BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Three student-athletes from the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) were named to the STATS FCS Football All-America Teams, it was announced on Tuesday.
Two-time defending SWAC Champion Grambling State garnered two of the awards as senior linebacker De’Arius Christmas was honored with a Second Team selection on the STATS FCS Preseason All-American squad while teammate and senior place kicker Marc Orozco was chosen as a Third Team selection.
Joining Orozco on the STATS FCS Third Team was Arkansas-Pine Bluff senior punter Jamie Gillan.
Christmas, the 5-foot-10, 220-pound SWAC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, ranked sixth in the conference in tackles with 6.7 per game (88 total including 48 solo stops), was tied for ninth in sacks with five and was tied for second in tackles for a loss with 17.5. Also, he added five quarterback hurries, two pass breakups and two forced fumbles.
The 5-foot-9, 170-pound Orozco led the conference in PAT percentage (97.9%) and ranked second in field goals per game with 1.38 per contest.
The SWAC placed another special teams player on the list with Gillan. The 6-foot-2, 195-pound senior accumulated a conference-best 43.3 yards per punt. On 59 punts, the All-SWAC Preseason First Team selection totaled 2,555 yards on his kicks.
Last season, two players from the SWAC received top recognition when Jackson State defensive lineman Keontre Anderson and Southern defensive back Danny Johnson were both named as STATS FCS All-Americans.
The stellar preseason All-America team goes three squads deep and features 98 players from 56 schools
2018 STATS FCS PRESEASON ALL-AMERICA TEAM
(HBCU Players Are in Bold Type)
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
(Courtesy of the SouthWestern Athletic Conference)