ATLANTA, Ga.- The Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) has released their Postseason All-Conference football selections for the 2024 season and Savannah State University had a trio of Tigers to earn All-SIAC honors.

Wide receiver Da'Shun Mitchell made the First Team while defensive lineman Xavier Esquillen and linebacker Gary Davis, Jr. both made the Second Team.

SSU head football coach Aaron Kelton is proud that his players were rewarded for their hard work on and off the field. "Being named to any post season award if a tremendous accomplishment. We are proud of all of our guys and these three for their accomplishments."

The Savannah State passing game ranked third in the conference, averaging 224.4 yards per game and Mitchell was one of the reasons why. During the season, Mitchell was the top wide receiver in the league, averaging 91.3 yards per game. He finished the year with 49 receptions for a league-high 913 yards and nine touchdowns.

"Da'Shun Mitchell proved he is one of the most talented players in the conference and the country," said Kelton. "He has a dynamic blend of size and speed that mad him a really tough cover at wide receiver."

The best game of his senior season and career-game for the Inman, South Carolina native came against Benedict where he had 12 catches for a school record 227 yards and two touchdowns. The 227 receiving yards set a new Savannah State single game receiving record that was set by Shannon Sharpe during the 1989 season of 221 yards.

Mitchell had multiple receiving touchdown games in 2024  against Tuskegee, Edward Waters, Lane and Benedict and had four games where he had 100 or more receiving yards. The 6-foot-3 wideout caught five passes for 104 yards against Tuskegee, six caches for 111 yards against Fort Valley State, four catches for 101 yards against Edward Waters and 12 receptions for 227 yards against Benedict.

Esquillen and Davis were members of a defense that finished the regular season ranked in the top five of the SIAC in forced fumbles (first), sacks (fourth), run defense (fourth) and points allowed per game (fourth).

After collecting just 22 tackles and five tackles for loss last year, Esquillen had a breakout season in 2024 by leading the SIAC in sacks with 9.5. He also had 32 tackles (26 solo), 11.5 tackles for loss, six quarterback hurries, two pass breakups and two forced fumbles.

"Xavier Esquillien if just coming into his own as a person and player. He is a dominant player," says Kelton. " His ability to change the line of scrimmage and rush the passer really made him a force this season."

The 6-foot-2, 255-pound sophomore had a season-high five tackles against Lincoln California, Lane and Albany State and four tackles for loss and four sacks against Lane. A native of Charlotte, North Carolina, Esquillen had a forced a fumble against Clark Atlanta and Albany State.

Davis finished the season with 59 tackles (41 solo), 5.0 tackles for loss, 2.0 sack, two quarterback hurries and one fumble recovery. He was in on 11 stops against Lane and had 10 tackles against Tuskegee. The Cario, Georgia native had one sack against Lane and another against Benedict and recovered a fumble against Albany State.

"Gary Davis showed his hard work from the summer paid off. He is a smart athletic linebacker who has the ability to play both the run and pass," states Kelton.

