BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Valdosta State football graduate student-athlete Brian Saunds earned the prestigious Gulf South Conference Top Ten honors this season and named finalist for the Commissioner's Trophy, announced Monday by the league office.  This award recognizes the top five male and top five female student-athletes for their athletic, academic and extracurricular achievement during the 2021-22 academic year.  The top male and female from each group of honorees will be awarded the Commissioner's Trophy, which is the conference's most elite award in June.
 
The "Top Ten" are selected with the assistance of an advisory committee representing the Athletic Directors, Senior Woman Administrators, Sports Information Directors, Faculty Athletics Representatives, and Presidents from randomly selected GSC schools, which makes a recommendation to the Commissioner, who has the final decision.
 
The female Top Ten winners are Kwajelin Farrar (Valdosta State, Basketball); Anele Komani (West Alabama, Soccer); Celine Ritter (Lee, Cross Country/Track & Field); Johanna Wistokat (Christian Brothers, Cross Country/Track & Field); and Emma Young (Mississippi College, Soccer).
 
The male Top Ten winners are Saunds (Valdosta State, Football); Beck Burnette (Lee, Golf); Andrew Elkins (Auburn Montgomery, Soccer); Zach Hancock (Alabama Huntsville, Track & Field); and Gabe Poulin (Mississippi College, Cross Country/Track & Field).  
 
Click on the link to the right for the official release from the GSC and a history of the award.
 
Saunds is the 23^rd different VSU student-athlete to earn GSC Top Ten honors in school history the fourth male honoree for VSU in the last five years.
 
The Commissioner's Trophy, will be announced on Thursday, June 2 in Pensacola, Fla., and is annually recognizes athletic, academic and extracurricular achievement and is awarded to the top overall male and female student-athletes.  This award is one of the most prestigious prizes in all of Division II and the most significant individual honor the league presents.  It was first awarded in 1975 and honored the outstanding male student-athlete in the conference.  In 1983, when the league officially began conducting women's championships, the GSC began honoring its outstanding female student-athletes as well. 
 
Former Blazer men's basketball standout Clay Guillozet earned the Commissioner's Trophy in 2020.  He became the ninth different Blazer to win the Commissioner's Trophy and 13^th overall.  VSU, Delta State and former league member North Alabama all are tied for the most selections in league history.  Bridgette Moore (Women's Basketball, 1985-87), Chris Hatcher (Football, 1993-95), Morgan Faulk (Johnson) (Softball, 2011-2013) and Courtney Albritton (Softball, 2013-2015) all earned the Commissioner's Trophy twice for VSU.
 
Saunds, a native of Darien, Ga., earned VSU Male Student-Athlete of the Year in 2022, and finished a standout career on the gridiron helping the Blazers to the program's fourth national title with the school's first undefeated season in 2018 (14-0) and a national runner-up finish in 2021.  Saunds helped lead VSU to three-straight Gulf South Conference titles in 2018, 2019 and 2021. 
 
This season, Saunds finished with 1,200 yards receiving on 73 catches and seven touchdowns in 2021 as he earned first team All-GSC honors at wide receiver and return specialist.  He finished 40^th nationally and third in the GSC in punt returns at 7.2 yards per return, while he was fifth in the GSC in receiving touchdowns with seven and his 1,200 yards receiving lead the GSC and good for seventh nationally.  The 1,200 yards receiving is good for is good for second all-time for a single-season in program history, while the 73 receptions are good for tenth in program history.
 
Saunds averaged 85.7 yards per game receiving for 30^th nationally and second in the GSC.  Earlier in the season, Saunds had 220 yards receiving on a career-high 15 receptions and one touchdown on Nov. 6.  He set the school-record in 2019 in receiving yards with 246 against Florida Tech on Homecoming.  The 220 yards against North Greenville in 2021 receiving marked the fourth-most in school history for a game, while the 15 catches are good for sixth all-tie in school history in a game.  The 220 yards receiving and the 15 receptions were tops in the GSC in both categories this season.
 
For his career, Saunds played in 47 games with 38 starts and recorded 187 catches for 3,085 yards receiving (65.6 yards/game) and 28 receiving touchdowns for 168 points.  In addition to an outstanding career at wide out, he tallied 62 punt returns for 615 yards and one kickoff return for 30 yards.  He also has thrown two touchdown passes for his career, going 3 for 3 passing for 14 yards.  From a receiving standpoint, his 187 receptions are good for fifth all-time in program history and his 3,085 yards are good for third all-time in program history and his 28 receiving touchdowns are good for sixth in the school record book.  
 
Saunds earned CoSIDA Academic All-District honors in 2019 and D2CCA All-Region honors that season, while he earned GSC Academic Honor Roll accolades each of his years at VSU.  In 2018, he earned Second Team All-GSC honors. 
 
Not only has Saunds been outstanding on the field, but also in the classroom as he earned his undergraduate degree from VSU in middle grades education with a 3.53 GPA.  He then enrolled in graduate school and will graduate with a master's degree in Public Administration with a 3.30 GPA.