VALDOSTA, Ga. – Valdosta State senior defensive back Rance Conner earned American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) and D2 Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) Second Team All-America honors announced Wednesday.  Conner is one of two student-athletes from the Gulf South Conference to earn AFCA All-America honors and one of three from the league for D2CCA.
 
Conner, a native of Miami, Fla., earned first all-region honors this season and First Team All-GSC honors after helping lead VSU to back-to-back league titles and two berths in the NCAA postseason, including a national runner-up finish in 2024.  He earned second team all-league honors last season and played in 25 career games for the Blazers.  
 
He played and started all 11 games this season at cornerback and finished with 47 total tackles, including 32 solo stops, while recording seven tackles for loss for 25 yards, two sacks for 12 yards, a team-high five interceptions for 36 yards, four pass breakups, one hurry, one fumble recovery, two forced fumbles and one blocked kick.  He finished fifth in the GSC in forced fumbles per game (0.18), while he is tops in the league in interceptions per game at a 0.45 clip.  He is fourth in the GSC in passes defended at a 0.82 clip.

For his career, Conner has 41 solo tackles, 23 assisted tackles and 64 total tackles in his two seasons in Titletown.  He finished with eight tackles for loss for 27 yards, two sacks for 12 yards, seven interceptions, 14 pass breakups, one fumble return, two forced fumbles and one blocked kick.  
 
Along with Conner, West Florida senior linebacker Ja'Kobe Clinton earned first team honors for AFCA, while Conner, Clinton and West Alabama's Elijah Guyton earned second team honors for D2CCA. The duo were two of 11 athletes from Super Region Two who earned All-America status by the AFCA and the trio were three of seven for D2CCA from the region.  Conner becomes the 18^th different Blazer to earn AFCA All-America honors in program history and the 20^th time as former Blazers Chris Hatcher (1993-94) and Ryan Schraeder (2011-12) earned the honor twice. 
 
Valdosta State AFCA All-Americans (18/20)
OL        Mark Catano (C-I)          1982
LB        Jessie Tuggle (C-I)          1986
WR       Randy Fisher (C-I)          1989
DB        Deon Searcy (C-I)          1990
QB        Chris Hatcher (C-I)         1993-94
QB        Dusty Bonner (D-II)       2000
PK        Will Rhody (D-II)           2004
DL        Tim Thompson (D-II)      2005
WR       Cedric Jones (D-II)         2007
LB        Larry Dean (D-II)            2010
OL        Ryan Schraeder (D-II)    2011-12
DB        Kenny Moore (D-II)       2016
QB        Rogan Wells (D-II)         2019 (1st)
OL        Adonis Sealey (D-II)       2019 (2nd)
OL        Devin Hannan (D-II)       2023 (1^st)
OL        Will Flowers (D-II)         2024 (1^st)
DB        Larry Elder (D-II)            2024 (1^st)
DB        Rance Conner (D-II)       2025 (2^nd)