COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Daniel Rickert and Tim Coutras put up a lot of highlight reel plays over the course of the 2024 campaign. It's only fitting that the defensive duo also picked up two of Tennessee Tech's top football honors as Rickert was named the winner of the Robert Hill Johnson Award and Coutras the Tony Stone Bumble Bee DB Award.

 

Among the team's other year-end awards, D.J. Linkins was named the winner of the Bill Dupes Inspiration Award, Jordan Yates the winner of the Sonny Allen Leadership Award, Aidan Littles the winner of the Josh Poplar Tech Pride Award, Donnell Wilson the winner of the Frank Omiyale Block Award, Wyatt Watson the winner of the Unsung Hero Award and Hunter Barnhart the Academic Award.

 

The Robert Hill Johnson Award stands as Tech Football's highest honor, as selected by its players, and is one of the longest-standing honors in the NCAA. The award is named for Robert Hill Johnson, a native of Sparta, Tenn., who was a student and assistant football coach at Tennessee Polytechnic Institute when he was killed in an auto accident in 1952 at the age of 22.

 

The son of Mr. and Mrs. A.E. Johnson, he attended White County High School and was a standout in football for one season. He then transferred to the Baylor School in Chattanooga, where he earned three letters. He enrolled at the University of Alabama, but a shoulder injury ended his playing career. In the fall of 1951, Johnson became a student at TPI, where he also coached offensive and defensive ends.

 

After just one season in Cookeville, Johnson was killed instantly when his car crashed into a concrete bridge railing at Cripple Creek, about seven miles east of Murfreesboro on U.S. Highway 70. The Tech Oracle student newspaper rallied for an honor in Johnson's name and the award began, presented every season since.

 

Rickert, a Nolensville product, had some huge games. He finished the season with 37 total tackles – 16 solo and 21 assisted – with seven sacks for 33 yards, 11 tackles-for-loss for 52 yards. He forced two fumbles and recovered one for a 50-yard touchdown at Gardner-Webb. Rickert also broke up two passes and blocked a kick.

 

Against UT Martin, he had nine tackles with 3.5 sacks for 18 yards, four TFL for 21 yards, a forced fumble and a breakup to be named both the Big South-OVC Defensive Player of the Week and the Stats Perform FCS National Defensive Player of the Week.

 

Rickert was also a first-team All-Big South/Ohio Valley Conference selection.

 

The Tony Stone Bumble Bee DB Award is named after the former Tech offensive lineman and linebacker who lettered in 1957 and 1958, who returned as the secondary coach in 1967. His players earned the nickname "Bumble Bees" for their aggressive and hard-hitting style of play. His 1972 unit led the country in interceptions with 30.

 

Coutras, also a first-team All-Big South/OVC selection, improved on his first campaign, recording 59 total tackles – 46 solo and 13 assists – with three TFL for 12 yards. He forced two fumbles, while picking off three passes and breaking up eight. He had seven tackles twice, including at Western Illinois and at Samford.

 

The Dupes Award is named after the former Tech three-year starter who earned all-OVC honors and an Associated Press Little All-American honorable mention selection, before starting a 44-year coaching career that included an OVC Coach of the Year honor at Austin Peay.

 

Linkins led the Golden Eagles in receiving, catching 49 passes for 631 yards – an average of 12.9 yards per catch – while hauling in three touchdowns. He finished the season third in all-purpose yardage. He was also listed on PhilSteele.com's Big South-OVC teams.

 

The Sonny Allen Leadership Award is named after Tech Hall of Famer Leonard "Sonny" Allen, a Golden Eagle safety/halfback from 1951 to 1954 who helped Tech win OVC titles in 1952 and 1953 as well as a berth in the Tangerine Bowl – the forerunner of the Citrus Bowl.

 

Yates was a versatile force for the Golden Eagles as he ran for 243 yards and four touchdowns, completed four of seven passes for 70 yards, and caught 14 passes for 92 yards and a touchdown, while also returning 14 punts for 80 yards.

 

The Josh Poplar Tech Pride Award was named after the Golden Eagle linebacker who had a successful career at Tech and was in the running for the Mayo Clinic Comeback Player of the Year after a stroke before fall camp revealed a heart condition. He overcame that and finished his Golden Eagle career as one of the program's top linebackers and was a popular leader among the ranks. An excellent student as well, Poplar was an OVC Scholar-Athlete Award winner.

 

Littles was the Golden Eagles No. 2 rusher on the season as he collected 389 yards on 63 carries, averaging 6.2 yards per carry. He also had three touchdowns on the season. He had a breakout game at Gardner-Webb as he rushed for 118 yards and a touchdown, averaging 11.8 yards per carry in the victory over the defending Big South-OVC champs. He also had 98 yards and a score against Lindenwood.

 

The Frank Omiyale Block Award is named after the Tech offensive lineman who had a successful career in Cookeville blocking some of the Golden Eagles' top quarterbacks in the early 2000s before being selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the 2005 NFL Draft and had a long eight-year tenure in the league for the Carolina Panthers, the Chicago Bears and the Seattle Seahawks.

 

Wilson, a transfer from Coastal Carolina, garnered the attention of several pro football scouts throughout the season. Wilson played every game this season and helped the offense collect 3,930 yards with 31 total touchdowns.

 

The Unsung Hero Award recognizes players who may not have seen a lot of attention but made an incredible impact on the team in many ways. Watson, a redshirt sophomore wide receiver from Clermont, Fla.  Watson appeared in two games, but was a force in practice and helped lead his Golden Eagle teammates to success.

 

The Academic Award is exactly what it states, recognizing the team's top GPA. For the second-straight season, Barnhart was the recipient, posting a 3.84 cumulative GPA. He finished the season with six catches for 65 yards and a touchdown and earned his second selection to the Football Championship Subdivision Athletic Directors Association Academic All-Star Team.