DEPTFORD–Rowan senior linebacker Andrew Yezzi and junior defensive end Matt Hoffman were honored at the Touchdown Club of Southern New Jersey’s 42nd Annual Awards Banquet on December 9. Yezzi was presented with the Rowan University Player of the Year Award, while Hoffman was presented with the Person of the Year Award. The players were accompanied by Rowan head coach Jay Accorsi and associate head coach/defensive coordinator Pat Lancetta.
A team captain, Yezzi led the Profs in tackles for the third straight season. In nine games this year, he compiled 78 stops, 32 solo and 46 assisted. Yezzi was also first on the squad with 18 tackles for a loss (-78 yards). He totaled 5.5 sacks (-47 yards), three interceptions, four pass breakups, three forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. In his four-year career, Yezzi was a two-time NJAC All-Conference first-team defense selection (2009 and 2008). He earned All-Conference second team honors in 2007.
Hoffman becomes the first active player to ever receive the Touchdown Club of Southern New Jersey’s Person of the Year Award. On November 16, he donated blood stem cells as part of the National Marrow Donor Program. He was selected as a matching donor to help cure a 52-year-old man suffering from non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Hoffman did not play in Rowan’s season finale against rival The College of New Jersey to make the donation.
On the season, Hoffman registered 42 tackles (20 solo and 22 assisted), 12 tackles for a loss (-49 yards) and a team-high 6.5 sacks (-37 yards). He also blocked a punt. In 2009, he was named to the NJAC All-Conference second team defensive squad after garnering honorable mention honors in 2008. In 22 career games, Hoffman has tallied 91 tackles (45 solo and 46 assisted), 27.5 tackles for a loss (-119 yards), 13.5 sacks (-91 yards), four passes defended, two forced fumbles, two punt blocks and one fumble recovery.