Brandon Haywood left his mark at Rockmart High School. Now he has left his mark in the South Atlantic Conference.

Haywood, a senior quarterback at Carson-Newman, was named the SAC co-Offensive Player of the Year. Haywood is sharing the honor with Wingate wide receiver Chris Bowden. The duo was selected by league coaches on Tuesday.

“The quarterback in our offense makes so many decisions,” said Carson-Newman head football coach Ken Sparks in a story posted on Carson-Newman’s web site. “He’s done a tremendous job with it. But the best thing about Brandon is that the other kids have seen his struggles and battle to get better. They’ve seen his desire to be a team player regardless of whether he plays one play or all the plays. The character part is what makes Brandon a special person.”

Haywood was one of the nation’s top dual-threat quarterbacks in 2012, amassing 958 passing yards and 837 rushing yards during the regular season for the Eagles, who earned a selection to the NCAA Division II Football Championship after going 8-2 overall. Haywood led the conference with 14 rushing touchdowns and added seven more through the air.

The league also announced that Mars Hill defensive lineman Troy Harris and Catawba linebacker Cory Johnson were picked as the co-Defensive Players of the Year.

Lenoir-Rhyne’s Demetrius Green, a Cedartown High graduate, made the All SAC defensive unit. Last year Green was the SAC Defensive Player of the Year.

Haywood and Carson-Newman have received a first round bye in the playoffs, but could face off against Green and his Lenoir-Rhyne teammates in round two.

Lenoir-Rhyne plays Fort Valley State this Saturday. The winner of that game will play Haywood and Carson-Newman on Saturday, Nov. 24 in Jefferson City, Tenn.