By Justin Jarrett
LowcoSports.com
Irv Mulligan was leading the Southwestern Athletic Conference when he injured his ankle last October against Alabama State last October, and the former Whale Branch Early College High School star missed spring practice, fall camp, and the first two games of the season while working his way back to full strength.
It took a few games for Jackson State’s Mulligan to hit full speed, but once he did, no one has been able to stop the train.
On Wednesday, Mulligan was named one of 10 finalists for the Urban Edge Network’s inaugural HBCU+ National Player of the Year award, which will be presented to the outstanding player from 21 Historically Black Colleges and Universities in FCS college football.
Earlier in the week, Mulligan was among the 35 finalists announced for the Walter Payton Award, which goes to the national offensive player of the year in NCAA Division I FCS college football.
Mulligan eased his way back into action with limited carries in a reserve role in his first two games this fall, then reclaimed his starting spot in the backfield and became the Tigers’ workhorse during an eight-game win streak that propelled JSU to a 10-2 record and a spot in the SWAC championship game.
With five games of 100-plus rushing yards, Mulligan leads the SWAC with 1,052 rushing yards and is the league’s only 1,000-yard rusher and only the 13th player in JSU history to reach that mark. He ranks seventh in the nation in yards per carry (6.74), ninth in rushing yards per game (105.8), and 21st in rushing yards (1,052) – all conference-leading numbers.
Mulligan and the Tigers, including freshman defensive back KJ Chisholm, a fellow Whale Branch alum, will face Southern in the SWAC title game at 2 p.m. Saturday on ESPN2.
