North Dakota State, James Madison Headline STATS FCS Preseason All-Americans
(STATS) – Samford quarterback Devlin Hodges would surely like to direct the offense of the STATS FCS Preseason All-America Team.
Facing the All-America defense is another story.
The stellar preseason All-America team announced Tuesday goes three squads deep and features 98 players from 56 schools across all 13 FCS conference plus independent North Dakota.
Included were seven first-team selections who earned the same postseason honor last year: Lehigh running back Dom Bragalone, Stony Brook fullback Cal Daniels, wide receivers Keelan Doss of UC Davis and Nathan Stewart of Sam Houston State, Nicholls place-kicker Lorran Fonseca, Southeastern Louisiana kickoff returner Juwan Petit-Frere and Harvard punt returner Justice Shelton-Mosley.
Southern Utah junior center Zach Larsen (58)/ courtesy of Southern Utah athletics
Doss, the third-place finisher in last season’s Walter Payton Award voting, was one of 15 players from the Big Sky Conference named to the All-American lists. Of those 15, four earned preseason first-team All-American honors. Portland State junior tight end Charlie Taumoepeau, Southern Utah junior center Zach Larsen and Weber State senior offensive lineman Iosua Opeta joined Doss.
Of the 15 preseason All-Americans from the Big Sky, only second-team All-American pick Deion Harris of recently departed league member North Dakota (the Fighting Hawks will play eight Big Sky games this season), along third-team linebackers Idaho senior Kaden Ellis, Weber State senior LeGrand Toia and third-team senior safety Mister Harriel of Sacramento State play defense.
Cal Poly senior fullback Joe Protheroe was a second-team All-American pick on offense while Weber sophomore placekicker Trey Tuttle and UND running back/return man John Santiago (all-purpose player) earned second-team honors as well. Eastern Washington senior quarterback Gage Gubrud, Northern Arizona senior wide receiver Emmanuel Butler, UC Davis junior tight end Wesley Preece and Weber State kick returner Rashid Shaheed were third-team All-American picks.
Hodges, the two-time offensive player of the year in the Southern Conference, also is at the forefront of the first team. He enters his senior season with 11,005 career yards of total offense, which puts him on pace to finish second in FCS history.
He wouldn’t have to do it alone with the All-America team. Last year, Bragalone led the nation in rushing yards (1,388) and touchdowns (22), while Doss ranked No. 1 in receptions (115) and Stewart was first in receiving yards (1,648).
Seniors comprised last year’s first-team defense, but moving up from the second team to this year’s preseason first team are defensive linemen Ahmad Gooden of Samford and Chris Terrell of Central Arkansas, linebackers Warren Messer of Elon and Christian Rozeboom of South Dakota State, and defensive back Robbie Grimsley of North Dakota State, the reigning FCS national champion
The Missouri Valley Football Conference gained the most All-America selections with 16, the Big Sky Conference was second with 15 and CAA Football was third with 14. Among schools, North Dakota State led the way with seven selections, FCS runner-up James Madison boasted five, and Sam Houston State, Weber State and Youngstown State had four each.
2018 STATS FCS PRESEASON ALL-AMERICA TEAM=
FIRST TEAM
OFFENSE
QB – Devlin Hodges, senior, 6-1, 205, Samford
RB – Bruce Anderson, senior, 5-11, 216, North Dakota State
RB – Dom Bragalone, senior, 5-11, 230, Lehigh
FB – Cal Daniels, senior, 6-2, 255, Stony Brook
WR – Keelan Doss, senior, 6-3, 210, UC Davis
WR – Neil O’Connor, senior, 5-11, 190, New Hampshire
WR – Nathan Stewart, junior, 5-11, 175, Sam Houston State
TE – Charlie Taumoepeau, junior, 6-3, 240, Portland State
OL – Larry Allen III, senior, 6-4, 285, Harvard
OL – B.J. Autry, senior, 6-5, 340, Jacksonville State
OL – Ethan Greenidge, senior, 6-4, 335, Villanova
OL – Zach Larsen, junior, 6-1, 300, Southern Utah
OL – Iosua Opeta, senior, 6-4, 295, Weber State
DEFENSE
DL – Miles Brown, senior, 6-2, 320, Wofford
DL – Ahmad Gooden, senior, 6-1, 240, Samford
DL – Khalen Saunders, senior, 6-2, 310, Western Illinois
DL – Chris Terrell, junior, 6-3, 266, Central Arkansas
LB – Bryson Armstrong, sophomore, 5-11, 205, Kennesaw State
