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David Silverman Photography
David Silverman Photography
Posted: Apr 14, 2021

Nna named NEC Defensive Rookie of the Year

SOMERSET, N.J. – Bryant University football redshirt freshman Chidi Nna was named the Northeast Conference Defensive Rookie of the Year and four others earn All-NEC honors Wednesday afternoon.

Nna becomes the program's third Defensive Rookie of the Year, while Daniel Adeboboye, Jack Daly, Joe Andreessen and Andre Brackett all earned first team honors. Brackett was named to the All-NEC team as both a defensive back and as a return specialist.

A key piece to Bryant's league-leading defense, Nna posted 11 tackles, 2.0 TFLs and a half sack in four games. He made six tackles in the season-opener at LIU and posted 1.5 TFLs in Bryant's win at Merrimack. Nna helped Bryant's defense lead the league in scoring defense (14.5), total defense (231.0) and rushing defense (122.5). Bryant allowed just 13.0 first downs per game.

Adeboboye joins a long list of Bryant greats to earn All-NEC First Team honors as a running back after averaging 111.2 yards per game. He rushed for 445 yards and two touchdowns on 76 carries, finishing the year with 5.9 yards per carry. Adeboboye eclipsed the 100-yard mark twice, rushing for 141 yards at Merrimack and a career-high 178 yards in the season finale against Duquesne.

Daly teamed up with Nna to form one of the best defensive lines in the NEC. He posted 15.0 tackles, 2.5 sacks and 3.5 TFLs on the year. Daly posted 5.0 tackles and 1.5 sacks vs Wagner and then closed the year with 6.0 tackles against Duquesne. He helped the Black and Gold lead the league with 11.0 sacks.

Andreessen missed Bryant's final two games of the spring but led the NEC with 12.5 tackles per game. He tied Bryant's single-game program record with 17.0 tackles at LIU. Andreessen also had 4.5 TFLs and a forced fumble in the game. He followed that up with 8.0 tackles and 3.0 TFLs against Merrimack.

Brackett proved to be one of the best shutdown corners in the NEC again this spring. He finished the year with 10 tackles and helped Bryant limit opponents to just 108 yards passing per game. Brackett also excelled in the return game, averaging 40 yards per return on the year.