11 Flames were named to Phil Steele’s 2019 Postseason All-Independent first or second team, while seven were named to the first team. Liberty had the second most total honorees and first teamers of the six FBS Independents, trailing only Notre Dame who had 16 total honorees, 11 on the first team. Liberty also had the only two freshmen to make the first team.
Receiving Independent All-Conference First-Team honors from Liberty were RB Frankie Hickson, WR Antonio Gandy-Golden, OL Dontae Duff, DL Jessie Lemonier, DL TreShaun Clark, DB Elijah Benton, and KR Shedro Louis.
On the second team from Liberty were QB Buckshot Calvert, RB Joshua Mack, LB Solomon Ajayi, and K Alex Probert.
Hickson became the first Liberty running back to rush for 1,000 yards in consecutive seasons since Rashad Jennings and he finished his career as the program’s all-time leader in all-purpose yards with 4,494. AGG finished 4th nationally with 1,396 receiving yards. Dontae Duff concludes his Liberty career as a stalwart on the offensive line, finishing his career with 47 consecutive starts. Lemonier finished 2019 with 10.5 sacks, as he amassed 20.5 sacks in his two years with the Flames, third most in the country over the past two seasons. Benton finished his senior season with 85 tackles, second on the team, while leading the team with 15 pass breakups and deflections.
Louis and Clark are the only two freshmen to make Phil Steele’s Independent First-Team. Notre Dame’s Kyle Hamilton was the only other freshman to make either first or second team, as he was named a second team defensive back. Louis had 662 kick return yards and 1 touchdown. His 27.6 yard per return average was good for 13th best in the country. Clark made a huge impact on the Liberty defense as a true freshman, finishing the year with 39 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks. He was second on the team to only Lemonier in both TFLs and sacks.
Calvert improved considerably in his senior season, as his interceptions dropped from 18 as a junior to 7 in 2019. His 3,663 passing yards pushed him over 12,000 for his career. Joshua Mack surpasses 1,000 all-purpose yards on the season, with 1,006 as he split time with Hickson in the backfield. Ajayi led Liberty with 93 tackles on the season while also adding 5 tackles for loss and 5 QB hurries. Probert led the team in scoring with 89 points, as he made 13-of-19 field goals and 50-of-53 PATs.