LB – Josh Buss, senior, 6-2, 220, Montana
LB – Warren Messer, senior, 5-11, 230, Elon
LB – Christian Rozeboom, junior, 6-2, 230, South Dakota State
DB – Nasir Adderley, senior, 6-0, 190, Delaware
DB – Marlon Bridges, junior, 6-0, 200, Jacksonville State
DB – Robbie Grimsley, senior, 6-0, 191, North Dakota State
DB – Rashad Robinson, senior, 5-11, 182, James Madison
SPECIAL TEAMS
PK – Lorran Fonseca, senior, 5-11, 185, Nicholls
P – Alex Pechin, senior, 6-0, 185, Bucknell
LS – Chris Wilkerson, grad, 6-2, 245, Stephen F. Austin
KR – Juwan Petit-Frere, junior, 5-7, 170, Southeastern Louisiana
PR – Justice Shelton-Mosley, senior, 5-10, 195, Harvard
AP – Davion Davis, senior, 5-11, 180, Sam Houston State
SECOND TEAM
OFFENSE
QB – Easton Stick, senior, 6-2, 221, North Dakota State
RB – Zane Dudek, sophomore, 5-9, 190, Yale
RB – Tevin McCaster, senior, 5-10, 195, Youngstown State
FB – Joe Protheroe, senior, 6-0, 230, Cal Poly
WR – Jesper Horsted, senior, 6-4, 215, Princeton
WR – Kamron Lewis, senior, 6-4, 195, Saint Francis
WR – Kelvin McKnight, senior, 5-9, 188, Samford
TE – Lawayne Ross, junior, 6-0, 264, McNeese
OL – Daniel Cooney, senior, 6-8, 315, San Diego
OL – Tyler Davis, senior, 6-1, 279, The Citadel
OL – Noah Johnson, junior, 6-4, 300, Idaho
OL – Tanner Volson, senior, 6-4, 301, North Dakota State
OL – Mitchell Watanabe, senior, 6-4, 330, Sam Houston State
DEFENSE
DL – Andrew Clyde, senior, 6-3, 275, Richmond
DL – Darin Greenfield, junior, 6-3, 235, South Dakota
DL – Greg Menard, senior, 6-2, 238, North Dakota State
DL – Jaison Williams, junior, 6-1, 225, Austin Peay
LB – De’Arius Christmas, senior, 5-10, 220, Grambling State
LB – Thomas Costigan, senior, 6-3, 230, Bryant
LB – Nick Miller, senior, 5-11, 215, Penn
LB – Troy Reeder, senior, 6-2, 245, Delaware
DB – Deion Harris, senior, 6-3, 200, North Dakota
DB – Davanta Reynolds, senior, 5-10, 200, North Carolina Central
DB – Rob Rolle, senior, 6-0, 185, Villanova
DB – Marvin Tillman, senior, 6-1, 190, Western Carolina
SPECIAL TEAMS
PK – Trey Tuttle, sophomore, 5-9, 190, Weber State
P – Ian Berryman, senior, 6-0, 205, Western Carolina
LS – Daniel Caracciolo, sophomore, 5-11, 215, James Madison
KR – Jean Constant, junior, 5-9, 168, Bryant
PR – D’Angelo Amos, junior, 6-1, 182, James Madison
AP – Chandler Burks, senior, 5-10, 187, Kennesaw State
AP – John Santiago, senior, 5-9, 180, North Dakota
THIRD TEAM
OFFENSE
QB – Gage Gubrud, senior, 6-2, 205, Eastern Washington
RB – A.J. Hines, junior, 5-11, 225, Duquesne
RB – Marquis Terry, senior, 5-6, 179, Southeast Missouri State
FB – Andre Stoddard, senior, 5-10, 230, Wofford
WR – Dejon Brissett, senior, 6-2, 190, Richmond
WR – Emmanuel Butler, senior, 6-4, 220, Northern Arizona
WR – Nehari Crawford, senior, 5-11, 170, Duquesne
WR – Reggie White Jr., senior, 6-3, 210, Monmouth
TE – Wes Preece, junior, 6-5, 240, UC Davis
OL – Chandler Arceneaux, senior, 6-5, 295, Nicholls
OL – C.J. Collins, senior, 6-3, 256, Kennesaw State
OL – Jahee Jackson, junior, 6-3, 295, James Madison
OL – Zack Johnson, junior, 6-6, 312, North Dakota State
OL – Zach Weeks, senior, 6-3, 285, Western Carolina
OL – Gavin Wiggins, senior, 6-4, 300, Youngstown State
DEFENSE
DL – Darryl Johnson Jr., junior, 6-5, 226, North Carolina A&T
DL – Ricky Neal, senior, 6-1, 241, Northern Iowa
DL – Aaron Patrick, junior, 6-4, 236, Eastern Kentucky
DL – Chris Stewart, senior, 6-2, 270, Sam Houston State
DL – Nick Wheeler, junior, 6-2, 245, Colgate
LB – Jabril Cox, sophomore, 6-3, 227, North Dakota State
LB – Armand Dellovade, senior, 6-0, 215, Youngstown State
LB – Kaden Elliss, senior, 6-3, 222, Idaho
LB – Gunnar Scholato, senior, 6-3, 234, Austin Peay
LB – LeGrand Toia, senior, 6-2, 215, Weber State
DB – Jordan Brown, senior, 6-1, 195, South Dakota State
DB – Mister Harriel, senior, 6-1, 200, Sacramento State
DB – Franklin McCain, sophomore, 5-11, 175, North Carolina A&T
DB – Jimmy Moreland, senior, 5-11, 172, James Madison
SPECIAL TEAMS
PK – Marc Orozco, senior, 5-9, 170, Grambling State
P – Jamie Gillan, senior, 6-2, 195, Arkansas-Pine Bluff
LS – Steven Wethli, senior, 6-0, 230, Youngstown State
KR – Rashid Shaheed, sophomore, 6-0, 170, Weber State
PR – Jaquan Brooks, junior, 5-10, 175, Campbell
AP – John Lovett, senior, 6-3, 225, Princeton
