Six SAC Football Players Named to 2019 AFCA Division II Coaches' All-America Teams
December 3, 2019
WACO, TEXAS - Six South Atlantic Conference football players have been named to the 2019 American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division II Coaches' All-America Teams, the AFCA announced on Tuesday (Dec. 3).
Leading the way is two-time SAC Offensive Player of the Year and All-America selection, Craig Rucker of Mars Hill. Rucker was named to the first team as a wide receiver, while Carson-Newman offensive lineman Phillip McDowell was also named to the first team offense.
Four players were named to the second team; Wingate offensive lineman Andrew Strickland, Lenoir-Rhyne defensive lineman Jaquan Artis and defensive back Kyle Dugger and Carson-Newman defensive back Desmond Fairell.
2019 AFCA Division II Coaches' All-America – First Team
Offense
|
Pos |
Name |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Cl. |
School |
Coach |
Hometown (High School) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| QB | Rogan Wells | 6-3 | 210 | R-Jr. | Valdosta St. (Ga.) | Gary Goff | Fort Mill, S.C. (Fort Mill) |
| RB | *Jaleel McLaughlin | 5-9 | 175 | So. | Notre Dame (Ohio) | Mike Jacobs | Marshville, N.C. (Forest Hills) |
| RB | Nate Gunn | 6-2 | 220 | Sr. | Minnesota St. | Todd Hoffner | Minooka, Ill. (Minooka) |
| WR | *Craig Rucker | 5-7 | 175 | Sr. | Mars Hill (N.C.) | Tim Clifton | Orlando, Fla. (Edgewater) |
| WR | Zimari Manning | 6-2 | 200 | Sr. | Tarleton St. (Texas) | Todd Whitten | Long Beach, Calif. (LB Wilson) |
| TE | Zach Davidson | 6-7 | 245 | R-Jr. | Central Missouri | Jim Svoboda | Webb City, Mo. (Webb City) |
| OL | Tanner Owen | 6-5 | 290 | Jr. | Northwest Missouri St. | Rich Wright | Kearney, Mo. (Kearney) |
| OL | Grant Stewart | 6-2 | 305 | R-Sr. | Colorado School of Mines | Gregg Brandon | Southlake, Texas (Southlake Carroll) |
| OL | Jake Lacina | 6-4 | 300 | Sr. | Augustana (S.D.) | Jerry Olszewski | St. Paul, Minn. (Cretin-Derham Hall) |
| OL | Quentin Hall | 6-6 | 300 | Sr. | Assumption (Mass.) | Andy McKenzie | Plymouth, Mass. (Thayer/Milford Academy) |
| OL | Phillip McDowell | 6-5 | 315 | Sr. | Carson-Newman (Tenn.) | Mike Turner | Inman, S.C. (Boiling Springs) |
Defense
|
Pos |
Name |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Cl. |
School |
Coach |
Hometown (High School) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DL | Jackson Wibbels | 6-1 | 243 | Sr. | Colorado St.-Pueblo | John Wristen | Colorado Springs, Colo. (Pine Creek) |
| DL | Ch'aim Smith | 6-4 | 255 | Gr. | West Chester (Pa.) | Bill Zwaan | York, Pa. (York Suburban) |
| DL | Demetrice Lofton | 6-4 | 245 | So. | Morehouse (Ga.) | Rich Freeman | Fairburn, Ga. (Creekside) |
| DL | Austin Edwards | 6-5 | 280 | Sr. | Ferris St. (Mich.) | Tony Annese | Lansing, Mich. (Waverly) |
| LB | Drew Seers | 6-1 | 227 | Jr. | Lindenwood (Mo.) | Jed Stugart | St. Louis, Mo. (Parkway West) |
| LB | Vada King | 6-1 | 225 | Sr. | Delta St. (Miss.) | Todd Cooley | Smith, Ala. (Smith Station) |
| LB | CJ Miller | 6-1 | 215 | Sr. | St. Anselm (N.H.) | Joe Adam | Clinton, Md. (Gwynn Park) |
| DB | Demetri Morsell | 5-11 | 170 | So. | Bowie St. (Md.) | Damon Wilson | Upper Marlboro, Md. (Wise) |
| DB | Brandon Anderson | 6-1 | 200 | R-Sr. | Edinboro (Pa.) | Wayne Bradford | Willingboro, N.J. (Holy Cross) |
| DB | Nick Ciccio | 6-0 | 190 | R-So. | Colorado Mesa | Russ Martin | Castle Pines, Colo. (Lutheran) |
