ROCKFORD, Ill. - The Rockford University football team had five players recognized by the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference on Monday, when it released its 2021 postseason awards. Wide receiver
Joey Owens highlighted that group with a First Team All-NACC selection. Defensive back
Garrick McGregor's Second Team All-NACC selection was the highest award for any Regent defender. Running back
LaVar Johnson Jr., quarterback
Jaelen Ray and linebacker
Amari Jackson rounded out Rockford's award recipients with their NACC Honorable Mention selections.
Senior wide receiver
Joey Owens was selected First Team All-NACC for the first time in his collegiate career. He put together one of the greatest seasons for a wide receiver not only in school history, but also in the history of the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference. Owens broke eight school records and tied a ninth, while also breaking the NACC record for receiving yards in season. Owens now holds the RU records for receiving yards (season and career), receptions (season and career), receiving touchdowns (game, season and career), points scored (season) and total touchdowns (season). At the conclusion of the regular season, Owens led the NACC in every major receiving category and was ranked in the top 15 in the country in seven categories. He led all of NCAA Division III in receiving touchdowns (17) and receiving yards (1,269), was second in receptions per game (8.6) and receiving yards per game (126.9), was twelfth in total points scored (104) and total touchdowns (17) and was fifteenth in scoring (10.4).
Senior defensive back
Garrick McGregor was selected Second Team All-NACC for the first time in his career. McGregor burst onto the scene for the Regent defense with an excellent all-around season. McGregor tied the Rockford University single-game interception record twice with a pair of interceptions against both Lakeland and Benedictine, with the latter earning him NACC Defensive Player of the Week recognition. At the end of the regular season, McGregor was fourth in the NACC in solo tackles (45), fifth in interceptions (4) and seventh in total tackles (71).
Senior running back
LaVar Johnson Jr. earned NACC Honorable Mention status for the second time in his career (2019). Johnson wrapped up an incredible career that ranks him statistically as one of the top running backs in program history. He is second in school history in career rushing attempts (599), total touchdowns (32), points scored (182) and rushing touchdowns (31), third in career rushing yards (2,783) and all-purpose yards (3,199) and seventh in total offense for a career (2,828). At the conference level, Johnson had a remarkable 2021 season, which saw him ranked in the top 11 in the NACC in five different categories. He finished the regular season third in the NACC in rushing attempts (168), fifth in rushing yards (776), tied for fifth in rushing touchdowns (9), tied for tenth in total touchdowns (10) and tied for 11th in total points (60).
Quarterback
Jaelen Ray was named NACC Honorable Mention for the first time in his collegiate career. Ray had bar none the best season of any quarterback in school history. He broke twelve school records, including two career records in his first full season in a Regent uniform. Ray now holds the RU records for passing yards (game and season), passing attempts (game and season), completions (game, season and career), passing touchdowns (game and season), total offense (game and season) and completion percentage (career). At the end of the regular season, Ray was at or near the top of the NACC in every passing category and was ranked in the top 27 in the country in eight statistical categories. He was second in NCAA Division III completions per game (28.6), third in total offense (3,516), fourth in passing yards (3,260) and passing yards per game (326), fifth in passing touchdowns (33), eleventh in points responsible for (212) and points responsible for per game (21.2) and was twenty-seventh in completion percentage (64.4%).
Linebacker
Amari Jackson was also selected NACC Honorable Mention for the first time in his career. Following an abbreviated spring season just a few short months ago, Jackson turned in an excellent 2021 season in his first full year in a Regent uniform. He finished in the top seven in the NACC in four categories and was at or near the top of nearly every defensive stat category for the Regents. Jackson tied for the NACC lead in fumble recoveries (2), was fifth in total tackles (78) and assisted tackles (37) and was tied for seventh in solo tackles (41).