Mississippi's Engram wins Conerly Trophy

CLARKSDALE, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi tight end Evan Engram won the Conerly Trophy on Tuesday night.

The 6-foot-3, 235-pound senior joins a group of winners that include current and former NFL stars like Dak Prescott, Eli Manning, Patrick Willis and Deuce McAllister. The Conerly, which is sponsored by C Spire Wireless, has been given annually to Mississippi's top college football player since 1996.

"Just to be mentioned in the same sentence as those guys is amazing," said Engram, who was presented the Conerly at Clarksdale Country Club. "For a Georgia guy to come over here to Mississippi and have this kind of success, I'm very blessed."

Engram, from Powder Springs, Georgia, is the first tight end to win the award. He is currently second in the Southeastern Conference with 926 yards receiving and caught 65 passes, including eight for touchdowns.

The award caps a stellar college career. Engram is the Ole Miss season and career leader for a tight end in catches, yards receiving and touchdowns. He is also the nation's active leader among tight ends with 2,320 yards receiving in his career.

"I definitely bring a different kind of skill set as far as a tight end," Engram said. "My coaches have done a great job of finding mismatches, creating problems for the defense and finding ways to get me involved."

Engram beat out a group of three other finalists, including Mississippi State receiver Fred Ross, Southern Miss running back Ito Smith and Jackson State defensive lineman Javancy Jones.

Ross caught an SEC-leading 12 touchdowns. Smith led the Golden Eagles with 1,321 yards rushing and 15 touchdowns. Jones led Jackson State with 82 tackles, including 19½ for a loss.

Prescott — now the starting quarterback for the NFL's Dallas Cowboys — won the Conerly the previous two seasons.

An Ole Miss player won the Conerly for the seventh time, which is tied with Mississippi State for the most winners.