By Stephen Featherston, Louisiana Tech Director Strategic Communications
RUSTON – Nine Louisiana Tech football players earned All-Conference USA honors, as the league announced its award winners on Tuesday afternoon.
Wide receiver Tru Edwards and defensive tackle David Blay earned All-CUSA First Team honors, while linebacker Kolbe Fields was named to the All-CUSA Second Team.
Wide receiver Jimmy Holiday, tight end Eli Finley, offensive lineman Bert Hale, linebacker Zach Zimos and kick returner Demarcus Griffin-Taylor were named to the honorable mention team. Redshirt freshman quarterback Evan Bullock was named to the CUSA All-Freshman team.
Edwards made the most of his opportunities as WR1, finishing the season with 77 receptions for 897 yards and six touchdowns. The redshirt senior was the only CUSA player to surpass 70 receptions, while he finished second in the league in yards and tied for fourth in touchdown grabs. Edwards caught multiple passes in 11 games and registered 5+ catches in 10 games. He crossed the 100-yard mark in four games, including a season-high 148 yards at NC State. He had eight receptions of 20+ yards, which included touchdown grabs of 86, 75 and 71 yards. The third-year Bulldog recorded two touchdowns against New Mexico State and Jax State.
Blay proved to be one of CUSA’s top interior defensive lineman after starting in all 12 games and leading the LA Tech defensive line in tackles (46), tackles for loss (10.5) and sacks (6.5). Blay finished third in CUSA in sacks and tied for third in TFLs. He logged multiple stops in 11 games and registered at least .5 TFLs in 10 games. Blay recorded six tackles against Tulsa, UTEP and Kennesaw, to go along with 1.5 sacks versus UTEP. He logged at least one sack in five of the final six games.
Fields was named to All-CUSA Second Team after registering 71 tackles, nine tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, one interception, two forced fumbles, one pass breakup and three quarterback hurries in his first season as a Bulldog. He recorded three games with double-digit tackles, led the defense in stops in four games and finished with 5+ tackles in seven games. Fields had a strong debut against Nicholls, making 12 tackles, three TFLs and 1.5 sacks. He picked off a pass at NC State in game two, followed by a forced fumble a week later at FIU. Fields had back-to-back 10+ tackle games against New Mexico State (11) and UTEP (10).
Holiday earned All-CUSA Honorable Mention honors as a wide receiver, showcasing his versatility as both a pass catcher and a rusher. The first-year Bulldog tallied 642 all-purpose yards and six touchdowns in 2024. Holiday hauled in 37 receptions for 461 yards and two touchdowns, while picking up 181 yards and four scores on 47 carries. He finished second on the team in receptions and receiving yards, while finishing tied for the team lead in rushing touchdowns. Holiday capped his career with a career-high 103 receiving yards on a career-high seven receptions in the finale versus Kennesaw.
Finley proved to be a reliable and constant staple at tight end, serving as one of four Bulldog players to start in all 12 games on offense. The second-year tight end finished the season with 23 receptions for 279 yards and two scores, ranking third on the team in all three categories. He caught at least one pass in 10 games and recorded multiple receptions seven times. Finely caught three passes for 91 yards and a touchdown against Tulsa. His 53-yard score was one of four 20+ yard receptions this season. He helped pave the way for seven 100+ yard rushing games and three 200+ yard games as a blocker.
Hale received All-CUSA Honorable Mention honors after being one of two LA Tech offensive lineman to start in all 12 games. He helped pave the way for seven 100+ yard rushing games and three 200+ yard games. Hale helped pass block for an offensive unit that ranked fourth in CUSA with 228.0 passing yards per game, while helping block for 300+ yards and six touchdowns against MTSU.
Zimos appeared in all 12 games, making 11 starts at linebacker, and led the with 74 tackles. The redshirt senior also added six tackles for loss, one sack, one fumble recovery, five quarterback hurries, one pass breakup and a safety to his 2024 line. He registered 10+ tackles in three games, with a career-high 14 tackles and two tackles for loss against Tulsa. Zimos finished with 10 tackles, 1.5 TFLs, a fumble recovery and two quarterback hurries against Arkansas.
Griffin-Taylor earned All-CUSA Honorable Mention honors as a kick returner. The California native returned 20 kicks for 500 yards to average 25 yards per return. He racked up 97 yards on four returns versus Tulsa. Girffin-Taylor had a season-long of 58 yards against UTEP. He recorded four returns of 35+ yards or longer.
Bullock earned a spot on the CUSA All-Freshman team after appearing in 11 games and making nine starts at quarterback. The redshirt freshman took over as the starter against FIU and went on to start the final nine games. He completed 184-of-273 passes for 1,932 yards with 14 touchdowns to just two interceptions. Bullock’s 67.4 completion percentage led CUSA. The Texas native threw for a career-high 290 yards and five touchdowns against MTSU, while also adding a score on the ground to account for six scores against the Blue Raiders. Bullock completed 16-of-22 passes for 266 yards and three scores versus Jax State. He passed for multiple touchdowns in four games and had a 70 percent or better completion percentage in six games.