Week 4: Jeffrey Overton Jr., Virginia Tech

photo courtesy virginia tech athletics

Virginia Tech running back Jeffrey Overton Jr., who starred at Hayfield Secondary School in Alexandria, has been named the DC Touchdown Club College Player of the Week after posting one of the best rushing performances ever by a Hokies player and lifting the team to victory this past Saturday.

Overton, a sophomore, rushed 25 times for 209 yards, including a decisive 76-yard touchdown run with five minutes left, as the visiting Hokies beat Boston College, 21-14, on a cold and wet afternoon. It was the sixth-highest rushing total for a Virginia Tech player and the most for a Hokies player in a road game in 22 years.

Overton missed last season’s first eight games because of a knee injury. He returned to rush for 146 yards and one touchdown in the season’s final four games. During the offseason, he gained more than 20 pounds and that added strength has brought added speed.

"When I got here, Jeff was 185 pounds," Franklin told reporters after the game. "[Now], he's 207 pounds. So, he's put on that type of weight in a short period of time and hasn't lost a step. And I make the argument he's actually gotten faster."

Overton rushed nine times for 140 yards in the fourth quarter as the Hokies erased a 14-6 deficit. He ran for the game-tying two-point conversion, scored the long touchdown on his next carry and then helped the Hokies run out the clock at the end of the game.

This week’s DC Touchdown Club College Player of the Week Honor Roll:

• Iowa DB Tyler Brown (Spalding) made nine tackles as the Hawkeyes beat Michigan, 20-19.

• Florida LB Aaron Chiles (Good Counsel) made seven tackles with one tackle for loss and forced a fumble as the Gators beat Ole Miss, 52-28.

• Holy Cross WR Lincoln Fisher (Gonzaga) caught seven passes for 105 yards and a touchdown as the Crusaders beat Lafayette, 38-30.

• Bowie State RB Maximus Jones (Old Mill) rushed 23 times for 148 yards and two touchdowns as the Bulldogs beat Elizabeth City State, 34-23.

• Marist QB Sonny Mannino (Tuscarora, Va.) completed 20 of 26 passes for 198 yards and two touchdowns and rushed 15 times for 63 yards and two touchdowns as the Foxes beat Presbyterian, 42-7.

• Navy LB MarcAnthony Parker made 10 tackles and had three sacks as the Midshipmen lost to UAB, 24-20.

• Monmouth QB Frankie Weaver (Good Counsel) completed 33 of 42 passes for 313 yards and two touchdowns as the Hawks rallied to beat Dartmouth, 31-28.

• Alabama LB Caleb Woodson (Battlefield) tied his career-high with 12 tackles as the Crimson Tide beat South Carolina, 49-18.

Week 3: Brodie Carroll, Elon

photo courtesy elon athletics

Elon University linebacker Brodie Carroll, who starred at Battlefield High School in Haymarket, has been named the DC Touchdown Club College Player of the Week after making a career-high 16 tackles with one sack and breaking up two passes as the Phoenix beat Sacred Heart, 24-21.

A 2023 graduate of Battlefield, Carroll began his collegiate career at Shepherd. He redshirted in 2023, but the following season was named the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference East Division Freshman of the Year after making 52 tackles with seven tackles for loss.

Carroll then transferred to Elon and last season was named second-team All-Colonial Athletic Association, leading the Phoenix with 104 tackles. He made 9 ½ tackles for loss.

Elon Coach Tony Trisciani has placed significant responsibility on Carroll this season, calling him the quarterback of the team’s defense.

“He’s always studying the game,” Trisciani recently told the Elon News Network. “He’s going to be prepared and a step ahead.”

Carroll was certainly ready this past Saturday as he posted his fifth consecutive double-digit tackle game against an FCS opponent. After Elon kicked a field goal to take the lead with 1 minute 18 seconds left, Carroll made three tackles and broke up a pass on Sacred Heart’s final six-play possession

It is the second consecutive week that a Battlefield alum won this honor. Alabama linebacker Caleb Woodson was the Touchdown Club’s College Player of the Week last week.

This week’s DC Touchdown Club College Player of the Week Honor Roll:

• Villanova WR Brandon Binkowski (Battlefield) caught six passes for 113 yards as the Wildcats beat Long Island, 20-16.

