CHARLESTON – Charleston Southern had 12 players earn All-Conference accolades this fall following the conclusion of the regular season, as announced by the league office on Tuesday afternoon. The total number of honorees is the most the Buccaneers have had in a season since they had 13 in 2016. Anthony Paulk was selected as the conference's Defensive Freshman of the Year. In total, the Bucs had four honorees each on the First, Second and Honorable Mention Teams.
 
Paulk missed the 2024 season due to a preseason injury and had a breakout year this fall in his redshirt freshman season. He played in all 12 games, starting in most, and collected 33 tackles to go with 2.5 tackles for loss. He also had a pair of blocked kicks, two forced fumbles, an interception and broke up seven passes. Along with his "of the year" award, he was selected Honorable Mention All-Conference. He becomes the fifth freshman of the year winner from Charleston Southern in school history and first since Cody Cline in 2019.
 
Rashawn Cunningham had a breakout year with the Buccaneers in his redshirt freshman year as well. In his 12 games played he hauled in 33 receptions for 604 yards and seven touchdowns, averaging over 18 yards per catch. He was named OVC/Big South Freshman of the Week twice and Offensive Player of the Week once. His best outing of the year came against UT Martin as he had seven catches for 216 yards and two touchdowns, one of the top performances in school history, conference history and the FCS this season. He was named First-Team All-Conference and was selected as a finalist for the Jerry Rice Award earlier this week.
 
Andrew Threatt moved to right tackle from guard this fall on the offensive line and became one of the top storylines of this season with his continued dominant play. He started in all 12 games for the Bucs at that position and paved the way for an aggressive rushing attack and give time to the Buccaneer quarterbacks in the pocket.
 
Malik McKinzie was another First-Team selection for the Buccaneers. He was one of the most impactful players for the squad in his one season with the program after joining as a transfer from UNC Pembroke. He finished the year with 63 tackles while adding 15 tackles for loss, seven sacks. Additionally, he had two forced fumbles, two pass breakups and five quarterback hurries. The most impactful game of his season came against Eastern Illinois as he had 13 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks and earned OVC/Big South Defensive Player of the Week for the performance.
 
Steve Zayachkowsky was the fourth and final First-Team honoree for the Bucs. He was the conference leader in tackles with 109 on the season and had six games reaching double digits in the statistic. In the game at William & Mary, he collected 19 tackles to tie the OVC / Big South Football Association Record. He added 4.5 tackles for loss, an interception, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery on the year. Additionally, he was named OVC/Big South Defensive Player of the Week twice.
 
David Portu was the first Second Team All-Conference selection for CSU. He started in all 12 games and ended the year with 43 tackles to go with 3.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks.  He batted four passed down and had a forced fumble and fumble recovery. One of the best moments of his season came when he blocked a potential game-winning kick by Eastern Illinois to seal the home win for Charleston Southern.
 
Justin Waters was also named Second Team All-Conference. He ended the year as the nation's leader in forced fumbles with eight on the year, earning national attention all season long. At the end of the season, he had racked up 76 total tackles while adding five tackles for loss and a sack. Additionally, he had an interception and three passes deflected. He collected a career-high 19 tackles at Gardner-Webb earlier this season and earned OVC/Big South Defensive Player of the Week for the feat. Through the first six games of the year, he had punched the ball loose seven times, gaining an elite reputation.
 
Champ Brantley played and started in ten games during his junior season. The league's head coaches named him Second Team All-Conference. He ended the year with 47 tackles to go with 2.5 tackles for loss and a sack. Additionally, he forced a fumble and had a fumble recovery during. One of the biggest plays of his season came in the home win over South Carolina State as he took a fumble for 63 yards to the endzone for his first career touchdown.
 
Knai Cook was the final of the Second Team All-Conference selections from Charleston Southern. He played and started in all 12 games grew to become one of the most feared safeties in the conference. He ended the season with 55 tackles while getting 1.5 tackles for loss, two pass deflections and three forced fumbles. He set a career-high in tackles at Gardner-Webb with 11.
 
Zolten Osborne was named Honorable Mention All-Conference following the fall. In his first fully healthy season since joining the Bucs, he started in all 12 games and went 166-304 on his attempts, throwing for 2216 yards and 12 touchdowns as well as rushing for one. He threw for a career-high four touchdowns at Western Illinois and then set his career-high in passing yards at SEMO with 302 yards. During the Bucs' three-game win streak, he threw for over 250 in each. He was named OVC/Big South Offensive Player of the Week twice.
 
Ke'Marion Baldwin became one of the Bucs' most impactful transfer additions this offseason on the offense. He was the leading rusher for Charleston Southern as he had 159 carries for 778 yards and six touchdowns and added eight receptions for 38 yards. He had three games where he eclipsed 100 yards on the ground with his season-high of 175 yards and three touchdowns coming at Gardner-Webb. He was selected as Honorable Mention All-Conference by the league's head coaches.
 
Another Honorable Mention All-Conference selection, Colin Sorensen continued to anchor down the offensive line this season, starting in all 12 games at left tackle. Last season, he started in 10 contests as a true freshman and has continued to grow and become one of the top offensive linemen in the conference.
 
Charleston Southern finished the 2025 season, the third year under Head Coach Gabe Giardina, with a record of 5-7 and 4-4 against league competition.
 
2025 OVC-BIG SOUTH FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION TEAMS AND AWARD WINNERS

Defensive Freshman of the Year: Anthony Paulk (DB, R-Fr.), Charleston Southern

FIRST-TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE
OFFENSE
WR – Rashawn Cunningham, R-Fr., Charleston Southern
OL – Andrew Threatt, Jr., Charleston Southern

DEFENSE
DL – Malik McKinzie, Sr., Charleston Southern
LB – Steve Zayachkowsky, Jr., Charleston Southern

SECOND-TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE
DEFENSE
DL – David Portu, R-Jr., Charleston Southern
LB – Justin Waters, Sr., Charleston Southern
DB – Champ Brantley, Jr., Charleston Southern
DB – Knai Cook, So., Charleston Southern

HONORABLE MENTION ALL-CONFERENCE
OFFENSE
QB – Zolten Osborne, R-So., Charleston Southern
RB – Ke'Marion Baldwin, R-So., Charleston Southern
OL – Collin Sorensen, So., Charleston Southern

DEFENSE
DB – Anthony Paulk, R-Fr., Charleston Southern