With the season over, yearly awards are due. Here is who won what awards based on their production and seasons in 2025.
**Most Valuable Player:**
**Abraham Lucas –** This should be self explanatory. Lucas was a top 10 right tackle this season and he won the Super Bowl. No other Coug was top of their position nor did they impact their team the way Lucas did. The 2025 NFL season was a rich year for Lucas, both on and off the field. With his three year $46 million dollar deal and the Super Bowl win, Lucas was consistent for the Seahawks on the right side. In the Super Bowl against the Patriots they ran heavily to the right side, largely due to Lucass’ perimeter blocking and his ability to get to the second level of the defense.
**Defensive Player of the Year:**
**Daiyan Henley –** This was a tough choice. Jalen Thompson (Cardinals) and Jaylen Watson (Chiefs) had great years. The difference between them and Henley was how he impacted the Chargers defense. Henley wore the green dot for the Chargers signaling his leadership role for the defense. Henley finished the season with 103 tackles, nearly four and a half sacks and two interceptions. While he was not as good as he was in 2024 when he made the Pro Bowl, he did piece together a nice season overall.
**Rookie of the Year:**
**Cam Ward –** There was only one other rookie in contention for this award: Kyle Williams. Cam Ward did not have as good of a freshman season as he anticipated but he shined like a diamond in the rough at times. Ward threw for over 3,100 yards and had a two-to-one touchdown/interception ratio. At times Ward was electric for the Titans and at other times his weaknesses were evident. Heading into next season, Ward will be looking to capitalize off his freshman season and avoid the sophomore slump.
**Comeback Player of the Year:**
**Abraham Lucas –** While there are tons of Cougs in the NFL, not many came back from injury or a down year. Lucas came back from both after returning from his chronic lingering knee injury. Lucas had surgery in January of 2024 to address the injury but did not return until Week 11 and never really looked like himself. After a long and injury free offseason he came back and dominated at the right tackle position.
**Flops of the Year:**
**Jaden Hicks and Frankie Luvu –** This was a true tie. Hicks went from a starter on a Super Bowl contending team to a special teams player. Luvu went from making second team All Pro to being a cone on defense in coverage. Hicks was taken out of the starting lineup mid-season and never seemed to get his playing time back. The pathway for Hicks to become a starter again starts this offseason and shows the Chiefs defensive coaches he deserves to be a starter again. For Luvu his pass coverage was terrible, he has to find a way to adapt and become better in the open field. While blitzing is his forte he needs to be multi-faceted to earn himself another All Pro honor.
**Coug of the Year:**
**Abraham Lucas –** All season Lucas repped the Cougs, at the Super Bowl parade, after the Super Bowl win and all throughout the season. Lucas has been a huge supporter of the Cougs and has spoken highly of WSU every chance he gets. This makes him the “Coug of the Year.”
Overall, Lucas dominated the awards this year just like he did during the season. The good news for Cougar fans is that a lot of the categories were tough to pick due to the vast talent WSU has in the NFL.