STATESBORO – Former South Forsyth football standout Garrett Frye was named the Georgia Southern 2014 Male Scholar Athlete of the Year on Wednesday during the school’s annual University Honors Day Convocation.

Frye, an offensive tackle, holds a cumulative GPA of 3.75. The junior Exercise Science major has been recognized for numerous academic and athletic accomplishments, including but not limited to: FCS ADA Academic All-Star Team Nominee, CoSIDA/Capital One Academic Division I All District and All Southern Conference Second Team Offense.

The 6-foot-4, 290-pounder helped Georgia Southern got 7-4 overall and 4-4 in the program’s final season in the Southern Conference, punctuated by a 26-20 victory at Florida in the season finale. Next season, Frye and the Eagles will officially make the jump to the Football Bowl Subdivision in the Sun Belt Conference.

“Garrett Frye is a consummate competitor, natural leader and tremendous ambassador for our Georgia Southern University football program,” said Eagles head football coach Willie Fritz. “Not only is he an excellent player who has earned respect and admiration of the entire team and coaching staff, he is also highly motivated, extremely dependable and possesses an excellent work ethic.

“While Garrett works hard in the weight room and on the practice fields, it is truly the work that he does off the field and in the classroom that best exemplifies the student portion in the hyphenated student-athlete moniker.”

The criteria for this award requires that each student-athlete must have completed at least four full time terms at Georgia Southern; they must have earned a varsity letter in their respective sports; and they must have earned a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher. The award selection is 50 percent academic, 30 percent athletic and 20 percent leadership and community service. The University Athletics Committee votes to select the award winners.