Football | 12/8/2023 4:54:00 PM

Utah Tech landed four players on the inaugural 2023 United Athletic Conference football postseason awards list, which was announced on Friday.
 
Junior defensive lineman Syrus Webster and redshirt freshman long snapper Ryan Kean both claimed first team all-conference honors, while freshman wide receiver Beau Sparks and junior linebacker Will Leota earn second team recognition.
 
In addition, Sparks was tabbed as the UAC's Freshman of the Year by the league's coaches. 

Webster, who began the season as the UAC Preseason Player of the Year, was the only defensive player unanimously selected by the conference's head coaches for first team honors. The junior led the UAC and closed the regular season t-third nationally with four forced fumbles, and finished the season ranked second in the conference in sacks (7.0; t-46^th nationally) and third in TFLs (11.0 – t-60^th nationally).

In fact Webster, a 2022 first team all-WAC selection, was the only defensive player in the UAC who was ranked in the top-12 overall in sacks, TFLs and total tackles (14^th – 77; 31 solo). 

Webster, who became Utah Tech's career sacks leader with two sacks at Austin Peay (11/11), registered double digits in tackles three times this past season, highlighted by an 11-tackle night with one sack and a career-high 3.5 TFLs at Colorado State (9/30). He also tallied 10 tackles with 2.0 sacks and 3.0 TFLs at Northern Arizona (9/16), and racked up a career-best 12 tackles vs. Montana (9/9).

Kean played in all 11 games this season and was near perfect on every special teams snap this season as the Trailblazers' primary long snapper. 

For Sparks, his two UAC awards on Friday come on the heels of him finishing ninth-nationally in the balloting for the 2023 FCS Jerry Rice Freshman of the Year Award. He also collected 2023 FCS Football Central Freshman All-American honors late last month. 

Sparks finished his collegiate season as the UAC leader in receptions (74; 6.73 rpg), and wound up fifth in total receiving yards (723; 65.7 ypg), and t-fourth in TDs (7). He caught at least five passes in nine of 11 games this past season, which began with him breaking a Utah Tech freshman receiving record with 144 yards on seven catches in the season opener at then No. 2 Montana State (9/2).

The freshman, who was named UAC Freshman of the Week twice (9/18; 10/23), caught at least one touchdown pass in four-straight games, including a pair of two-TD outings at Colorado State (9/30) and at North Alabama (10/21). 

Leota, who was a two-time all-WAC selection in each of his first two seasons, finished the 2023 campaign 11th overall in the UAC in total tackles (76; 7.6 tpg), t-18^th in conference games (40; 8.00 tpg). He registered double digits in tackles in three games, highlighted by a 12-tackle day at Austin Peay (11/11), and collected 11 tackles with 2.0 TFLs at North Alabama (10/21).