Junior kick return specialist Therral Hatfield (Jefferson, La./Louisiana-Lafayette) took all-newcomer honors after leading both ISU and the Gateway Football Conference with 38 kickoff returns for 906 yards, an average of 23.8 yards per return. The 38 returns and the 906 yards are both ISU single-season records. His longest return was a 76-yarder against Tennessee-Martin. In conference play he had a long return of 41 versus UNI, and at Western Kentucky, Hatfield averaged 26.2 yards per return on six attempts.

Sophomore offensive lineman Fred Staugh (Flower Mound, Texas/Colorado) also received all-newcomer team status following a campaign in which he started 11 games at right guard. Staugh was a lead blocker for an ISU team which set the single-season school record for passing yards with 2,307. The Sycamores averaged 131 rushing yards and 340.7 yards of total offense per game. Staugh blocked for Jake Shields and Sidney Montfort against Tennessee-Martin as they became the first tandem to rush for 100 yards in a single game since 1992.

Junior linebacker Orlando "Doc" Gooden (East St. Louis, Mo./Missouri) followed up his second team all-conference honors earlier this week by taking all-newcomer honors today. Gooden led the Sycamores and finished third in the Gateway with 106 total tackles, an average of 9.6 stops per game. He recorded three tackles for loss and recovered two fumbles for ISU -- both in his own end zone which stopped opponent's scoring drives. One recovery came in a double overtime victory over Illinois State which stopped the Redbirds at the one-yard line while the other came at Western Illinois as Gooden recovered a fumble deep in the end zone and returned the ball to mid-field. Gooden forced two fumbles, broke up a pass, recorded an interception and had five double-digit tackle outings, including a season-best 16 tackles at Youngstown State.

ISU final honoree was junior linebacker LaDrelle Bryant (Muncie, Ind./Garden City C.C.) who also was an All-Gateway Honorable Mention selection. Bryant finished second on the team with 101 total tackles, an average of 9.2 tackles per game. He led ISU with 58 solo stops and was the team's leader with 10.5 tackles for loss. Bryant recovered two fumbles and forced three more while blocking two punts during the season, one of which resulted in a touchdown. He recorded five double-digit tackle outings and notched a season-best 12 tackles on three separate occasions.

For the first fourth-straight year, the Gateway's Freshman of the Year is a quarterback, while a Southern Illinois running back has claimed the league's newcomer honor for the second time in three seasons. RB Brandon Jacobs is the third Saluki to earn the league's Newcomer of the Year honor, while QB Eric Sanders is the second Panther to earn the league's six-year-old Freshman of the Year honor.

Gateway coaches, sports information directors and a media panel selected the team. The top 11 vote-getters on offense and defense were named.