DeKALB — 10 Huskies received league honors when the Mid-American Conference announced its 2017 postseason teams Wednesday.

Head Coach Rod Carey said he was pleased with all of the players who made the All-MAC Teams and is especially pleased to see seven underclassmen, including redshirt freshman quarterback Marcus Childers, on the list.

Sutton Smith, redshirt sophomore defensive end, earned MAC Defensive Player of the Year. The sophomore leads the nation in both sacks and tackles for loss, posting 14 sacks and 28.5 tackles for loss. Smith set a new school record when he passed Larry English’s school record for sacks in a single-season, and he also broke the Huskies’ single-season tackles for loss record. Smith was also one of four Huskies named to the All-MAC First Team.

“Sutton is certainly deserving of [Defensive Player of the Year], if not more, and I hope there are more postseason awards to come for him,” said Head Coach Rod Carey, according to NIU Media Services. “He played at a consistently high level each week. I’m certainly happy for him to receive these accolades as a sophomore, and we look forward to a bright future with him.”

Childers received MAC Freshman of the Year honors after appearing in 11 games this season. The freshman threw for 1,440 yards and passed for 15 touchdowns, while rushing for 454 yards and completing five rushing touchdowns.

“Marcus certainly made a big contribution as a freshman,” said Carey, according to NIU Media Services. “I look forward to him taking the next step, and he has the foundation and experience now to do that.”

{{tncms-inline content=”<p>• Senior Cornerback Shawun Lurry — MAC first team</p> <p>• Max Scharping, redshirt junior offensive lineman — MAC first team</p> <p>• Shane Wimann, redshirt senior tight end — MAC first team</p> <p>• Redshirt senior linebacker Bobby Jones IV — MAC second team</p> <p>• Redshirt junior linebacker Jawuan Johnson — MAC third team</p> <p>• Redshirt senior tailback Jordan Huff — MAC third team</p> <p>• Jordan Steckler, redshirt sophomore offensive lineman — MAC third team</p> <p>• Spencer Tears, redshirt sophomore wide receiver — MAC third team</p>” id=”d6ce73b1-70d1-4fcb-a039-ab32c9d4376b” style-type=”bio” title=”Other NIU honorees ” type=”relcontent”}}