Believe it or not we are already at the halfway point of another fantastic season in the European League of football. 

With Week 8 coming up this weekend let’s take a look at some of the standout players so far this season and hand out some hypothetical hardware for the mid-season awards. Today we’ll be focusing on the biggest awards of all including "Defensive Player of the Year", "Offensive Player of the Year", and of course the covetted "MVP" trophy.

 

Defensive Player of the Year

LB AJ Wentland - Wroclaw Panthers

Wentland has always been a star in this league, however this year his play has undeniably taken another jump forward as the american veteran leads the league with 93 tackles, while also racking up game changing plays with 3.5 sacks, 9 tackles for a loss, along with a interception, a blocked kick, and a forced fumble.
 

Other candidates:

DE Kyle Kitchens - Berlin Thunder (8 sacks, 14 TFLs, 31 total tackles)

DB Ja’len Embry - Madrid Bravos ( 4 interceptions, 1 TD, 22 total tackles)

DB Benjamin Straight - Vienna Vikings (4 interceptions, 1 TD, 37 total tackles)

 

Offensive player of the year

QB Reilly Hennessey - Stuttgart Surge

Hennessey has the Surge sitting at 5-0 as they seem to be one of the top contenders for the 2024 title game. The veteran passer has done a great job spreading out the ball to a cast of talented receivers.

Hennessey has been a model of efficiency throwing for 1,291 yards and 17 touchdowns, while throwing only one interception. The Stuttgart quarterback also leads the league in completion percentage with an impressive 71%, while adding another 111 yards and a touchdown on the ground. 

 

Other candidates

QB Jakeb Sullivan - Berlin Thunder (1,697 passing yards & 17 touchdowns)

QB Zach Edwards - Paris Musketeers (1,198 passing yards and 19 total touchdowns)

WR Markell Castle - Frankfurt Galaxy (39 receptions, 625 yards and 3 touchdowns)

RB Tobias Bonatti - Raiders Tirol (660 yards & 9 touchdowns)

Most Valuable Player

RB Glen Toonga - Rhein Fire

While Toonga is hardly the only familiar face on this list, his sustained greatness in the league is a testament to his talent and work ethic. The veteran British running back is the league’s all time leading rusher and touchdown scorer.

This year for the Rhein Fire he’s been the reason for their impressive 5-1 record as coach Jim Tomsula has leaned heavily on his trusted tail back. The 29-year old has responded by putting up 974 yards and 16 touchdowns at the halfway point of the season, putting  Toonga in historic territory as he threatens to break rushing records set by Madre London in 2021.
 

Other candidates:

QB Reilly Hennessey - Stuttgart Surge

QB Jakeb Sullivan - Berlin Thunder

LB AJ Wentland - Wroclaw Panthers

QB Zach Edwards - Paris Musketeers

QB Ben Holmes - Vienna Vikings