 477.6 yards of total offense a contest. The Bulldogs earned the top seed in Super Region Three and a first-round playoff bye.

OFFENSIVE BACK OF THE YEAR
Myren Harris, Davenport

Redshirt senior Myren Harris is taking home GLIAC Offensive Back of the Year for the second straight season with the Panthers. If you combine his awards with his time at Wayne State, Harris is a three-time First Team All-GLIAC pick (2021, 2023, 2024) and a Second Team All-GLIAC selection (2022). He won the league rushing title for the second year in a row with 849 rushing yards on 162 carries (5.2 ypr) and tied for third in the conference with six rushing touchdowns. He also became a threat catching the ball out of the backfield in his final season. Harris was second on the team with 32 receptions for 336 yards and two additional scores. He leaves Davenport as the school’s all-time leading rusher with 1,825 yards and 10 touchdowns and over his four years ran for 3,510 yards in 40 games for an average of 87.8 yards per contest.

OFFENSIVE LINEMAN OF THE YEAR
Gabe Brown, Grand Valley State
Grand Valley State senior offensive lineman Gabe Brown was a key member of a Laker offense that ranked among the national leaders. A three-time All-GLIAC honoree, including two All-GLIAC First-Team plaudits, Brown was a versatile performer on the offensive front. He was an integral piece in a GVSU rushing game that led the GLIAC and ranked seventh nationally (247.2 ypg) and rushed for over 235 yards in eight games. Brown was adept at both run and pass blocking, evidenced by his 96.3 efficiency rating for the regular season. In addition, Brown helped the Laker offense rank seventh nationally in offensive third down conversions (.490) and 24th in total offense (411.0). A three-time Academic All-GLIAC honoree, Brown is scheduled to graduate in December.

DEFENSIVE LINEMAN OF THE YEAR
Leonard Henry IV, Saginaw Valley State
Saginaw Valley State senior defensive lineman Leonard Henry IV was a force for the Cardinal pass rush this season as he totaled a GLIAC-leading 10.5 sacks. He led the nation in sacks for much of the season and finished in the top five in the country at the end with .95 sacks per game. Henry’s 50 tackles ranked sixth-best on the SVSU defense and he held a team-high 16 tackles for loss and 13 quarterback hurries.

DEFENSIVE BACK OF THE YEAR
Micah Cretsinger, Saginaw Valley State
Saginaw Valley State senior linebacker Micah Cretsinger led the SVSU defense in tackles for the second-consecutive season after compiling 82 stops with 11 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, seven hurries, five pass breakups, two forced fumbles, one recovery, and one interception. The senior from Jackson, Michigan finished the season strong with back-to-back 12 tackle games in the last two weeks of the season. Cretsinger reached double-digits tackles three times during the 2024 season all in the final four weeks of play.

FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Mason McKenzie, Saginaw Valley State
Mason McKenzie completed his first full season as the Saginaw Valley State signal caller as the team’s rush and pass leader. He completed 55.1% of his pass attempts for 2,054 yards and 14 touchdowns along with 117 carries and 662 yards with six scores on the ground for a total output of 2,716 yards and 20 touchdowns. McKenzie finished the 2024 season by setting career-high marks in passing yards (268) and passing touchdowns (3).

COACH OF THE YEAR
Tony Annese, Ferris State
Ferris State University head coach Tony Annese led the Bulldogs to their first GLIAC Championship since 2021 as the Bulldogs completed an unbeaten conference season to claim this year’s crown with a 7-0 league mark. Under Annese’s direction, the Bulldogs also secured the number one seed in Super Region Three and are presently ranked first nationally by D2Football.com. After suffering a season-opening setback at Pittsburg State, Annese led FSU to 10 consecutive wins to close out the regular-season. The Bulldogs also earned their nation-leading 10th consecutive NCAA Division II Playoff berth this year and claimed wins over West Michigan rivals Grand Valley State and Davenport to bring home the Anchor-Bone and Calder City Classic Trophies, respectively. The league championship was the sixth under Annese’s direction for the Bulldogs.

 A complete list of the 2024 All-GLIAC football teams is below:

2024 First Team All-GLIAC