Ole Miss tight end Evan Engram wins 2016 Conerly Trophy

Ole Miss tight end Evan Engram won the C Spire Conerly Trophy ward Tuesday night as the most outstanding college football player in the state of Mississippi for 2016.

Engram, a senior from Powder Springs, Georgia, beat out nine other finalists: Alcorn State LB Darien Anderson, Belhaven QB Hunter McEachern, Delta State RB Chris Robinson, Jackson State DE/LB Javancy Jones, Millsaps DL Alex Foust, Mississippi College WR/KR Marcel Newson, Mississippi State WR Fred Ross, Mississippi Valley State QB Austin Bray and Southern Miss RB Ito Smith.

Here is Engram’s acceptance speech following the announcement of his award:

With the award, Engram becomes Ole Miss’ seventh winner of the Conerly Trophy, tying the most by any school.

Best tight end in school history

Engram represented Ole Miss in both 2015 and 2016 at the SEC Media Days. (Photo credit: Evelyn VanPelt, The Rebel Walk)

Engram is the best tight end in Ole Miss history, as well as one of the top at his position in the nation. He leads all tight ends in the country with 5.9 receptions per game and 84.2 receiving yards per game. His eight touchdowns are tied for second in the nation among tight ends.

In the Southeastern Conference, Engram is ranked in the top three among players of any position in both yards per game and receptions.

Engram’s stellar career as a Rebel is evidenced by the fact that he holds the Ole Miss records for most catches, yards and touchdowns in a season—and a career—by a tight end. With 2,320 career receiving yards, Engram is the currently the nation’s active leader among tight ends.

In 2016, Engram started 11 games for Ole Miss as a team captain before suffering a hamstring injury in the next-to-last game of the season that caused him to miss the Rebels’ Egg Bowl game vs. Mississippi State. In his 11 games this year, Engram tallied 65 catches for 926 yards.

Ole Miss head coach Hugh Freeze spoke at the ceremony before the Conerly Trophy winner was announced, describing what an outstanding young man Engram is both on and off the field.

Engram joins five additional Rebels with Conerly Trophy

Engram joins five additional Rebels who have won the Conerly Trophy: quarterback Stewart Patridge (1997), running back Deuce McAllister (1999), quarterback Eli Manning (2001 and 2003), linebacker Patrick Willis (2006) and quarterback Bo Wallace (2012).

The Conerly Trophy is named after the late Charlie Conerly who is the only football inductee in the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame who was an All-American at a Mississippi university, an NFL rookie of the year and NFL All-Pro member and quarterbacked a team to a world championship.

Evelyn Van Pelt

Evelyn has covered sports for over two decades, beginning her journalism career as a sports writer for a newspaper in Austin, Texas. She attended Texas A&M and majored in English. Evelyn’s love for Ole Miss began when her daughter Katie attended the university on a volleyball scholarship. Evelyn created the Rebel Walk in 2013 and has served as publisher and managing editor since its inception.