Hatters Trio Highlights PFL Academic Team

Donald Payne
Donald Payne, Pioneer Football League All-Conference Team and Academic All-PFL honors

A trio of Stetson University juniors earned first team Academic All-PFL honors for the 2015 season. The trio – defensive back Donald Payne, linebacker David Lazear and defensive end Davion Belk – are all on the team for a second time.

For Payne, the recognition completes a week full of PFL accolades. On Monday he was named the PFL Defensive Player of the Year for the second time and on Tuesday he was named to the PFL first team All-Conference squad for a third consecutive year.

This is Payne’s second straight appearance on the PFL Academic All-Conference first team. Both Lazear and Belk were second team Academic All-Conference picks in 2014. Both earned CoSIDA Academic All-District honors for 2015 and are candidates for the Academic All-America team, which will be announced tomorrow.

David Lazear (51)
David Lazear (51)

Belk is a three-year starter and has been a constant force for the Hatters for his entire career. He has recorded 43 career tackles for loss, including 17.5 sacks, with 190 career tackles. He led the PFL in TFL in 2014, earning second team All-Conference honors. He was an honorable mention all-conference selection this year. Belk serves as a residence hall advisor and was selected as the Stetson University Student-Athlete of the Year in 2014-15 by the Stetson Greek Awards. He worked as an intern with the University Development and Alumni Engagement office last summer. He is a marketing major.

Lazear is a double major in economics and chemistry and a three-year starter who has started every game since Stetson returned to football in 2013. He plans to go to medical school following completion of his dual degree. He has recorded 160 career tackles, including 17.5 for loss with eight sacks. He also has seven pass breakups and two fumble recoveries in his career.

Payne is a finance major who was a near unanimous All-America selection in 2014 including first team honors from the Walter Camp Football Foundation. He led all Division I defenders this year with 7.2 solo tackles per game during the regular season, helping him to finish 11th in total tackles (11.4 per game). He also ranked among the top 20 in Division I in passes defended (14th, 1.3 pg) and tackles for loss (19th, 1.5 pg). He was chosen to FCS ADA Academic All-Star team in 2014 in addition to being a finalist for Buck Buchanan Award. He was a finalist for the 2013 Jerry Rice Award. During his career he has been credited with 424 total tackles, including 256 solo stops, over three seasons.

Belk Davion (56)
Belk Davion (56)

It is the second year the PFL has recognized its top student-athletes, both on the field and in the classroom, with the Scholar-Athlete of the Year award. It also is the second year there were two honorees due to a tie in the voting.

In addition, seven student-athletes appear as first-team honorees for a second consecutive year: Beaschler, Shiltz, Payne, Davidson senior offensive lineman Josh Daryoush, Dayton senior wide receiver Cory Stuart, Butler senior tight end Zach Wolfe and Morehead State junior punter Pat DiSalvo.

The Academic All-PFL teams are a complement to the Capital One Academic All-America® program presented by the College Sports Information Directors of America. Eleven PFL student-athletes were named to their respective Capital One Academic All-District Teams® this fall. The 2015 Capital One Academic All-America Teams® will be announced Thursday.

Pioneer Football League athletic directors established the Academic All-PFL squads in 1993 as a way to recognize the league’s outstanding student-athletes. To be eligible for Academic All-PFL consideration, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative grade-point average of 3.30 on a scale of 4.00 and reached their second season both athletically and academically at his current institution.

GOHATTERS.COM