Writing for AAC Football Fever has its perks: you get to watch massive amounts of football and study a lot of players.
We’re over a month removed from the 2014 season, which makes the next six months — and a smidge — the perfect time to reminisce on last season’s AACTION. I caught up with a few of our staff writers and Tyler Waddell, AAC Football Fever editor-in-chief and founder, yesterday to ask them which American Athletic Conference player from the ’14 season was their favorite to watch, and why.
For me, I enjoyed watching East Carolina standout quarterback Shane Carden sling the ball around the yard in the Pirates’ first season in the AAC. Carden led the conference in total passing yards (4,736) and yards per game (370.2) in ’14, and earned AAC Offensive Player of the Year honors en route to becoming ECU’s all-time leading passer. I’ll certainly miss watching Carden light up the Carolina sky on Saturdays.
You’ll notice that a few of my fellow staffers deviated from popular opinion just a bit and chose a player who went widely overlooked in ’14, but nevertheless, put on a show at times during the season. However, you’ll see one player from last year who seems to be a consensus staff favorite. I’ll give you a tiny hint at who he is: Shane Carden wouldn’t be the player he is today without this guy.
Have a favorite AAC player of your own from 2014 who isn’t on our list? Tell us who your favorite player was from last season, and why you enjoyed watching him, in the comments section.
Evan Triantafilidis (@EvanTria47)
Breshad Perriman, WR, UCF
“My favorite player to watch in the AAC last season would have to be Breshad Perriman. Not only did he catch a touchdown pass in every conference game, but he also ranked second in average yards per reception at 20.9. He’s a big play receiver who proved he could still do it in 2014 without Blake Bortles. We’ll be talking about him on Sundays from now on.”
Ryne Hancock (@RHancock19)
Parry Nickerson, CB, Tulane
“My favorite player in 2014 was [cornerback] Parry Nickerson (six INTs, six pass breakups, and 51 tackles) of Tulane. Granted Tulane didn’t have the season that people hoped for in 2014, but Nickerson was probably one of the best freshmen players you didn’t know about in 2014.”
Mitch Wilcox (@mitch_wilcox)
Justin Hardy, WR, East Carolina
“I had a bit of trouble deciding between Hardy, Shane Carden and Gunner Kiel, but after I thought about his story and production, I realized it had to be the Pirates wide receiver. To think Hardy was a walk-on astounds me considering he ended up being the NCAA’s all-time leader in receptions. He ended his ECU career with 387 catches, 4,541 yards and 35 touchdowns, and STILL somehow remained under-the-radar while doing so.”
Tyler Waddell (@Tyler_Waddell)
Justin Hardy
“Not only was Hardy an exceptional player — skill-wise and to watch from a fan perspective — in 2014, but his overall consistency throughout his four-year career with East Carolina makes him one of the most underrated wide receivers in the history of college football. It’s that simple. In 49 total games played, Hardy was never held to less than three receptions. Never; not once. He finished his career with 15 games of at least 10 receptions.
I was in the pressbox for Hardy’s 15-catch, 181-yard performance against Cincinnati in November. It wasn’t until I saw him in person that I realized just how good he really is; Bearcat defenders were helpless in effort to contain him while he converted eight first downs (four being pivotal third-down conversions) and some incredible grabs while contested in the process.
Hardy was an exciting player to watch during his lone year in the American Athletic Conference, and he’ll continue to be an extremely productive asset to whichever NFL organization is lucky enough to draft him come April.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P85gjBuqbcI
Jay Saunders (@JayinMilwaukee)
Jay tried to one-up the rest of us by picking his favorite player from each side of the ball (Gunning for “Staff Member of the Month,” Jay?). Guess who he picked on offense? *cough* Hardy *cough*. His favorite defensive player from the AAC in 2014 was overlooked on a national level, despite finishing 10th in the FBS in total tackles (135).
Efrem Oliphant, LB, Houston
“Not the splashiest name out there, but this kid was an absolute ball hawk for Houston this season. If it seemed you heard Oliphant’s name called by the TV guys *A LOT* it wasn’t your imagination. Oliphant had double-digit tackles in each of the Cougars first six games in 2014, and nine games overall. And, oh yeah, he has 3.5 sacks, two interceptions, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. Others on Houston’s ‘Third Ward Defense’ often received more attention, but Oliphant was the quiet leader of that crew.”
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