VALDOSTA, Ga. – Valdosta State football added to its accolades from a national runner-up finish this season as five players were named to the 2024 Don Hansen Division II All-America Teams.
 
Graduate offensive lineman Will Flowers earned first team honors from Don Hansen, while senior quarterback Sammy Edwards and graduate student defensive back Larry Elder were second team selections.  Junior offensive linemen Kenley-Mary Asse and Jeremiah Mawali were named honorable mention. 
 
Flowers, a native of LaGrange, Ga., earned multiple All-America accolades this season as he also earned AFCA First Team All-America and first team D2CCA honors.  Flowers was named to the D2Football.com Top 100 Second Team and earned Associated Press First Team All-America accolades. He helped lead VSU to a 13-1 record this season and a berth in the program's seventh national title game in December.  Flowers and the Blazers won their 11^th Gulf South Conference title this season and he earned first team all-GSC accolades.  He finished with over 40 knockdown blocks this season and graded out at 97 percent for highest on the team. 
 
He started all 14 games and blocked for an offense that finished eighth nationally in scoring offense at 40.1 points per game, while the Blazers were 11^th nationally in total offense at 448.6 yards per game.  VSU was 23^rd nationally in passing yards per game at a 248.0 clip, while the team was 16^th nationally in rushing offense at 200.6 yards per contest with all leading the Gulf South Conference.  The Blazers allowed just 12 sacks all season for a 0.86 average per game for 12^th nationally, while the Blazers were sixth nationally in third down conversion (.518) and seventh nationally in fourth down conversion (.696).
 
Elder, a native of Richmond, Va., also earned First Team AFCA All-America honors, second team D2CCA All-America accolades and was second team D2Football.com Top 100.  He also earned first team Associated Press All-America honors and currently is a finalist for the Cliff Harris Award.  Elder was named GSC Co-Defensive Player of the Year.  He finished his lone season as a Blazer leading the team with 107 total tackles and 59 solo stops for a 4.1 average per game for fourth in the GSC.  Elder averaged 7.5 tackles per game for second in the GSC.  He had a team-high 11 tackles for loss for 52 yards and finished with 3.5 sacks for 26 yards.  Elder had one interception with three pass breakups, one hurry, one fumble recovery and forced a team-high four fumbles for 15^th nationally in forced fumbles per game (0.29). 
 
Edwards, a native of Saint Augustine, Fla., finished fourth in the prestigious Harlon Hill Award voting this season and finished third in 2023.  He earned D2Football.com Top 100 Squad accolades, while earning second team Associated Press All-America honors. He was named GSC Offensive Player of the Year in 2024 and earned multiple All-America honors this season, earning D2CCA Second Team All-America honors and Second Team AP All-America.  He finished his career at 25-3 as a starter over the last two seasons with the national runner-up finish in 2024 and a quarterfinal appearance in 2023. 
 
He finished the season sixth nationally in passing efficiency at 171.7, while he was fourth nationally in passing touchdowns (32), fifth in passing yards (3,291) and 19^th in passing yards per game (235.1). Edwards was seventh nationally in points responsible for (216) and was 25^th nationally in total offense at 250.1 yards per game.  He finished tenth nationally in yards per pass attempt at 9.22.  This season, Edwards set the GSC and school records with 195 consecutive pass attempts without an interception. 

For his outstanding career, Edwards sits fourth in program history in career passing yards (7,635), while he is sixth in passing touchdowns (66) and fifth in completions on 569 of 862 passing with 13 interceptions.  He finished fourth in total offense with 8,163 yards on 1,034 plays.
 
Mary-Asse, a native of Opa Locka, Fla., had a strong season for the red and black on the offensive line and played in 13 games this season earning first team All-GSC honors.  He has played in 30 games for the Blazers for his career.  Mawali, a native of West Palm Beach, Fla., earned first team all-league honors in his first playing season for VSU playing in 13 games after redshirting last season.