ALRINGTON, Texas (September 28, 2026) – The University of North Alabama football team continues to rake in weekly awards from the United Athletic Conference, as the league announced two Lions as award winners Monday.
Redshirt junior defensive edge rusher Avery Howard collected the UAC Defensive Player of the Week award following a three-sack performance last Saturday, while redshirt freshman wide receiver Xavier Johnson won the UAC Freshman of the Week award for the fourth time this season.
Both players were instrumental in UNA's thrilling 23-20 win over Western Illinois at Bobby Wallace Field at Bank Independent Stadium this past Saturday. The game was decided on the final play, as a fumbled snap at the goal line allowed UNA to finish off a fourth-quarter comeback.
For Howard, this marks the first weekly award of his career.
Meanwhile, Johnson becomes the first freshman in UNA history to win four UAC Freshman of the Week awards this early in the season. The Lions still have seven regular season games remaining.
Howard finished with six tackles against the Leathernecks, including three sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss. The three sacks tie UNA's Division I school record last set by Brady Owensby in 2019 vs. Gardner-Webb. Howard also has six sacks this season, which sets the new single-season Division I record last set at five by four other players. He ranks third in FCS for sacks and tackles for loss.
In Saturday's game, Howard also racked up five quarterback hurries, two pass breakups and a forced fumble.
Johnson, meanwhile, caught six passes for 121 yards to mark his third time in five games with over 100 receiving yards. He has three of the top five single-game receiving performances in the UAC this season.
Johnson leads all FCS players in receiving yards for a third straight week, hauling in 593 yards over five games to average 118.6 yards per game. He also ranks 15th nationally in all-purpose yards and second in the UAC with 138.0 per game.
Austin Peay's Chris Parson was the UAC Offensive Player of the Week, while West Florida's Michael Shine was the UAC Specialist of the Week.
The Lions begin UAC play this coming Saturday with a trip to Eastern Kentucky. Opening kick is set for 5 p.m. CT in Richmond, Ky.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
