Pronounced SHY
2020 - All-Sun Belt Conference Honorable Mention
2020 - All-Sun Belt Conference Fourth Team (Phil Steele)
2020 - Wuerffel Trophy Finalist
2019 - All-Sun Belt Conference Honorable Mention
2018 - All-Sun Belt Conference Honorable Mention
2018 - All-Sun Belt Second Team (Pro Football Focus)
2018 - Bart Starr MVP Raycom Media Camellia Bowl
2017 - All-Sun Belt Conference Honorable Mention
2019-20 - Sun Belt Conference Commissioner’s List
2018-19 - Sun Belt Conference Academic Honor Roll
2017-18 - Sun Belt Conference Academic Honor Roll
2016-17 - Sun Belt Conference Academic Honor Roll
2020-21: Played in and started 11 games … Saw action on 6658 offensive snaps … An honorable mention All-Sun Belt Conference selection by the league … Named fourth-team all-conference by Phil Steele … A finalist for the Wuerffel Trophy … Completed 80 of 133 passes with eight touchdowns against six interceptions … Led the team with 720 yards on the ground and 11 rushing touchdowns … Got his fourth season-opening start when he started against Campbell … Ran for 155 yards, including a 41-yard touchdown, while throwing for 53 yards and a score against the Camels … Threw for a career-high 255 yards and a score while rushing for 32 yards at Louisiana … Had 34 yards rushing at ULM … Threw for three touchdowns and ran for another against UMass … Completed 12 of 17 passes for 127 yards and ran for 76 yards on 13 carries … Rushed for 36 yards and threw for 94 against Coastal Carolina … Threw two interceptions … Threw for 95 yards and ran for 91 yards against South Alabama … Had one interception … Completed 12 of 13 passes for 85 yards and ran for 50 yards and the game-winning score against Troy … His 92.3 completion percentage ranks as the second highest in school history (minimum 10 attempts) … Rushed 21 times for 120 yards and three touchdowns against Texas State … Became the Sun Belt Conference’s all-time leading rusher for quarterbacks early in the game … Completed 6-of-9 passes for 51 yards in the game … Had two touchdown passes at Army West Point … Completed 6 of 7 passes for 80 yards before leaving in the fourth quarter with a shoulder injury … Completed four passes for 67 yards and ran for 57 yards at Georgia State … Scored on a 7-yard run in the second quarter … Became the fourth member of the 3k-3k Club at Georgia Southern in that game … Missed the Florida Atlantic and App State games with a shoulder injury … Returned to play against Louisiana Tech in the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl … Named the game’s MVP after accounting for four touchdowns … Ran for 71 yards and three touchdowns … Also threw for 126 yards and a score … The passing touchdown gave him 34 for his career, tying Tracy Ham for the school’s career record … Made the Honor Roll in the fall.
2019-20: Played in and started 11 games, seeing action on 694 offensive plays … An honorable mention All-Sun Belt honoree … Completed 67 of 127 passes for 799 yards and nine touchdowns against just one interception … Ran the ball 171 times for 733 net yards and five touchdowns … Got the start in the opener at No. 6 LSU, but his day was cut short after suffering a right shoulder injury early on … Played just 17 snaps … Had six rushes and three passing attempts in his brief appearance … Missed the Maine and Minnesota games with a right shoulder injury … Returned for the Louisiana game … Rushed for 93 yards and threw for 37 in the game, playing all 70 offensive plays … Rushed for 102 yards at South Alabama … Also had 79 yards passing in the win … Ran for 48 yards and also threw two touchdowns in overtime against Coastal Carolina … Ran the ball eight times for 67 yards against New Mexico State … Ran for 83 yards, including a 55-yard touchdown, against No. 20 Appalachian State … Threw for 181 yards and three touchdowns against Troy … Also carried the ball 22 times for 55 yards in the game … Threw for 80 yards and a touchdown and ran for 53 yards and two scores against ULM … Tallied 333 yards of total offense and accounted for four touchdowns at Arkansas State … Passed for 175 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 158 yards and a score … Had 15 carries for 55 yards and a score against Georgia State … Also completed seven passes for 73 yards … Completed 9 of 19 passes for 95 yards against Liberty in the Cure Bowl … Suffered his first interception since 2017 with a pick in the first half … Also ran for 57 yards … Made the Honor Roll in the fall … Made the President’s List in the spring for a perfect 4.00 GPA … Named to the 2019-20 Sun Belt Conference Commissioner’s List for maintaining a 3.50 GPA or higher.