• Wheeling LB Jalen Higginbotham (Bishop McNamara) made 17 tackles with one sack as the Cardinals beat Fairmont State, 28-24.

• Richmond LB Blake Houser (DeMatha Catholic) made nine tackles with 2 ½ tackles for loss and 1 ½ sacks as the Spiders beat Georgetown, 24-21.

• LSU RB Dilin Jones (Good Counsel) rushed 23 times for 106 yards and one touchdown as the Tigers lost to Ole Miss, 32-24.

• Salisbury DB Dylan Lyerly (Fairfax) made 12 tackles and blocked an extra-point that was returned for a two-point defensive conversion as the Sea Gulls beat Washington & Lee, 43-13.

• Monmouth WR Tra Neal (Frederick) caught five passes for 138 yards and one touchdown as the Hawks beat Albany, 28-20.

• Virginia Tech RB Jeffrey Overton Jr. (Hayfield) rushed 12 times for 49 yards and one touchdown and caught three passes for 63 yards and another score as the Hokies beat Maryland, 35-26.

• Campbell LB Kalen Villanueva (Justice) made 10 tackles with one sack and broke up a pass as the Camels beat North Carolina A&T, 42-14.

Week 2: Caleb Woodson, Alabama

photo courtesy alabama athletics photography

University of Alabama defensive back Caleb Woodson, who starred at Battlefield High School in Haymarket, has been named the DC Touchdown Club College Player of the Week after making a career-high 12 tackles and with two sacks as the Crimson Tide beat Kentucky, 45-17.

Woodson, who transferred from Virginia Tech after last season, had just two sacks in his three seasons with the Hokies. He had only one tackle in Alabama’s season-opening rout of East Carolina, but stepped up this past Saturday in his first-ever SEC game.

“I like coming into hostile environments like that,” Woodson said after the game. “It really gives me the juice and the fuel to go do my thing.”

Woodson has made a strong impression on his new team. During spring practice, Alabama Coach Kalen DeBoer said he considered Woodson “a captain-type guy” with strong leadership skills. The Crimson Tide trailed 17-13 at halftime but delivered a shutout in the second half.

Woodson was named SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Week along with teammate Luke Metz.

This week’s DC Touchdown Club College Player of the Week Honor Roll:

• Tennessee LB Amare Campbell (Unity Reed) made eight tackles with one tackle for loss and broke up two passes as the Volunteers beat Georgia Tech, 45-24.

• Gallaudet QB Jayden DeFalco completed 19 of 37 passes for a career-high 296 yards and three touchdowns as the Bison lost to Anderson University, 49-28. It was the most passing yards by a Gallaudet player in 19 years.

• Tennessee Tech WR Tre Holloway (H.D. Woodson) caught six passes for 124 yards and two touchdowns and returned a punt 76 yards for a touchdown as the Golden Eagles beat Samford, 45-19.

• Lafayette DB Dhonte Jackson (DeMatha Catholic) made a game-high 11 tackles with one tackle for loss and broke up a pass as the Leopards beat Marist, 13-9.

• Shepherd WR Carrington Nickens-Yzer (Centreville) caught 10 passes for 136 yards as the Rams beat Gannon, 45-28.

• Boston College WR Dawson Pough (Tuscarora, Va.) caught four passes for 106 yards and one touchdown as the Eagles beat Rutgers, 28-21.

• Penn State LB Tony Rojas (Fairfax) made seven tackles and intercepted a pass as the Nittany Lions beat Temple, 27-9.

• Maryland QB Malik Washington (Spalding) completed 34 of 41 passes for 347 yards and two touchdowns as the Terrapins beat U-Conn, 38-14.

Week 1: Braxton Woodson, Navy

photo courtesy navy athletics

Navy quarterback Braxton Woodson has been named the DC Touchdown Club College Player of the Week after his career-best performance led the Midshipmen to a season-opening win.

Woodson started one game in each of his first three seasons in Annapolis, but this is clearly his team now. Although he was only 3 of 6 passing for 21 yards, the senior rushed 23 times for a career-high 200 yards and three touchdowns as the Midshipmen beat Towson, 42-15.

“I think it was a really good opening game for us,” Woodson said. “Obviously there is a couple things to clean up on the offensive side of the ball. But if there’s a couple things to clean up and you can score 42 points, that’s not a bad day."

