Kupp, Reyes honored as with ADA awards

PRESS RELEASE

Eastern Washington University’s Cooper Kupp stands alone in NCAA Football Championship Subdivision receiving history, and the FCS Athletic Director’s Association honored him as a repeat winner of its Wide Receiver of the Year Award on the 2016 FCS ADA All-America team announced on Wednesday. 

The fourth-annual award recognizes the top student-athletes from FCS institutions at 11 different positions, and this year’s squad represents 11 different schools from six different conferences. Kupp repeated at wide receiver, and in 2015 went on to be awarded the Offensive Player of the Year by the FCS ADA.

North Dakota junior safety Cole Reyes, the Big Sky Conference Defensive Player of the Year, was honored as the top secondary player in the FCS by the ADA.

Of the 11 student-athletes, seven participated in the 2016 FCS playoffs. Kupp guided Eastern to this year’s semifinals, helping EWU win 41 games in his career as an Eagle as a four-time All-American and 2015 winner of a trio of Offensive Player of the Year awards, including the Walter Payton Award. He shared the Big Sky’s offensive honor with EWU quarterback Gage Gubrud.

Reyes led UND to an 8-0 BSC record and nine straight wins overall. The Fighting Hawks qualified for the playoffs for the first time as a Division I member.

“The FCS ADA is very proud of the accomplishments in the classroom, in the community and on the field of these football student-athletes that have earned this wonderful recognition,” stated FCS ADA President Mark Wilson, the director of athletics at Tennessee Tech University. “It is my honor to congratulate them on behalf of the Association’s Officers, Executive Committee and the entire FCS membership as we recognize their outstanding achievements.”

Kupp has now earned first team honors on all six teams which have been announced thus far – FCS ADA, STATS, Walter Camp, American Football Coaches Association, Associated Press and College Sports Madness. He was an All-American for the fourth-straight season by STATS, AP and the AFCA. Kupp ends his EWU career as the NCAA Division I leader in catches, yards and touchdowns.

2016 FCS ADA All-America Team

PLAYER BIOS

QB Jeremiah Briscoe, Sam Houston State, Jr.
Led the FCS with an FCS-record 57 touchdown passes, nine better than second-best in category … Led the FCS with 5160 passing yards … The 57 TD passes also ranks first all-time in a single season in Southland Conference history, beating record that had stood since 1989 … Named Southland offensive player of the week on Oct. 3 following win over rival Stephen F. Austin. Went 25-of-33 for 438 yards and seven touchdown passes. Received award again on Nov. 21 after beating Central Arkansas in conference title game, putting together another seven TD pass performance (27 of 42, 431 yards) … Led Sam Houston State to 11-0 regular season, plus number 1 ranking in FCS Coaches and STATS media polls.

RB Chase Edmonds, Fordham, Jr.
3-time First Team All-PL, 3-time Payton Award semifinalist … FCS leader in rushing (1,799), rushing yard/game (163.5), second in all-purpose yards/game (194.6), third in rushing touchdowns (19) and third in total touchdowns (20) and second in scoring per game (10.9) … FCS active leader and Patriot League career rushing touchdowns leader (62), points per game (11.2) and rushing yards per game (142.8) … Second among FCS active rushers in the PL with 5,285 career rushing yards … helped Fordham to the No. 12 rushing offense in the nation (229.7 yards/game) … 2014 Jerry Rice Award winner and 2014 and 2015 consensus All-American … Set NCAA record for most yards/carry in a single game (21.9) and the Patriot League single-game rushing record with 359 yards vs. Lafayette

TE Dallas Goedert, South Dakota State, Jr.
Leads league in receptions (92) and receptions per game (7.1), while ranking second in receiving yards (1,146) and receiving yards per game (104.2) … caught a touchdown pass in first six games of the season, including tying school and MVFC single-game records with four touchdown receptions Oct. 1 versus Western Illinois … topped 100-yard mark in receiving seven straight games, including 204-yard performance versus Western Illinois … also scored a rushing touchdown versus Southern Illinois … turned in three games with 10 or more receptions … member of all-MVFC First Team in 2015

WR Cooper Kupp, Eastern Washington, Sr.
1 of 3 remaining finalists for Payton Award . . . Big Sky Conference co-Offensive MVP along with teammate Gage Gubrud, the first time in league history two players from the same team shared the award . . . Unanimous first team selection, and became just the fourth player in league history to earn first team all-league all four seasons . . FCS National Player of the Week once and was honored four times by the Big Sky, caught 117 passes for 1,700 yards and 17 touchdowns . . . Leads FCS in receiving yards per game (130.8), is second in receptions per game (9.0), and is first in receiving touchdowns (17). Kupp set FCS, Big Sky and school career records in receptions, yards and receiving TDs.