2024 SIAC Postseason All-Conference Team

FIRST TEAM
POSITION	NAME	SCHOOL	CLASS	HOMETOWN
Offensive Line	Ahmed Brimah	Albany State	Junior	Jonesboro, Ga.
Offensive Line	Andrew Dorsey	Fort Valley State	Sophomore	Atlanta, Ga.
Offensive Line	Jason Stovall	Miles	R-Senior	Atlanta, Ga.
Offensive Line	Austin Euler	Clark Atlanta	Graduate	Lithonia, Ga.
Offensive Line	Christian Twymon	Miles	Senior	Sylacauga, Ala.
Tight End	Travaunta Abner	Miles	Junior	Lanett, Ala.
Wide Receiver	Armone Harris	Clark Atlanta	Junior	Tampa, Fla.
Wide Receiver	Da'Shun Mitchell	Savannah State	Senior	Inman, S.C.
Running Back	Brandon Marshall	Fort Valley State	Graduate	Philadelphia, Pa.
Running Back	Ike Brown	Lane	Senior	Shreveport, La.
Quarterback	David Wright III	Clark Atlanta	Junior	Tampa, Fla.
Defensive Line	Israel Nwokocha	Benedict	Junior	Atlanta, Ga.
Defensive Line	Robert Brown	Lane	Junior	Monterey, Calif.
Defensive Line	Roc Dowdell	Miles	R-Senior	Lanett, Ala.
Defensive Line	Adeon Farmer	Fort Valley State	Junior	Lake City, Fla.
Linebacker	Jalil Lenore	Central State	Senior	Chicago, Ill.
Linebacker	Caleb Grant	Morehouse	Senior	Stone Mountain, Ga.
Linebacker	Ty'Metrius Patterson	Benedict	Senior	Detroit, Mich.
Defensive Back	Lashon Young	Miles	Freshman	Sweet Water, Ala.
Defensive Back	Dahlil Wilkins	Clark Atlanta	Senior	Bamberg, S.C.
Defensive Back	Stephan French	Edward Waters	Sophomore	Powder Springs, Ga.
Defensive Back	Malik Moore	Tuskegee	Junior	Tallahassee, Fla.
Kicker	Lorcan Ryans	Tuskegee	Sophomore	Limerick, Ireland
Punter	Lucas Wynn	Benedict	Sophomore	Powder Springs, Ga.
Punt Returner	DeJuan Bell	Fort Valley State	Graduate	North Augusta, S.C.
Kick Returner	Jaxon Williams	Benedict	Freshman	Dothan, Ala.
SECOND TEAM
POSITION	NAME	SCHOOL	CLASS	HOMETOWN
Offensive Line	Jordan Taylor	Benedict	R-Senior	Mableton, Ga.
Offensive Line	Denzell Moore	Clark Atlanta	Junior	Powder Springs, Ga.
Offensive Line	Jose Gonzalez	Fort Valley State	Sophomore	Warner Robins, Ga.
Offensive Line	Elliott Howell	Tuskegee	Senior	Atlanta, Ga.
Offensive Line	Xavier Heard	Lane	Senior	Long Beach, Calif.
Tight End	Gentry Sparks	Fort Valley State	R-Junior	Tallahassee, Fla.
Wide Receiver	Jamill Williams	Albany State	R-Freshman	Atlanta, Ga.
Wide Receiver	Anthony Evelyn	Lane	Senior	Atlantic Beach, Fla.
Running Back	Tiant Wyche	Albany State	Freshman	Jacksonville, Fla.
Running Back	Jonero Scott	Miles	Junior	Baton Rouge, La.
Quarterback	Isaiah Knowles	Albany State	R-Sophomore	Tampa, Fla.
Defensive Line	Xavier Esquillen	Savannah State	Sophomore	Charlotte, N.C.
Defensive Line	Mike White	Central State	Senior	Springfield, Ohio
Defensive Line	Jamichael Rogers	Miles	Junior	Bessemer, Ala.
Defensive Line	Kurtis Waye	Clark Atlanta	Sophomore	McDonough, Ga.
Linebacker	William Hardy	Miles	Junior	Birmingham, Ala.
Linebacker	Gary Davis, Jr.	Savannah State	Junior	Cairo, Ga.
Linebacker	Isaiah Stephens	Benedict	Graduate	Roanoke, Va.
Defensive Back	Lawrence McConnell	Kentucky State	Sophomore	St. Louis, Mo.
Defensive Back	Mikael King Jr.	Tuskegee	Junior	Tuskegee, Ala.
Defensive Back	Cam Williams	Miles	R-Sophomore	Bessemer, Ala.
Defensive Back	Jeremiah Brown	Lane	Senior	Shreveport, La.
Kicker	Leonardo Cabrera	Clark Atlanta	Freshman	Forest Park, Ga.
Punter	Jose Chaires	Central State	Senior	Atlanta, Ga.
Punt Returner	Anthony Evelyn	Lane	Senior	Atlantic Beach, Fla.
Kick Returner	Anthony Evelyn	Lane	Senior	Atlantic Beach, Fla.
OVERALL PLAYER OF THE YEAR (MVP)
NAME	SCHOOL
David Wright III	Clark Atlanta
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
NAME	SCHOOL
Isaiah Knowles	Albany State
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
NAME	SCHOOL
Lashon Young	Miles
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
NAME	SCHOOL
Tiant Wyche	Albany State
NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR
NAME	SCHOOL
Jamir Dismukes	Allen
COACH OF THE YEAR
NAME	SCHOOL
Sam Shade	Miles
ELITE 16
NAME	SCHOOL	GPA
Travaunta Abner	Miles	3.75