Behind yet another first-team All-America nod for Eastern Washington wide receiver Cooper Kupp, the Big Sky landed eight players on the STATS FCS preseason All-America team released Wednesday.
Kupp, the reigning FCS Offensive Player of the Year, already holds 18 EWU, eight Big Sky Conference and seven FCS records as he enters his senior season. As a junior, Kupp became the Big Sky’s all-time leader in catches, yards and touchdowns by hauling in 114 passes for 1,642 yards and 19 scores.
“I’d be shocked if you could show me a better receiver at any level in the country,” Eastern Washington coach Beau Baldwin said.
Kupp and North Dakota running back John Santiago — selected to the first team as an all-purpose player — were the lone first-team selections from the Big Sky Conference. No Big Sky players earned recognition on the first-team defense.
Montana defensive end Caleb Kidder, a Helena native who was a first-team All-Big Sky selection at defensive tackle as a junior, headlined four Big Sky players selected to the second team. Mike Needham, a first-team All-Big Sky outside linebacker as a sophomore for Southern Utah last fall, joined Kidder on the second-team defense.
Northern Arizona quarterback Case Cookus, last season’s FCS Freshman of the Year, was the second-team quarterback and Emmanuel Butler, Cookus’ 6-foot-3, 230-pound deep threat, was a second-team selection at wide receiver. Ellis Onic, who scored two special teams touchdowns last season for Northern Colorado, was the second-team selection as a punt returner.
Portland State senior Xavier Coleman earned third-team recognition for the Vikings, the only Big Sky team to earn a seed in the FCS playoffs last season.
Among FCS conferences, the Missouri Valley had the most All-America selections with 16. CAA Football (13) and the Southern Conference (11) also reached double figures.
The Big Sky and the Ohio Valley each had eight, the Southland had seven, Big South and Patriot League had six each, Mid-Eastern Athletic with five, Ivy League, Northeast and Southwestern Athletic with four each, and Pioneer League had three. Coastal Carolina, which is transitioning to the FBS as an FCS independent, also had three All-Americans.
—
STATS FCS PRESEASON ALL-AMERICA TEAM
FIRST TEAM
OFFENSE
QB – Eli Jenkins, senior, 6-2, 205, Jacksonville State
RB – Chase Edmonds, junior, 5-9, 196, Fordham
RB – Kade Harrington, senior, 5-9, 190, Lamar
FB – Tyler Renew, senior, 5-11, 217, The Citadel
WR – Cooper Kupp, senior, 6-2, 210, Eastern Washington
WR – Jake Wieneke, junior, 6-4, 210, South Dakota State
TE – Eric Saubert, senior, 6-4, 242, Drake
OL – Erik Austell, junior, 6-3, 285, Charleston Southern
OL – Julie’n Davenport, senior, 6-7, 315, Bucknell
OL – Casey Dunn, senior, 6-3, 285, Jacksonville State
OL – Zack Johnson, senior, 6-4, 329, North Dakota State
OL – Corey Levin, senior, 6-5, 305, Chattanooga
DEFENSE
DL – Keionta Davis, senior, 6-4, 260, Chattanooga
DL – P.J. Hall, junior, 6-1, 280, Sam Houston State
DL – Derek Rivers, senior, 6-5, 255, Youngstown State
DL – Karter Schult, senior, 6-2, 265, Northern Iowa
LB – Andrew Ankrah, junior, 6-4, 234, James Madison
LB – Dylan Cole, senior, 6-1, 236, Missouri State
LB – Nick DeLuca, senior, 6-3, 245, North Dakota State
LB – Christian Kuntz, senior, 6-1, 220, Duquesne
DB – Casey DeAndrade, senior, 5-11, 212, New Hampshire
DB – Dee Delaney, junior, 6-1, 191, The Citadel
DB – David Jones, senior, 6-1, 187, Richmond
DB – Donald Payne, senior, 6-1, 217, Stetson
SPECIAL TEAMS
PK – Nick Dorka, junior, 6-0, 180, William & Mary
P – Chris Fraser, senior, 6-2, 211, Cornell
LS – Joshua Appel, senior, 6-2, 250, Indiana State
KR – Willie Quinn, graduate, 5-5, 145, Southern
PR – Khris Gardin, junior, 5-7, 158, North Carolina A&T