LG Zack Johnson, North Dakota State, Sr.
2015 AP All-American…2013 & 2015 All-MVFC (injured in 2014)…Started all 11 games during the regular season at left guard and played 686 reps…Graded out 99% assignment and 87% technique…Zero sacks allowed…Led NDSU with 66 knockdowns including 11 decleaters…MVFC OL of the Week after 6 knockdowns and 98.6% assignment grade in season-opening win over Charleston Southern…NDSU leads the FCS in fewest TFLs allowed (3.27/game) and is second in MVFC in rushing (239.9).

PK Griffin Trau, Richmond, So.
Earned first-team All-CAA honors and converted 23-of-26 field goals and 42-of-42 extra points this season … Ranks 2nd in FCS in field goals made per game (1.77) and 5th in FCS in field goal percentage (.885) … Set a Richmond single-season record for field goals and tied the CAA single-season mark … Tied a UR single-game record by going 4-for-4 on field goals in first-round playoff win over North Carolina A&T.

DE Karter Schult, UNI, Sr.
Leads NCAA in sacks with 17.0 and finished second with 24.0 tackles for loss … No. 2 career leader in the FCS with 35.5 sacks … school record with 56.0 career TFLs … school record with 24.0 single-season TFLs … tied UNI record for single-game TFLs with 5.5 against #14 Montana, finishing with a career-high 10 tackles … interception return for 20 yards against #8 Eastern Washington, with 7 tackles and 3.5 TFLs and 2.5 sacks … … 4 TFLs that included 3.0 sacks in UNI’s victory over #17 Western Illinois … back-to-back MVFC Defensive Player of the Week … ended year with 6 consecutive games with a sack … MVFC Defensive Player of the Year.

LB Dylan Cole, Missouri State, Sr.
Registered eight consecutive double-digit tackle totals to close season, including at least 13 tackles in all eight MVFC games … Led the Bears in tackles in nine of 11 games and averaged 15.0 stops in MVFC play … Leads MVFC and all of FCS football in total tackles per game (12.9) … Averaged 7.7 solo stops per game, ranking second overall in both the MVFC and the FCS … Named a CoSIDA Academic All-District VI pick … Logged 19 tackles vs. SIU, good for the No. 2 total in the MVFC this season … Ranks third all-time in career tackles (457) at MSU and ninth in the MVFC.

DB Cole Reyes, North Dakota, Jr.
Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year and First Team All-Big Sky selection … Two-time ROOT SPORTS Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week … Finished season with 62 tackles, 6.5 tackles for a loss, a sack, three interceptions, eight pass break-ups, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and a safety … Picked off two passes, including one in fourth quarter, during win over Weber State … Had four pass break-ups on potential game-tying touchdown drive in 38-31 victory over NAU in regular-season finale … Team captain.

P Miles Bergner, South Dakota, Sr.
Nation’s leading punter with a 47.5-yard average, which is also a program record … posted a four-year career average of 42.8, which is a program record … had a net average of 41.3 this season, which ranks second nationally … 27 of 68 punts were at least 50 yards … pinned 17 punts inside the 20 and four inside the 10 … had a long of 65 … four-time MVFC Special Teams POW honoree this season.

RS Darius Hammond, Charleston Southern, Sr.
BSC Special Teams Player of the Year, 1st-team All-Conference at KR and PR … Big South’s leading kickoff and punt returner … 33.7 KOR average leads the nation by almost five yards (4.8) and is the league’s single-season record … Averaged 10.7 yards on punt returns, including a season-long 49-yarder … Broke an 83-yard kickoff return at Liberty in addition to a 19-yard punt return to account for 154 return yards and earn Big South Special Teams Player of the Week … Boosted CSU’s field position all season, which included a 58-yard return in win at Monmouth, a key 48-yard kickoff return in win at Coastal Carolina, and a 65-yard return in win over Bucknell … 35.6 KOR average in conference play (8 returns)