Navy Coach Brian Newberry said that Towson was sagging off the line of scrimmage, inviting the Midshipmen to run the ball. As a team, Navy rushed 73 times for 506 yards, its highest rushing output since 2017.

Woodson started the scoring with a 38-yard touchdown run on Navy’s opening possession and his eight-yard touchdown run made it 28-12 just before halftime. His four-yard touchdown run midway through the fourth quarter finished the scoring.

“I thought he ran the offense well today and made good decisions,” Newberry said. “Braxton’s got a chance to be a really special player for us. There wasn’t really a need to throw the football [though] I’m excited about our ability to do that, too, when we need to do it. We took what they gave us today.”

This week’s DC Touchdown Club College Player of the Week Honor Roll:

• Tennessee DL Xavier Gilliam (Quince Orchard) made six tackles with three sacks and forced a fumble as the Volunteers beat Furman, 56-9.

• Syracuse WR Umari Hatcher (Freedom-Woodbridge) caught eight passes for 147 yards and two touchdowns as the Orange beat New Hampshire, 66-3.

• Richmond LB Blake Houser (DeMatha Catholic) made 12 tackles and broke up a pass as the Spiders beat Howard, 28-21.

• LSU RB Dilin Jones (Good Counsel) rushed 23 times for 113 yards and two touchdowns as the Tigers beat Clemson, 51-10.

• Campbell WR Spencer Jones (Good Counsel) caught seven passes for 126 yards and one touchdown as the Camels beat Western Carolina, 28-19.

• Kansas WR Nik McMillan (Wise) caught six passes for 130 yards and one touchdown as the Jayhawks beat Long Island, 51-6.

• Dickinson CB Ellington Roane (Langley) made eight tackles and broke up three passes as the Red Devils beat Randolph-Macon, 27-14.

• Monmouth QB Frankie Weaver (Good Counsel) completed 26 of 37 passes for 237 yards and three touchdowns, including the game-winner with less than three minutes left, as the Hawks beat Sacred Heart, 31-24..

Week 0: Ja'Shawn Scroggins, Howard

photo courtesy howard athletics

Howard University quarterback Ja’Shawn Scroggins has been named the DC Touchdown Club College Player of the Week after his career-best performance led the Bison to a season-opening win in Coach Ted White’s debut on the sideline.

Scroggins, a graduate student who has played his entire career at Howard, completed 19 of 36 passes for a career-high 315 yards and three touchdowns and rushed 15 times for 49 yards as Howard rallied to beat Alabama A&M, 31-24, in the Cricket MEAC/SWAC Challenge Kickoff on Saturday night in Atlanta.

Trailing 24-23 late in regulation, Scroggins threw a 51-yard touchdown pass to Se’Quan Osborne with 2 minutes 36 seconds left to lift the Bison to victory.

"When we fell behind, there was no panic or anxiety on the sidelines," Scroggins said after the game. "The coaching staff had prepared us, so we just went out and responded.

"On the drive for the win, we just executed what we had been working on. So, it was nothing special, just execution and belief in one another."

This week’s DC Touchdown Club College Player of the Week Honor Roll:

• Morgan State RB Jordan Barnett (Colonial Forge) rushed 12 times for 114 yards and one touchdown as the Bears beat North Carolina A&T, 17-7.

• Rhode Island LB Rohan Davy (St. John’s) made nine tackles as the Rams beat Merrimack, 34-7.

• Albany LB Dillon Dunathan (Damascus) made five tackles with one sack and returned an interception 24 yards as the Great Danes beat New Hampshire, 28-14.

• Alcorn State WR Jamarr Ebron (Carroll) caught six passes for 63 yards and two touchdowns as the Braves beat Miles College, 56-7.

• Richmond LB Blake Houser (DeMatha Catholic) made seven tackles with two tackles for loss and one sack as the Spiders beat Bucknell, 35-14.

• Eastern Michigan QB Noah Kim (Westfield) completed 27 of 38 passes for 279 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for a touchdown as the Eagles beat Sacramento State, 28-17.

• Norfolk State WR Elyjah Mitchell (Gwynn Park) caught two touchdown passes as the Spartans beat Winston-Salem State, 56-0.