Five USF football players were awarded with all-conference honors on Tuesday morning, matching last season’s total. 

The awards are given to the top players in the American Athletic Conference, and are voted on by AAC coaches. 

Graduate wide receiver Sean Atkins continued his historic USF career, earning conference honors for the second straight season. 

Atkins was one of three players named as All-Conference selections, alongside senior punter Andrew Stokes and senior defensive tackle Decarius Hawthorne.

Atkins – who was named to the All-Conference Third Team – is USF’s leading receiver this season with 68 receptions for 677 yards and two touchdowns. 

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Last season, Atkins was named to the All-Conference Second Team. He broke several single-season program records, racking up 92 receptions for 1,054 yards and seven touchdowns. 

Despite the drop in production, he became the second receiver in program history to reach 2,000 career yards against Rice on Saturday. His 189 career receptions are the most in USF history. 

Stokes earned USF’s only first-team honors. The 31-year old Australia native was also announced as a Ray Guy Award semifinalist, awarded to the top punter in the country. 

Stokes’s 7,920 career punting yards are the third-most in USF history. He set the program record for punts landing inside the 20-yard line, with 70. 

Hawthorne earned All-Conference Second Team honors in his first year at USF. 

Hawthorne made 38 total tackles, including 9.5 tackles for loss. He also recorded 2.5 sacks and a forced fumble. 

He emerged as the Bulls’ premier interior defender after the sudden retirement of defensive tackle Rashad Cheney in October. Cheney was an All-AAC honorable mention last season. 

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Hawthorne played four seasons at FAU before transferring last offseason. 

Two Bulls earned All-Conference honorable mentions – graduate running back Kelley Joiner and senior defensive tackle Bernard Gooden. 

Joiner’s final season at USF was one to remember. 

After only recording just over 1,400 yards in his first five seasons, Joiner had a career-best year with 766 yards and 11 touchdowns. He led the Bulls in both categories. 

Joiner’s 2,178 career rushing yards are now sixth all-time in program history. 

Gooden recorded 31 tackles, nine tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks in his first season at USF. Gooden was sidelined during the 2023 season after transferring from Wake Forest due to NCAA rules. 

USF will play San Jose State in the Hawaii Bowl at 8 p.m. Dec. 24.