CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Southeast Missouri quarterback Dante Vandeven was named the 2015 Ohio Valley Conference Freshman of the Year, the league announced Tuesday.

Vandeven, wide receiver Paul McRoberts, running back Tremane McCullough, guard Garret Baker,  linebacker Roper Garrett, cornerback Mike Ford and punter Alex Knight earned All-OVC honors for the Redhawks this year.

A native of nearby Jackson, Vandeven started the season at No. 3 on Southeast's depth chart. He took over as the Redhawks starting quarterback in the second half at nationally-ranked Indiana State and started the final eight games of the season. He entered that game late in the third quarter and led Southeast to 21 fourth-quarter points and a near road upset of the Sycamores. Included in the comeback was a touchdown pass with no time on the clock that brought the Redhawks to within a point (although the ensuing two-point conversion attempt came up short). Vandeven, the STATS National Freshman of the Week after that game, threw for 115 yards and a touchdown, and rushed for 28 yards against ISU. He threw for a season-high 239 yards at No. 1 Jacksonville State and ran for a season-high 91 yards and two touchdowns against Tennessee Tech.

Overall, Vandeven completed 155-of-250 passes for 1,568 yards and 11 touchdowns, and rushed for 292 yards and another six TDs. He became Southeast's first true freshman quarterback to throw for over 1,000 yards in a season since 1998 (Bobby Brune). He ranked 26th in the nation in completion percentage (62 pct.), 41st in completions (17.22/game) and 46th in points responsible for (12.0/game). Vandeven, who was also named to the league's All-Newcomer Team, is the second Southeast player to win the Freshman of the Year award since its inception in 2004. He joins former quarterback Scott Lathrop who won the honor in 2012.

McRoberts and McCullough each secured first-team accolades, while Baker, Garrett, Ford and Knight were second-team selections.

McRoberts, who hails from St. Louis, earned first-team honors for the second-straight year. He made 76 catches for 940 yards and nine touchdowns, averaging 12.4 yards per catch. McRoberts broke Southeast's all-time career record in receiving touchdowns (29) and had four 100-yard receiving games. He finished with a season-high 169 yards and two touchdowns on eight catches against Murray State, a game where he came in at No. 5 on ESPN SportsCenter's Top-10 plays. McRoberts  made his debut as a punt returner, where he led the team with 162 yards on 14 returns, and ran back a punt 69 yards for a touchdown. He ranked 13th in the Football Championship Subdivision receiving touchdowns and 17th in receiving yards. McRoberts finished his outstanding Southeast career with 2,435 receiving yards, third-most in school history.

A native of Royal Palm Beach, Florida, McCullough stormed onto the scene and staked his claim as the Redhawks top rusher. He ran for 1,028 yards and five touchdowns on 170 carries, averaging six yards per touch. McCullough led the OVC with six 100-yard rushing games, racking up a season-high 220 yards vs. Murray State. He became the first Southeast running back to get over 1,000 yards in a season since 2012 (Levi Terrell). McCullough had 33 catches for 279 yards out of the backfield, as well. He ranked second in the OVC in rushing yards and rushing yards per game (93.5). In addition, McCullough ranked nationally in rushing yards per carry (19th, 6.1 ypc), rushing yards per game (24th) and all-purpose yardage (20th, 134.2 ypg). He, too, made the league's All-Newcomer Team.

Baker started all 11 games at left guard, helping lead a Southeast offense that ranked second in the OVC with 182.9 rushing yards per game. He hails from Warrenton, Missouri and is an all-conference honoree for the first time in his career.

For the second year in a row, Garrett led Southeast in tackles. He notched 106 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks and 42 solo stops in 11 starts. Garrett, who is from Farmington, Missouri, ranked second in the OVC in tackles and was one of only four players in the league to get over 100 tackles this season. He was also 10th in the conference in both sacks and tackles for loss, and became the first Redhawk to get 100 tackles in a season since 2012 (Blake Peiffer). Garrett posted a total of six double-digit tackle games.

A native of Alton, Illinois, Ford led the OVC with five interceptions during his first year as a starting cornerback. He had 44 tackles, two tackles for loss, a team-high seven pass breakups and a sack. Ford was ninth in the FCS in interceptions per game.

Knight, who hails from Boca Raton, Florida, led the OVC and ranked fifth in the nation with 44.8 yards per punt. He punted 64 times for 2,867 yards and dropped 29 of his punts inside the 20-yard line. Knight had 18 of his punts travel 50 or more yards and three of his kicks sail 60-plus yards. 

Ford and Knight earned all-conference accolades for the first time in their careers.

Jacksonville State quarterback Eli Jenkins (Offensive Player of the Year), Eastern Illinois defensive lineman Dino Fanti (Co-Defensive Player of the Year), Eastern Kentucky defensive end Noah Spence (Co-Defensive Player of the Year) and John Grass (Roy Kidd OVC Coach of the Year) were this year's other OVC special award-winners.

2015 All-OVC Football Team