Harlon Hill Release
VALDOSTA, Ga. – Valdosta State sophomore quarterback
Rogan Wells is one of 37 student-athletes for the 2018 Harlon Hill Trophy as the NCAA Division II College Football Player of the Year.
Wells, a native of Fort Mill, S.C., is one of nine selections from Super Region Two and one of two from the Gulf South Conference as Florida Tech senior linebacker J.T. Hassell is the other. The sports information directors at the 166 NCAA Division II football-playing institutions nominate and vote on the award. The 37 initial candidates will be placed on regional ballots and the top two from each of the four NCAA regions will advance to the national ballot when regional voting concludes on Monday, November 26.
The winner of the 2018 award will be announced on Friday, December 14 and the winner will be honored at the Little Rock Touchdown Club awards banquet on January 10, 2019.
Wells has had an outstanding season for the 10-0 and No. 3-ranked Blazers. He was named Gulf South Conference Offensive Player of the Year, first team all-conference and was named GSC Offensive Player of the Week five times this season.
He has started all ten games for the Blazers as they are in the second round of the NCAA playoffs and is part of the nation's leading scoring team at 52.2 points per game. Wells has thrown 28 touchdown passes to just four interceptions for a 153.97 passing efficiency on 148 of 272. He ranks third on the team in rushing yards (546) and leads the team with nine rushing touchdowns. Wells has thrown at least one touchdown in all ten games, while throwing a career-high five touchdown passes at then-No. 8-ranked West Alabama earlier this season. He tossed a season-high 364 yards and four touchdowns against Delta State and rushed for a career-high 143 yards on 14 carries in the GSC Championship victory over West Georgia on Nov. 10.
Wells ranks 21st nationally in passing efficiency (153.97) for second in the GSC, while ranking eighth nationally in passing touchdowns (1st GSC) with 28. He is fifth nationally and first in the GSC in points responsible for (222), while ranking second in the GSC in rushing touchdowns with nine. He is 25th nationally and first in the GSC in total offense at 276.5 yards per game.
For his career, he has 202 rushes for 1,038 yards and 17 rushing touchdowns, while throwing 269 of 489 for 3,624 yards, 40 touchdowns and just seven interceptions. He has played in 19 games 16 starts.
The Blazers, as a team, are fourth nationally in total offense at 536.3 yards per game, 13th in rushing offense (268.9) and 28th in passing offense at 267.4 yards per game.
The group of 37 candidates includes 13 quarterbacks, nine running backs, eight wide receivers, three defensive ends, three linebackers and one defensive back. The 2018 nominees include 21 seniors, 10 juniors, four sophomores and two freshmen. One nominee - Bowie State's Amir Hall, previously advanced to the finalist stage in 2017.
The Hill Trophy is named for the late Harlon Hill - the former University of North Alabama standout - who excelled with the Lions from 1950-53 before going on to fame in the National Football League with the Chicago Bears.
Wells and the Blazers host No. 22 Bowie State on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium for the second round of the NCAA playoffs. The game features a matchup of Wells against Hall in a battle of two nominated quarterbacks for the Harlon Hill.
Tickets are on sale for the game in the VSU Athletic Ticket Office located in the athletic department of The Complex, online at vstateblazers.com on the football schedule page, or by calling 229-333-SEAT.
