VALDOSTA, Ga. – The Valdosta State football team earned more postseason honors as senior defensive back Rance Conner earned Don Hansen First Team All-America and Associated Press Second Team, while senior offensive lineman Kenley-Mary Asse and senior defensive back Dallas Robinson earned Honorable Mention All-America honors from Don Hansen.  In addition, the Blazers finished among others receiving votes in the final American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Top 25.
 
For the AFCA Top 25, Ferris State capped a 16-0 record to win is second-straight national title, while Harding finished second following its 42-21 loss to FSU in the title game this past Saturday.  Kutztown finished third and Newberry was fourth rounding out the seminal qualifiers.  UT Permian Basin finished fifth.
 
For opponents of the Blazers in 2025, Albany State was seventh, while West Florida finished ninth.  Johnson C. Smith finished 18^th, while VSU garnered 12 points and Delta State also was among others receiving votes with three points. 
 
The Blazers went 6-4 overall in 2025 as first year head coach Graham Craig led the team to its 11^th Gulf South Conference title and its 21^st berth in the NCAA postseason championship.  Craig earned Gulf South Conference Co-Coach of the Year honors.
 
Conner, a native of Miami, Fla., added to his list of postseason accomplishments as he already earned AFCA and D2CCA Second Team All-America, while earning first team all-conference honors this season.  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.  
 
Mary-Asse, a native of Opa Locka, Fla., earned honorable mention Don Hansen last season helping lead VSU to the program's seventh national championship appearance in 2024.  This season, he earned first team all-league honors for the second-straight season, while he played in eight games and graded out at 89% and had over 40 knockdown blocks.  For his career, he has helped lead VSU to four GSC titles, two appearances in the national title game and four postseason berths, while playing in 39 games. 
 
Robinson, a Columbia, S.C., native, earned second team all-league honors in 2025.  He finished third on the team in  tackles with 52, while registering 30 solo stops.  He had five tackles for loss for 16 yards and 1.5 sacks for seven yards.  Robinson finished with four pass breakups, one hurry, one fumble return and one blocked kick.  Robinson returned a fumble for a score to seal a 45-35 win over then-No. 21 West Alabama on Nov. 1. 
 
For his career, Robinson played in 24 games with 74 total tackles and 52 solo stops.  He had 8.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries, one touchdown, one interception and one block.