HUNTSVILLE, Ala. | Twelve Alabama A&M University student-athletes were selected to the Phil Steele All-Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) football teams, which were announced on Wednesday.
 
Terrell Gardner earned Phil Steele's All-SWAC honors as a punt returner on the first team and specialist on the second team. Joining Gardner on the second team were wide receivers Jacolby Hewitt and Cameron Young, along with offensive lineman Carl Vinson. Defensively, Zareon Hayes and linebacker Xavier Billingsley, were also chosen to the second team. Running back Donovan Eaglin, linebacker Jordan Mitchell and defensive back Emari Pait were named to the third team, while defensive lineman Jamarion Ellis, defensive back Marvin Smith and punter Austin McCready earned fourth-team honors.
 
Gardner, who earned All-SWAC First Team and HBCU BOXTOROW All-American Honorable Mention honors, finished fifth in the FCS and tops in the conference in punt returns and punt return touchdowns. He fielded 14 punt returns for 222 yards, averaging 15.9 yards per return. The Birmingham, Ala. native capped off a 51-13 win in the Louis Crews Classic against Lane College with a 69-yard punt return. He received the SWAC Specialist of the Week honor and FedEx Ground FCS Specialist of the Week Honorable Mention selection.
 
Hewitt finished with 516 yards on 32 receptions, where he averaged 57.3 yards per game and 16.1 yards per reception. In addition, the Memphis, Tenn. native caught four touchdown passes.
 
Young registered a team-high 53 receptions for 511 yards, averaging 46.5 yards per game and 9.6 yards per catch. The Daphne, Ala. native found the endzone a team-high five times.
 
Vinson, who was selected an HBCU BOXTOROW All-American Second Team honoree, anchored one of the best offensive lines in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). He helped the Bulldogs offense average 374.6 yards per game, including 221.1 yards per game in the air. His play helped Alabama A&M to tops in the conference in red zone offense.
 
Hayes, an All-SWAC Second Team performer, finished with 42 total tackles, including 17 solo stops. In addition, he added 10.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks, along with six quarterback hurries, one blocked kick, one pass breakup and one forced fumble. The Dillon, S.C. native had a 12-tackle performance (four solo stops), with four tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and one forced fumble in a 31-24 victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff. His performance garnered SWAC Defensive Player of the Week and FedEx Ground FCS National Player of the Week Honorable Mention honors.
 
Billingsley registered 64 total tackles, including 18 solo stops. He was second on the team in tackles for loss, along with 2.5 sacks. In addition, the Phenix City, Ala. native also recorded three quarterback hurries, two forced fumbles, one blocked kick and one interception.
 
Eaglin, who earned All-SWAC Second Team honors, received all-second team honors after he finished with 845 total yards and seven touchdowns. On the ground, Eaglin, who was second on the team in scoring with 42 points, carried the ball 142 times for 765 yards, averaging 5.4 yards per touch and 76.5 yards per game. The Houston, Texas native registered a career-high 207 yards on 27 carries, with touchdown runs of 67 and 17 yards in a 30-21 win over Mississippi Valley State. His performance earned him multiple weekly honors, including SWAC Offensive Player of the Week, BOXTOROW HBCU National Player of the Week and FedEx Ground FCS Offensive National Player of the Week Honorable Mention.
 
Mitchell led the Bulldogs defensively, racking up 82 total tackles, including 46 solo stops. He recorded nine tackles for loss, along with a team-high five sacks. In addition, the Beulaville, N.C. native tallied two pass breakups and one fumble recovery.
 
Pait, an All-SWAC Second Team and HBCU BOXTOROW All-American Second Team selection, tallied 49 tackles, including 31 solo stops. He finished with 1.5 tackles for loss, four interceptions, three fumble recoveries and two pass breakups. The Culver City, Calif. native, who was an Aeneas Williams Award Semifinalist, ranked third in nation and tops in the conference in fumbles recovered and 13th in the FCS, while second in the SWAC in interceptions per game.
 
Ellis recorded 33 total tackles, with eight solo stops. He added six tackles for loss, with 2.5 sacks. Also, the Eastman, Ga. native tallied a team-high six quarterback hurries, and ranked third in the nation in forced fumbles (one). In addition, he had one pass breakup and one blocked kick.
 
Smith registered 62 total tackles, including 33 solo stops. He posted 2.5 tackles for loss, along with three pass breakups, one fumble recovery and one interception.
 
McCready punted the ball 39 times for 1,712 yards, averaging nearly 44 yards per punt (43.9). The New Orleans, La. native recorded 14 punts of 50 yards or more, including 13 inside the 20. He booted a season-long 65 yarder and had only one touchback.
 
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