| DB | Michael Junker | 5-10 | 180 | Sr. | Bemidji St. (Minn.) | Brent Bolte | Hastings, Minn. (Hastings) |
Specialists
|
Pos |
Name |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Cl. |
School |
Coach |
Hometown (High School) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PK | Jordan Walters | 6-2 | 200 | Sr. | East Stroudsburg (Pa.) | Jimmy Terwilliger | Sciota, Pa. (Pleasant Valley) |
| P | JoseLuis Moreno | 6-0 | 180 | Sr. | Minot St. (N.D.) | Mike Aldrich | San Lorenzo, Calif. (Bishop O'Dowd) |
| AP | Tobias Harris | 5-9 | 180 | So. | West Texas A&M | Hunter Hughes | Pflugerville, Texas (Hendrickson) |
2019 AFCA Division II Coaches' All-America - Second Team
Offense
| Pos | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Cl. | School | Coach | Hometown (High School) |
| QB | Brook Bolles | 6-3 | 205 | R-Sr. | Central Missouri | Jim Svoboda | Lincoln, Neb. (North Star) |
| RB | Justin Felder | 5-8 | 175 | So. | Stonehill (Mass.) | Eli Gardner | Springfield Gardens, N.Y. (Holy Cross) |
| RB | JaQuan Hardy | 5-10 | 225 | R-Jr. | Tiffin (Ohio) | Cris Reisert | Westlake, Ohio (Westlake) |
| WR | Tariq Bitson | 6-2 | 200 | R-Jr. | Adams St. (Colo.) | Josh Blankenship | Tulsa, Okla. (???) |
| WR | *Shane Zylstra | 6-5 | 215 | Sr. | Minnesota St. | Todd Hoffner | Spicer, Minn. (New London-Spicer) |
| WR | Mike Strachan | 6-5 | 225 | R-Jr. | Charleston (W.Va.) | Pat Kirkland | Freeport, Bahamas (Liberty Christian) |
| OL | Tyler Allison | 6-3 | 315 | Sr. | Ferris St. (Mich.) | Tony Annese Clinton | Township, Mich. (Chippewa Valley) |
| OL | Adonis Sealey | 6-2 | 283 | Sr. | Valdosta St. (Ga.) | Gary Goff | Hamer, S.C. (Dillon) |
| OL | Andrew Strickland | 6-4 | 290 | Sr. | Wingate (N.C.) | Joe Reich | Raleigh, N.C. (Millbrook) |
| OL | Kyle Hinton | 6-3 | 310 | Sr. | Washburn (Kan.) | Craig Schurig | Peoria, Ariz. (Liberty) |
| OL | Joseph Gonzales | 6-6 | 315 | Sr. | Western Oregon | Arne Ferguson | Springfield, Ore. (Thurston) |
Defense
| Pos | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Cl. | School | Coach | Hometown (High School) |
| DL | *Chris Garrett | 6-4 | 230 | Jr. | Concordia-St. Paul (Minn.) | Shannon Currier | Milwaukee, Wis. (Wisconsin Lutheran) |
| DL | Antonio Washington | 6-1 | 274 | R-Jr. | Southern Arkansas | Bill Keopple | Marshall, Texas (Marshall) |
| DL | Jaquan Artis | 6-2 | 245 | Sr. | Lenoir-Rhyne (N.C.) | Drew Cronic | Kinston, N.C. (Kinston) |
| DL | Chauncy Haney | 6-5 | 245 | Sr. | North Greenville (S.C.) | Jeff Farrington | Irmo, S.C. (Keenan) |
| LB | Leon Eggleston | 5-11 | 224 | R-Sr. | Wayne St. (Mich.) | Paul Winters | Sylvania, Ohio (Southview) |
| LB | Clay Shreve | 6-1 | 233 | Sr. | Ashland (Ohio) | Lee Owens | Mogadore, Ohio (Lake) |
| LB | Chris Hoad | 6-0 | 228 | Sr. | Texas-Permian Basin | Justin Carrigan | Leander, Texas (Rouse) |
| DB | Junior Faulk | 6-1 | 200 | Jr. | Delta St. (Miss.) | Todd Cooley | Jayess, Miss. (Salem) |
| DB | Desmond Fairell | 6-0 | 185 | Sr. | Carson-Newman (Tenn.) | Mike Turner | Miami, Fla. (Miami Senior) |
| DB | Kyle Dugger | 6-2 | 220 | Sr. | Lenoir-Rhyne (N.C.) | Drew Cronic | Decatur, Ga. (Whitewater) |
| DB | Mercardo Anderson | 5-10 | 195 | R-Sr. | Henderson St. (Ark.) | Scott Maxfield | Ashdown, Ark. (Ashdown) |
Specialists
| Pos | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Cl. | School | Coach | Hometown (High School) |
