Harold Fannin Jr. and Shaun Dolac take home major awards, while Miami (OH) leads with 12 overall selections.
The 2024 All-MAC teams and individual awards were revealed by the conference on Thursday, two days prior to the annual MAC Championship Game in Detroit.
Individual Awards
The individual awards were voted on by the MAC’s 12 head coaches:
- Vern Smith Leadership Award (MAC MVP): Harold Fannin Jr., TE, Bowling Green
- MAC Offensive Player of the Year: Harold Fannin Jr., TE, Bowling Green
- MAC Defensive Player of the Year: Shaun Dolac, ILB, Buffalo
- MAC Special Teams Player of the Year: Malcolm Gillie, KR, Ball State
- MAC Freshman of the Year: Kadin Semonza, QB, Ball State
- MAC Coach of the Year: Tim Albin, Ohio
All-MAC Teams
The MAC released First, Second, and Third team selections:
All-MAC Breakdown by Team – Total (First, Second, Third)
- Miami (OH) – 12 (7, 4, 1)
- Ohio – 10 (2, 5, 3)
- Buffalo – 10 (2, 1, 7)
- Bowling Green – 9 (5, 1, 3)
- Toledo – 9 (4, 3, 2)
- Northern Illinois – 8 (3, 3, 2)
- Ball State – 7 (2, 1, 4)
- Western Michigan – 6 (3, 1, 2)
- Akron – 5 (2, 2, 1)
- Central Michigan – 5 (0, 4, 1)
- Eastern Michigan – 5 (0, 4, 1)
- Kent State – 3 (0, 1, 2)
Additional Notes
- Miami (OH) led the MAC with 12 overall selections and 7 First Team All-MAC selections. Miami also totaled 12 overall all-conference selections in 2023. This is the first year since 2020 where Toledo didn’t lead the conference or tie for the lead in total selections.
- Harold Fannin Jr. is the first Bowling Green player to win the Vern Leadership Award recognizing the top player in the MAC since Matt Johnson in 2015. Fannin is the first tight end to ever win the award and the first tight end in FBS history to win a conference player of the year award.
- Harold Fannin Jr. is the first Bowling Green player to win the MAC Offensive Player of the Year since Matt Johnson in 2015. No MAC school has more winners of this award than Bowling Green, which just secured its 10th. Fannin is the first tight end to win this award, and the second tight end in FBS history to win a conference’s offensive player of the year award (Rutgers tight end Marco Battaglia won Big East Offensive Player of the Year in 1995).
- Harold Fannin Jr. is the first MAC player to win both the Vern Leadership Award and MAC Offensive Player of the Year since Kurtis Rourke in 2022. In six of the last 10 years, including 2024, the same player won both awards.
- Shaun Dolac is the second Buffalo player to win MAC Defensive Player of the Year, joining Khalil Mack in 2013. Dolac is second-straight linebacker and the fifth in the last seven years to claim the award.
- Malcolm Gillie is the first Ball State player to win MAC Special Teams Player of the Year since Scott Secor in 2014. Gillie is the first return specialist to receive the award since Kalil Pimpleton in 2021, breaking a two-year streak of kickers claiming it.
- Kadin Semonza is the first Ball State player to win MAC Freshman of the Year since Sean Baker in 2008. Semonza is the first quarterback to win the award since Brett Gabbert in 2019, snapping a four-year streak of the honor going to running backs.
- Tim Albin is a second-time recipient of the MAC Coach of the Year, also winning the award during Ohio’s 2022 season where it also qualified for the MAC Championship Game. He is one of 13 multi-time winners of the award, joining P.J. Fleck, Lance Leipold, and Jason Candle as those to do it in the 21st century.
- Seven back-to-back First Team All-MAC selections include:
- Akron DE CJ Nunnally
- Bowling Green TE Harold Fannin Jr.
- Miami (OH) OLB Matt Salopek
- Toledo WR Jerjuan Newton
- Toledo SS Maxen Hook (three-straight First Team selections)
- Toledo KR Jacquez Stuart
- Western Michigan C Jacob Gideon
- Five three-time All-MAC selections include:
- Miami (OH) QB Brett Gabbert (2024 First, 2023 Third, 2021 Third)
- Miami (OH) OLB Matthew Salopek (2024 First, 2023 First, 2022 Third, 2021 Second)
- Northern Illinois C Logan Zschernitz (2024 Second, 2022 Third, 2021 Third)
- Toledo WR Jerjuan Newton (2024 First, 2023 First, 2022 Second)
- Toledo SS Maxen Hook (2024 First, 2023 First, 2022 First, 2021 Third)
- Two four-time All-MAC selections include:
- Miami (OH) OLB Matthew Salopek (2024 First, 2023 First, 2022 Third, 2021 Second)
- Toledo SS Maxen Hook (2024 First, 2023 First, 2022 First, 2021 Third)