Fort Scott's Jasmin Hopkins and Navarro's Brad Graham Named 2009 NJCAA Football Players of the Year
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Dec. 17, 2009) - This season's NJCAA football rushing leader and a top tackler have been selected as the 2009 NJCAA Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year.
Fort Scott Community College (Kan.) sophomore running back Jasmin Hopkins has been awarded the offensive honors, while Navarro College (Texas) linebacker Brad Graham receives the defensive award.
The 2009 season marks the 20th consecutive year that the NJCAA Football Coaches Association has selected a player of the year. Since 2000, an award has been given to both an offensive and defensive player.
Jasmin Hopkins
Running Back (5-9, 185 lbs.)
Fort Scott Community College (Kan.)
A native of Stanley, N.C., Hopkins posted the second-most rushing yards by an NJCAA running back in 10 years while helping guide the Fort Scott Greyhounds to their first Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference title in 35 years and their first Region 6 title ever. The Greyhounds played in the NJCAA Football Championship Game this season for the first time in over 35 years where they fell in final seconds 31-26 to Blinn College (Texas).
Hopkins led the NJCAA in rushing yards with 1,931, which is the second-best mark by a player since Lackawanna College (Pa.) running back Alan Jones rushed for 2,069 yards in 2000. Jocques Crawford of Cisco College (Texas) rushed for 1,935 yards in 2007 and won that season's Offensive Player of the Year honor.
Hopkins also led in the nation in rushing yards per game with 160.9 and his 16 rushing touchdowns tied for fifth. His 102 points from 17 total touchdowns ranked eighth in the NJCAA in scoring while his 1,931 rushing yards ranked 15th in total offense.
He also earned Offensive Player of the Year honors from the KJCCC, leading the league in rushing yards, all-purpose yards, scoring and touchdowns scored.
Hopkins averaged over 25 rushing attempts per game and gained over 100 yards in 11 straight contests this year, including four games where he eclipsed 200 yards. His best performance came on Sept. 19 against Garden City (Kan.) when he had 267 yards on 35 carries and two touchdowns.
In the national title game against Blinn, Hopkins accounted for 188 yards on 35 carries.
For his career at Fort Scott, Hopkins totaled 3,158 rushing yards, which ranks second in school history.
Hopkins has yet to decide where he will continue his education and football career, but is being recruited by Arkansas State, Southern Mississippi and many others according to JC Football.com.
Brad Graham
Linebacker (6-3, 230 lbs.)
Navarro College (Texas)
Graham, a native of Katy, Texas, was the Defensive Player of the Year in the Southwest JC Football Conference while leading Navarro College (Texas) to its second consecutive regular season league title. The Bulldogs also spent two weeks at the No. 1 post in the NJCAA / JC Football.com Poll. Navarro advanced to the C.H.A.M.P.S. Heart of Texas Bowl where the defeated Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College 37-26.
For the season, Graham tallied 96 tackles (62 solo, 34 assisted), 13 tackles for loss, one sack and three forced fumbles. He also had four interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown.
Graham is the third consecutive player from the SWJCFC to take home Player of the Year honors. Last year, Blinn's Terrance Cain won the offensive award - as did Cisco's Jocques Crawford in 2007. He is the first Navarro player to ever receive the award.
The Texas native signed a Letter of Intent with North Texas on Dec. 16th,
Previous NJCAA Players of the Year Selections
Year Player Pos. College, State
1990
John Kaleo QB Montgomery College, Md.
1991
Kalin Hall RB Dixie State College of Utah
1992
Russell Evans QB Northwest Mississippi Community College
1993
Roger Cook QB Dixie State College of Utah
1994
Chris Windsor QB Garden City Community College, Kan.
1995
Fred Taylor QB Hinds Community College, Miss.
1996
Rodrick Johnson RB Dixie State College of Utah
1997
Frank Murphy RB Garden City Community College, Kan.
1998
Terrance Williams RB Hinds Community College, Miss.
1999
Rudi Johnson RB Butler County Community College, Kan.
2000
Marc Dunn QB Ricks College, Idaho
Dustin Looman DL Rochester Community & Technical College, Minn.
2001
Rashad Armstrong RB Mesa Community College, Ariz.
Randy Jackson DE Georgia Military College
2002
Kelvin Hayden WR Joliet Junior College, Ill.
Jamaal Jackson DB Northwest Mississippi Community College
2003
Emmanuel Marc RB Hudson Valley Community College, N.Y.
Larry Kendrick DB Pearl River Community College, Miss.
2004
Jimmy Oliver QB Pearl River Community College, Miss.
Mickey Pimental LB Pima Community College, Ariz.
2005
Jimmy Oliver QB Pearl River Community College, Miss.
Jonathon Batson FS Cisco Junior College, Texas
2006
Cade Cooper QB Snow College, Utah
Austin Panter LB Butler Community College, Kan.
2007
Jocques Crawford RB Cisco Junior College, Texas
Markus White DE Butler Community College, Kan.
2008
Terrance Cain QB Blinn College, Texas.
Eugene Kinlaw DL Hutchinson Community College, Kan.
2009
Jasmin Hopkins RB Fort Scott Community College, Kan.
Brad Graham LB Navarro College, Texas