Liberty QB Kaidon Salter has been selected as the Conference USA preseason Offensive Player of the Year while DE CJ Bazile, Jr. has been named the league’s preseason Defensive Player of the Year, the league announced Monday.
Salter is coming off a tremendous 2023 campaign when he was named Conference USA MVP, CUSA Championship Game MVP, and CUSA Michael L. Slive Male Student-Athlete of the Year. He completed 177 of 290 passes for 2,876 yards and 32 touchdowns while rushing the ball 163 times for 1,089 yards and 12 touchdowns. His 44 total touchdowns on the year helped lead the Flames to a perfect 13-0 regular season and earned the program’s first bid to a New Year’s Six bowl game with a Fiesta Bowl appearance. Salter ranked in the top five nationally in rushing touchdowns by a quarterback, passing touchdowns, passing efficiency, yards per completion, and points responsible for per game.
Bazile started all 14 games for the Flames in 2023 at the Joker position, finishing the year with 49 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, and three sacks. Entering his junior season, Bazile is expected to continue his growth for Liberty and helping the team on defense.
The Flames head to Texas this week for CUSA’s annual media day which is scheduled for Tuesday. Next week, training camp begins as Liberty is scheduled to hit the practice field for the first of 24 practices on Wednesday, July 31. The Flames open the season on Saturday, August 31 against Campbell. Kickoff from Williams Stadium in Lynchburg, Virginia is scheduled for 6 p.m.