2018-19: Played in and started all 13 games … An honorable mention All-Sun Belt honoree … Also earned second-team all-conference honors from Pro Football Focus … Named the Bart Starr MVP of the 2018 Raycom Media Camellia Bowl … Was on the field for 759 of 774 offensive snaps … Set a pair of school records with his passing and was the only starting quarterback in the FBS not to throw an interception on the season … Broke the school record for most passes thrown in a season without an interception (116) and set a new school record for consecutive passes without an interception (118) that he will take into his junior year … Carried the ball 182 times for 908 net yards and a team-high 15 touchdowns … Had a long rush of 47 yards … Completed 69-of-116 passes for 987 yards and 10 touchdowns … Had a long pass of 61 yards … Also had a 40-yard punt … Ran for a season-high 163 yards and three touchdowns in the opener against South Carolina State … Threw for 154 yards and two scores against UMass … Ran for 113 yards and a score against Arkansas State … Had two rushing scores and a passing touchdown against South Alabama … Had a 57-yard touchdown pass and ran for 129 yards and a score against No. 25 Appalachian State, earning Sun Belt Conference Offensive Player of the Week for his performance … Threw for 190 yards and two scores against Troy … Threw for 105 yards and two scores and ran for 75 yards and a touchdown at Georgia State … Had 79 yards rushing, including a 29-yard run on 4th-and-10 on the final drive of the game, and two touchdowns in the bowl win over Eastern Michigan … Made the Honor Roll in the fall and spring for posting above a 3.0 GPA … Named to the 2018-19 Sun Belt Conference Academic Honor Roll for maintaining a 3.00-3.49 GPA.
2017-18: Played in and started 11 games … An honorable mention All-Sun Belt selection … Was on the field for 694 offensive snaps … Finished his freshman year with 929 passing yards, a new school record for freshman quarterbacks, passing Hall of Famer Tracy Ham’s freshman mark for passing yards with 886 yards in 1983 … Finished with 1,486 yards of total offense (929 pass, 722 rush), setting a new freshman record for total offense in a season by a quarterback with 1,651 yards, passing Kevin Ellison’s mark of 1,642 yards (886 run, 756 pass) set in 2013 … Threw seven touchdowns against five interceptions … Had a season-high 122 rushing yards against New Hampshire … Longest rush of season was of 42 yards, coming against New Hampshire … Had a season-high 160 passing yards against Arkansas State … Longest pass of season was 63 yards against Indiana … Threw a season-high two touchdowns against Indiana … Missed the UMass game with an injury … Against Coastal Carolina in the finale, became the first FBS player to lead his team in passing (57), rushing (108) and receiving (30) yards in a game since Tennessee’s Joshua Dobbs (83-136-58) did it against Florida in 2015 … Made the Dean’s List in the spring … Named to the 2017-18 Sun Belt Conference Academic Honor Roll for maintaining a 3.00-3.49 GPA.
2016-17: Dressed for most of the games, serving as a top backup at quarterback … Did not play in any games, taking a redshirt … Member of the Honor Roll for fall 2016 and spring 2017 … Named to the Sun Belt Conference’s Academic Honor Roll for maintaining a 3.0-3.49 GPA for the year.
HIGH SCHOOL: Played at Newberry High for Coach Phil Strickland … The 2015 HSSR-SCHSL Division I AA Offensive Player of the Year … Named to The State’s All-Midlands football team as an honorable mention selection … Ranked as the No. 37 dual threat quarterback in the country and the No. 37 player in his state by 247Sports … Rated as the No. 60 dual threat quarterback in the country and the No. 33 player in the state of South Carolina by ESPN Recruiting Nation … Played in the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas … Had more than 6,000 total yards and 73 touchdowns in his career … Rushed for 1,308 yards and threw for 1,204 yards and 32 total touchdowns as a senior … Ran for 126 yards and passed for 106 more in his final prep contest, a state championship game defeat … A three-time all-region selection … Named to the all-academic team.
PERSONAL: Born Yafari Shaikir Werts on October 19 in Clinton, SC … Son of Shona Watts and Forrest Werts … Goes by “Shai” … Is second cousins with San Diego Padres pitcher Carl Edwards Jr.
MAJOR: Sport Management (graduated)