AP – John Santiago, sophomore, 5-9, 170, North Dakota
—
SECOND TEAM
OFFENSE
QB – Case Cookus, sophomore, 6-4, 200, Northern Arizona
RB – Kendell Anderson, senior, 5-9, 200, William & Mary
RB – Tarik Cohen, senior, 5-6, 173, North Carolina A&T
RB – De’Angelo Henderson, senior, 5-8, 205, Coastal Carolina
FB – Joe Protheroe, junior, 6-0, 225, Cal Poly
WR – Josh Barge, senior, 6-1, 178, Jacksonville State
WR – Emmanuel Butler, junior, 6-3, 210, Northern Arizona
WR – Justin Watson, junior, 6-3, 210, Penn
TE – Dallas Goedert, junior, 6-5, 245, South Dakota State
OL – Mitch Kirsch, senior, 6-6, 300, James Madison
OL – Javarius Leamon, senior, 6-7, 310, South Carolina State
OL – Brandon Parker, junior, 6-7, 279, North Carolina A&T
OL – Mark Spelman, senior, 6-3, 280, Illinois State
OL – Anton Wahrby, senior, 6-5, 300, Wofford
DEFENSE
DL – Pat Afriyie, junior, 6-2, 235, Colgate
DL – Anthony Ellis, junior, 6-1, 245, Charleston Southern
DL – Caleb Kidder, senior, 6-5, 275, Montana
DL – Tanoh Kpassagnon, senior, 6-7, 275, Villanova
DL – Greg Menard, junior, 6-2, 240, North Dakota State
LB – Kourtney Berry, senior, 6-0, 215, Alabama State
LB – Omar Howard, senior, 6-0, 231, Richmond
LB – Mike Needham, junior, 6-4, 210, Southern Utah
LB – Folarin Orimolade, senior, 5-11, 240, Dartmouth
LB – James Rentz, senior, 6-2, 245, Sacred Heart
DB – LeRoy Alexander, senior, 6-0, 195, Youngstown State
DB – Mike Basile, junior, 6-1, 200, Monmouth
DB – Trey Robinson, senior, 6-1, 212, Furman
DB – Tremon Smith, junior, 6-0, 185, Central Arkansas
SPECIAL TEAMS
PK – Lance Geesey, senior, 5-10, 180, Saint Francis
P – Keith Wrzuszczak, junior, 5-11, 194, Eastern Kentucky
LS – Joseph Smith, senior, 6-3, 200, Charleston Southern
KR – Lorenzo Jerome, senior, 6-0, 195, Saint Francis
PR – Ellis Onic II, junior, 5-6, 163, Northern Colorado
AP – Darius Hammond, senior, 5-10, 192, Charleston Southern
—
THIRD TEAM
OFFENSE
QB – KD Humphries, senior, 6-3, 225, Murray State
RB – Corey Avery, junior, 5-10, 190, Sam Houston State
RB – Derrick Craine, senior, 5-10, 205, Chattanooga
RB – Darius Victor, senior, 5-8, 227, Towson
FB – Lorenzo Long, senior, 5-9, 210, Wofford
WR – Brian Brown, senior, 6-1, 198, Richmond
WR – Brendan Flaherty, senior, 6-2, 200, Holy Cross
WR – Anthony Warrum, senior, 6-2, 190, Illinois State
TE – Phazahn Odom, graduate, 6-8, 245, Fordham
OL – Kyle Avaloy, senior, 6-5, 330, Illinois State
OL – Armando Bonheur, senior, 6-3, 300, Samford
OL – Sam Ekwonike, senior, 6-2, 350, Coastal Carolina
OL – Justin Lea, junior, 6-4, 295, Jacksonville State
OL – Timon Parris, junior, 6-5, 310, Stony Brook
OL – Bret Treadway, senior, 6-3, 280, Lamar
DEFENSE
DL – Isaiah Golden, junior, 6-2, 335, McNeese State
DL – Javancy Jones, senior, 6-2, 230, Jackson State
DL – Ebenezer Ogundeko, junior, 6-3, 255, Tennessee State
DL – Patrick Ricard, senior, 6-3, 285, Maine
LB – Sam Denmark, junior, 6-1, 230, Abilene Christian
LB – Chad Geter, graduate, 6-2, 253, Gardner-Webb
LB – Darius Leonard, junior, 6-3, 200, South Carolina State
LB – Nakevion Neslie, senior, 5-11, 220, Chattanooga
LB – Brett Taylor, junior, 6-2, 230, Western Illinois
DB – Jamerson Blount, senior, 6-0, 180, Samford
DB – Xavier Coleman, senior, 5-11, 190, Portland State
DB – Jihaad Pretlow, senior, 5-11, 195, Fordham
DB – Taylor Reynolds, senior, 6-0, 190, James Madison
SPECIAL TEAMS
PK – Zak Kennedy, sophomore, 6-0, 160, Youngstown State
P – Alex Knight, senior, 6-1, 199, Southeast Missouri
LS – James Fisher, junior, 6-2, 212, North Dakota State
KR – Devin Brown, senior, 5-8, 170, Coastal Carolina
PR – Christian Searles, junior, 5-9, 178, Dayton
AP – Martez Carter, junior, 5-8, 175, Grambling State
AP – Justice Shelton-Mosley, sophomore, 5-10, 170, Harvard
