OVC Football Player of the Week Awards presented by TicketSmarter
 
OFFENSIVE
Kennedy McGill, QB • 6-1, 225, 5th Year • Bothell, Wash. • Western Illinois
McGill earned his third Offensive Player of the Week honor of the season after tallying 447 yards of total offense and three touchdowns at Southeast Missouri. The fifth year completed 20-of-37 passes for 264 yards and carried the ball 27 times for 183 yards (6.8 ypc) and three touchdowns. He ran for a two-yard score in the first quarter, added a one-yarder just before halftime and scampered in from 33 yards out in the third quarter to give his team a one-point lead at that point. McGill leads all FCS quarterbacks in rushing (680), a mark that is 11th among all players, while also ranking sixth in total offense (310.1 yards/game), 11th in rushing touchdowns (8) and 20th in points responsible for (14.9/game).
 
Others Nominated: Cole LaCrue, Eastern Illinois; Pops Battle, Lindenwood; Khyair Spain, Southeast Missouri; Daylin Lee, Tennessee State.
 
DEFENSIVE
DJ Delmore, SAF • 5-11, 197, Sr. • Baton Rouge, La. • Southeast Missouri
Delmore had two interceptions, four tackles (three solo) and two pass breakups as Southeast Missouri came from behind to top Western Illinois 40-30 to improve to 2-0 in OVC action. His first interception came at the end of the first quarter and led to a SEMO field goal. In the second quarter he intercepted a pass and returned it 20 yards.
 
Others Nominated: Taivon Snipe, Charleston Southern; Lonnie Burt, Eastern Illinois; Cahari Haynes, Gardner-Webb; Caleb Jacobmeier, Lindenwood; Ryman Mosley, Tennessee State; Malik Brown, UT Martin; Justin Buckner, Western Illinois.
 
SPECIAL TEAMS
Justin Keller, K • 5-11, 190, Grad. • Shawnee Mission, Kan. • Southeast Missouri
Keller scored a career-high 14 points on kicking, including 4-of-4 field goals and 2-of-2 PATs as Southeast Missouri topped Western Illinois 40-30 to improve to 2-0 in OVC play. Keller connected from 47, 28, 54 and 23 yards in the win. The 54-yarder right before halftime was the longest by an OVC player this season, the fifth-longest by a FCS player in 2026 and the third-longest in SEMO history. That field goal pulled SEMO to within one at the break; he added a 23-yarder late in the fourth quarter to ice the game. The graduate student also kicked off eight times, netting three touchbacks. Keller ranks first nationally in field goals made per game (2.0) and is 13th in scoring (8.4 points/game).
 
Others Nominated: Baxter Pearce, Charleston Southern; Cade Cox, Eastern Illinois; Joshua George, Gardner-Webb; Max Zuluaga, UT Martin; Luke Droegemueller, Western Illinois.
 
ROOKIE
Rymen Mosley, CB • 5-9, 165, Fr. • Bradenton, Fla. • Tennessee State
Mosley had a pair of interceptions (increasing his season total to three) as Tennessee State knocked off No. 24 Morgan State to win its eight-straight Homecoming contest. Both of his takeaways came in the first quarter, as the Tigers built a 9-0 lead early in the contest. The first interception came at TSU's 15-yard line and he returned it 18 yards. His second pick came at the TSU 6-yard line. The freshman also added a tackle as TSU held the Bears to just 2-of-11 on third down for the game.
 
Others Nominated: Baxter Pearce, Charleston Southern; Hunter West, Gardner-Webb; Jaydon Peete, UT Martin; Xavier Coleman, Western Illinois.
 
 
Other Notable Performances
Below are other notable performances from the past week.
 
• Khyair Spain (RB, Jr.), Southeast Missouri. Rushed for 111 yards and two touchdowns in 40-30 win over Western Illinois.
 
• Caleb Jacobmeier (LB, Sr.), Lindenwood. Had a strip sack and interception in 20-13 victory at Eastern Illinois.
 
• Cahari Haynes (LB, Jr.), Gardner-Webb. Tallied 13 tackles and a QBH vs. UT Martin.
 
• Justin Buckner (LB, So.), Western Illinois. Made game-high 15 tackles (10 solo) at SEMO.
 
• Daylin Lee (QB, Sr.), Tennessee State. Had 283 yards of total offense and two touchdowns in win over No. 24 Morgan State.
 
• Joshua George (RS, Jr.), Gardner-Webb. Returned kickoff 86 yards for a touchdown at UTM.
 
• Max Zuluaga (P, So.), UT Martin. Averaged 47.0 yards on seven punts with a long of 75.
 
• Luke Droegemueller (P, Sr.), Western Illinois. As holder on a fake field goal attempt, took snap and rushed 29 yards for a touchdown at SEMO.