To start our LWOS Awards for the National Arena League (NAL), we are announcing our Most Valuable Player (MVP) award. With that said, Jacksonville Sharks Wide Receiver Devin Wilson is named LWOS NAL Offensive Player of the Year.
Devin Wilson Named LWOS NAL MVP
The decision to choose Wilson as the MVP was a tough one. The tough decision was made due to how Wilson did with adversity as well as history in the NAL. Wilson returned to Jacksonville from the 2017 season and instantly picked up where he left off from his championship season. That year, he didn’t play much, but he still played well. Last year, he went to the Maine Mammoths and became their top-receiver and was named 1st Team All-NAL. This year, he is our NAL Offensive Player of the Year.
While Wilson also broke Durron Neal’s record for the most receiving yards in a season, he couldn’t quite keep up with Jolly in the race. He did, however, find his way to have 102 receptions for 1,179 yards, and 29 touchdowns.
Record-Breaking Season
Wilson put up these incredible numbers this season, but he set an NAL record this year. He set the record for the most consecutive active games with at least one touchdown reception. The last regular-season game put him at 17, as the previous record was held by Massachusetts Pirates Wide Receiver Mardy Gilyard with 16. While doing all of that, he also had to fight other factors in the game of football, such as teammates missing games due to an injury. One player that stands out the most is Sharks Quarterback Jonathan Bane.
Not only did Devin Wilson break the record for the most active games in a row with a touchdown reception, but he is also the very first receiver in NAL history to break 1,000 receiving yards in back-to-back seasons. He had 1,035 yards last season in Maine and then racked up 1,179 yards this season in Jacksonville. The MVP award goes to the best player in the league, and the NAL would definitely not be the same without Wilson.
Adversity Strikes, Wilson Strikes Back!
It’s not like Wilson put up these incredible numbers with one quarterback. The Sharks had a total of three different quarterbacks taking snaps throughout the season. With Bane’s injuries, Wilson had to build chemistry with backup QB Mike Fafaul in a short period of time. Wilson and Fafaul overcame the odds and still dominated the field on just about every single drive. Even with Bane’s absence, Fafaul was still able to get Wilson the ball for numerous touchdowns, keeping him right at or near the top of the league all season long. The third quarterback that saw the field for the Sharks this season is Garry Chouloute. Chouloute didn’t see much playing time, but he was still in the huddle on a handful of plays.
Special Teams Adds to Résumé
Wilson’s efforts aren’t just on offense either. He plays a crucial roll in special teams: Longsnapper. Not many people can snap the ball and be spot-on at the same time on field goals and extra points. Wilson has taken over the snapping duties all season long and has not had a single bad snap all season long. All snaps this season have been where they needed to be and in a timely manner for the holder to get the ball down for the kicker to kick. This just adds to why Wilson is worthy of earning the league MVP award.
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