Linebacker Sterling Sheffield, cornerback Manny Patterson and kick returner Earnest Edwards of University of Maine have been named to the New England Football Writers’ University Division All-New England team.
All three were All-Colonial Athletic Association first-team selections.
“All three are talented football players, and they’re even better people,” said Harasymiak, who added that they have played key roles in UMaine’s success this season.
Harasymiak, in his third season as the Black Bears’ head coach, was named the Jack Grinold University Division Coach of the Year by the New England Football Writers Coach of the Year Committee.
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He previously was named the CAA Coach of the Year as well as a finalist for the STATS Football Championship Subdivision Eddie Robinson Award, which honors the FCS’ national coach of the year.
Sheffield, a 6-foot, 240-pound senior, ranked third in the CAA with 8.5 sacks, and his 0.77 sacks per game tied him for 18th in the FCS. His 69 tackles are second on the team, and his 13.5 TFL tied him for sixth in the CAA.
The Mullica, New Jersey, native also has an interception, six pass break-ups, two fumble recoveries, two forced fumbles and two quarterback hurries.
Patterson, a 5-10, 181-pound junior from Baltimore, leads the nation in passes defended (1.82 per game) and pass breakups (19). He has made 33 tackles with one interception.
Edwards — a speedy 5-10, 175-pound junior from Rochester, New York — was chosen as a kick return specialist. He averaged 28.4 yards per kickoff return to rank eighth in the country and first in the CAA. He is 121.5 all-purpose yards per game were third best in the CAA.
Edwards has returned two kickoffs for touchdowns.
He has caught a team-high 43 passes for 673 yards, returned 19 kickoffs for 539 yards and carried the ball 33 times for 123 yards.