Jaxson Appel Named Aggie Heart Award Winner
Apr 01, 2006 | Football
April 01, 2006
Jaxson Appel was honored as the 2005 Aggie Heart Award winner in a presentation made in front of his teammates and several hundred Texas A&M football lettermen at a luncheon held in the Zone at Kyle Field on Saturday.
?Jaxson Appel is the living definition of the Aggie Heart Award,? Aggie Head Football Coach Dennis Franchione said. ?When you look back at his Aggie career you see toughness, tenacity and leadership. He played hurt and still continued to make plays. There were several former Aggie Heart Award winners in attendance and I know they were proud to add Jaxson to that exclusive club.?
The Aggie Heart Award is presented to a senior who has completed his eligibility and displayed the intangibles such as effort, desire, determination, competitiveness, leadership and courage. All of the awards, including the Heart Award, were voted upon by the Aggie football team.
?The players took a lot of pride in their selections and I thought they did an excellent job,? Coach Fran said.
Appel, a senior defensive back from Friendswood, leaves Aggieland as the top defensive back tackler in school history with 344 career stops. He made 43 career starts and set the school record for tackles in a season by a defensive back with 135 stops in the 2003 season.
Senior linebacker Archie McDaniel from Bay City and senior defensive lineman Johnny Jolly from Houston were recognized as the team captains for the 2005 club.
For the second consecutive year the offensive MVP was quarterback Reggie McNeal. McNeal, a senior from Lufkin, set most every school passing mark and total offense record as one of the top dual threat quarterbacks in the country.
Redshirt freshman Yemi Babalola from Bryan and sophomore Cody Wallace from Cuero were co-winners of the offensive line MVP accolades. Both players graded out consistently at a high level last fall.
The overall defensive MVP and the defensive line MVP was Johnny Jolly from Houston. Jolly was the third-leading tackler on the squad with 64 stops but he played every play with his motor running on high.
Two seniors tied for the special teams MVP award as defensive back Ronald ?Ray Ray? Jones and placekicker Todd Pegram from Plano were honored. Jones was consistently one of the first players down the field on special teams making several stops while Pegram was a model of consistency in field goal accuracy.
Junior defensive back Melvin Bullitt earned the most points for the special teams unit throughout the season. Grading out well on different assignments as well as making plays is considered in the point total.
?An area that is very important for any football team is the play of the work teams,? Coach Fran said. ?When preparing for an opponent, the work team has to give you a good look and I thought these young men were very deserving of their honor.?
The offensive work team MVP?™s were freshman Brandon Arrington, a walkon running back from Cedar Hill, Texas, freshman wide receiver Antonio Perry from Hammond, Louisiana, and freshman quarterback Jamie McCoy from Midland, Texas.
The defensive work team MVP?™s were senior defensive back Trey Brooks from Georgetown, freshman linebacker Matt Featherston from Poughkeepsie, New York, and freshman Vincent Williams from Dallas.
The Aggies have one more week of spring drills climaxed by the Maroon & White Game, presented by HEB. The game will be played Saturday, Apr. 8 with a 2 p.m. kick at Kyle Field.
HONOREES:
Aggie Heart Award: Jaxson Appel, Sr., Friendswood, TX
Captains: Johnny Jolly, Sr., Houston, TX
Archie McDaniel, Sr., Bay City, TX
Offensive MVP: Reggie McNeal, Sr., Lufkin, TX
Offensive Line MVP: Yemi Babalola, Fr., Bryan, TX
Cody Wallace, So., Cuero, TX
Offensive Work Team: Brandon Arrington, Fr., Cedar Hill, TX
Jamie McCoy, Fr., Midland, TX
Antonio Perry, Fr., Hammond, LA
Defensive MVP: Johnny Jolly, Sr., Houston, TX
Defensive Line MVP: Johnny Jolly, Sr., Houston, TX
Defensive Work Team: Trey Brooks, Sr,, Georgetown, TX
Matt Featherston, Fr., Poughkeepsie, NY
Vincent Williams, Fr., Dallas, TX
Special Teams MVP: Ronald ?Ray Ray? Jones, Sr., Dallas, TX
Todd Pegram, Sr., Plano, TX
Top Point Getter- Special Teams: Melvin Bullitt, Jr., Garland, TX
