LEXINGTON, Va. – Recognizing that the VMI football program fielded its best team in years, national college football analyst Phil Steele named several Keydets to postseason All-Southern Conference honors Wednesday.
 
Steele tabbed VMI running back Alex Ramsey as the SoCon Offensive Player of the Year and head coach Scott Wachenheim as the SoCon Coach of the Year.
 
Ramsey and sophomore wide receiver Jakob Herres were named to Steele's First Team Offense while junior quarterback Reece Udinski and freshman receiver Leroy Thomas were named to the Second Team Offense.  Senior receiver Javeon Lara and lineman Josh Andre were selected to Steele's Third Team Offense.
 
On the defensive side, junior safety A.J. Smith was named to the First Team Defense while senior defensive lineman Jarrod Richmond and senior linebacker Elliott Brewster were named to the Second Team Defense.
 
One of the top kick returners in all of FCS, Korey Bridy was named to Steele's First Team Special Teams and long snapper Robert Soderholdm was picked to be a Second Team All-Special Teams member.
 
The Keydets earned a 5-7 record on the year, a major improvement in the trajectory of the program considering VMI had claimed just one victory in 2018 and zero in 2017. It was also the most wins for the football program since 2003 when the Keydets earned six wins. The turnaround earned Wachenheim the 2019 Southern Conference Coach of the Year honors and a three-year extension to his contract.
 
Other notable team accomplishments included the Keydets defeating The Citadel for the first time since 2002 to reclaim the Silver Shako as VMI took down the Bulldogs in Charleston for the first time since 1995. With four SoCon wins on the year, the Keydets also earned their most league victories in 40 years as VMI last claimed four SoCon wins in 1979. When VMI defeated Samford on October 12, the program received national recognition by receiving AP Top 25 votes, the first time that had happened since 2002.
 
Ramsey, who showed a lot of potential in 2018, broke loose in 2019 and ran all over the field breaking several VMI records along the way. He finished with 1,326 net rushing yards for the season, marking the first time a Keydet running back had gone for more than 1,000 yards since Tim Maypray accomplished the feat in 2008. His 22 rushing touchdowns for the season is a new school record for a single season, smashing the former record of 17 held by Thomas Haskins in 1995.
 
A First Team All-Southern Conference honoree, Ramsey had six games rushing for more than 100 yards, including four weeks in a row and six out of seven weeks in the middle portion of the schedule. He earned a new school record six touchdowns against Samford on October 12 and was subsequently named the national STATS FCS Offensive Player of the Week. Named to the Walter Payton Watch List near the end of the season recognizing the top offensive player in all of FCS football, the Salem, Virginia native was named an All-American by four separate publications: Hero Sports (Third Team), Associated Press (Second Team), STATS (Second Team) and the American Football Coaches Association (Second Team).

For Phil Steele's full listing of his All-Southern Conference teams, visit:
https://vmikeydets.com/documents/2020/1/8//Phil_Steele_All_SoCon_2019.pdf 
 
For Phil Steele's full directory of FCS All-Conference teams, visit:
https://philsteele.com/2020/01/07/2019-phil-steeles-fcs-postseason-all-conf-teams/
 
1st Team Offense                                                           
RB - Alex Ramsey                                                                     
WR - Jakob Herres
 
2nd Team Offense                         
QB - Reece Udinski                                   
WR - Leroy Thomas                                   
 
3rd Team Offense
WR - Javeon Lara
OL - Josh Andre
 
1st Team Defense
CB - A.J. Smith
 
2nd Team Defense
DL - Jarrod Richmond
LB - Elliott Brewster
 
1st Team Special Teams
KR - Korey Bridy
 
2nd Team Special Teams
LS - Robert Soderholm