RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. — Following second-ranked Harding's 46-16 rout of No. 15 Henderson State in a top-15 clash of unbeatens, quarterback Malik Young and defensive back Connor Dean have been named the Great American Conference Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week, the league office announced Monday afternoon.
The sweep gives Harding (7-0, 7-0 GAC) six GAC Player of the Week awards through the first seven weeks of the 2026 season. Young and Dean join previous Bison honorees Dean Roberts (Special Teams, Week 1), Jeff Regan (Special Teams, Week 2), Andrew Miller (Offensive, Week 4), and Kaleb Walker (Defensive, Week 4).
Young, a fifth-year from Memphis, Tennessee, produced a record-shattering afternoon at First Security Stadium to collect his first career conference weekly award. Operating Harding's flexbone attack with lethal precision, Young rushed 18 times for a career-high 214 yards (11.9 yards per carry) and two touchdowns while orchestrating an offense that piled up 433 rushing yards and six touchdowns against Henderson State's top-rated defense.
In doing so, Young broke his own Harding single-game quarterback rushing record of 162 yards—which he established in the season opener against Northwestern Oklahoma State—and became the first quarterback in the 75-season history of Harding football to surpass 200 yards on the ground in a single game. Young opened the scoring on the game's opening possession with an explosive 50-yard touchdown sprint untouched up the middle, added a 67-yard run on the next drive to set up an 8-yard touchdown run by Andrew Miller, and punctuated the victory with a 4-yard touchdown plunge with 5:04 remaining.
Through the air, Young completed 2-of-4 passes for 38 yards, with both completions converting high-leverage fourth downs to sustain Bison touchdown drives. He connected with Ben Boehm for 26 yards on a fourth-and-7 early in the second quarter, and later delivered a 12-yard strike to Brady Barnett on another fourth-and-7 to set up a Josh Strickland, Jr. touchdown run.
Dean, a third-year from Frisco, Texas, turned in a dominant, game-changing performance across both defense and special teams to claim his first career GAC Defensive Player of the Week honor.
Dean made the definitive special teams play of the afternoon late in the second quarter. Coming completely untouched off the left edge, Dean blocked a Pierce Rogers punt through the back of the end zone for a safety with 1:54 remaining before halftime, giving Harding a 29-8 cushion. It marked Harding's first blocked punt resulting in a safety since Will Fitzhugh accomplished the feat against Arkansas-Monticello in 2021.
Dean then slammed the door on any Henderson State comeback hopes in the fourth quarter. Clinging to a 39-16 lead after HSU scored early in the final frame, Dean snared two interceptions off Reddie quarterback Jordan Walker on back-to-back drives. His first pick came with 5:43 remaining, which he returned 17 yards down to the HSU 8-yard line to set up Young's final touchdown run. Dean intercepted Walker again on the Reddies' ensuing possession at the Harding 7-yard line with 1:46 left to ice the contest. Dean finished the afternoon with three tackles, a blocked punt, a safety, and two interceptions.
No. 2 Harding travels to Monticello, Arkansas, this Saturday, Oct. 24, to take on Great American Conference foe Arkansas-Monticello at Willis "Convoy" Leslie Cotton Bowl Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.
