DALLAS – The 2024-25 Conference USA Scholar Athlete of the Year Awards were announced Thursday by the league's Faculty Athletics Representatives with Sam Houston linebacker Jaylen Phillips named the league's winner in football.
It is the second consecutive season a Bearkat has claimed the honor after Trevor Williams claimed the award for the 2023-24 season.
The awards, voted on by the conference's 10 FARs, are presented to the top student-athletes in each conference-sponsored sport based on academic achievement (GPA), athletic achievement and service.
The 17 scholar-athletes were selected from CUSA's full-time and affiliate member institutions across 19 sports (combining indoor and outdoor track & field). WKU led the way with eight honorees, the most since Rice also garnered eight honors in 2020-21.
Phillips joined the Bearkat football program in time for the team's run to the 2020 FCS title and went on to play in 54 total games before concluding his career after the 2024 season. He made 39 total tackles in his career, including 13 TFLs and a pair of sacks.
He has made an even bigger impact off the field as he is on track to graduate with his MBA in the summer of 2025 after already completing his bachelors degree in multi-platform journalism. Phillips was twice named to the Dean's List during his undergraduate years and was named to both the Southland Conference and CUSA Commissioner's honor rolls.
Phillips served as the football SAAC representative for four years, including three on the executive SAAC committee. Additionally he served as CUSA's NCAA SAAC representative for two years, attending sessions at the NCAA headquarters in Indianapolis.
Locally he has mentored local elementary school students and assisted in school-supply drives, along with coordinating events for Black History Month for the Bearkat Athletic Department. He also hosts the student-led Kats Eye Podcast which airs through the Bearkat Sports Network and has assisted Bearkat Athletics in gameday operations in numerous capacities, including play-by-play broadcast and public address.