| PK | Dante Brown | 5-10 | 185 | Sr. | Fort Hays St. (Kan.) | Chris Brown | Mississauga, Ontario (Canada Prep) |
| P | Zach Gaines | 6-1 | 218 | Sr. | West Alabama | Brett Gilliland | Calera, Ala. (Calera) |
| AP | Trey Vaval | 6-0 | 165 | Fr. | Missouri Western St. | Matt Williamson | Blue Springs, Mo. (Blue Springs South) |
Team Background: The five teams now chosen for each AFCA division evolved from a single 11-player squad in 1945. From 1945 until 1967, only one team was chosen. From 1967 through 1971, two teams – University Division and College Division – were selected. In 1972, the College Division was split into College I and College II. In 1979, the University Division was split into two teams — FBS and FCS. In 1996, the College I and College II teams were renamed Division II and Division III, respectively. In 2006, the AFCA started selecting an NAIA-only team.
From 1965-81, a 22-player (11 offensive, 11 defensive) team was chosen. In 1982, a punter and placekicker were added to the team. In 1997, a return specialist was added, giving us the current 25-player team. The return specialist position was replaced by an all-purpose player in 2006. In 2016, the AFCA added a second team All-America.
Selection Process: The AFCA's Division II All-America Selection Committee is made up of three head coaches from each of the AFCA's seven districts, one of whom serves as a district chairman, along with another head coach who serves as the chairman of the selection committee. The coaches in each district are responsible for ranking the top players in their respective districts prior to a conference call between the district chairmen and the committee chairman on which the teams are chosen.
The Award: Members of the AFCA Coaches' All-America First Team will receive a plaque commemorating their selection to the team, while members of the Second Team will receive a certificate.Consecutive Years: Texas A&M-Kingsville had at least one player named to the AFCA Division II Coaches' All-America Team for 18 straight seasons, from 1986 to 2003, the longest streak by any team in Division II. Northwest Missouri State is second, having had 16 straight selections from 1996 to 2011. Pittsburg State has the third longest streak at nine straight selections from 1988 to 1996. Ferris State has the longest active streak with six straight selections from 2014 to today.Top Teams: Texas A&M-Kingsville has been represented a total of 34 times by 30 players on the AFCA Division II Coaches' All-America Team, to lead all schools. Trailing Texas A&M-Kingsville is Texas A&M-Commerce (23/21), Ferris State (23/19), Northwest Missouri State (23/18), Pittsburg State (20/16), Indiana (Pa.) (19/17), Carson-Newman (18/17), Ashland (17/16), Grand Valley State (16/15), Valdosta State (16/14), Mississippi College (15/14), New Haven (14/14), American International (14/13), Colorado Mesa (14/12), Central Missouri (13/12), Angelo State (13/11), Catawba (13/10), Minnesota State (13/9), Indianapolis (12/12), Saginaw Valley State (12/12), West Chester (12/12), Slippery Rock (12/10), Mars Hill (12/9), West Georgia (11/11), West Texas A&M (11/11), Central Washington (11/10), Sioux Falls (11/10), California (Pa.) (11/9), Delta State (11/9), Eastern New Mexico (11/9), Glenville State (11/9), Chadron State (10/10), Winston-Salem State (10/10), St. Cloud State (10/9), Central State (10/8) and Southern Arkansas (10/8).
Back-to-Back: Notre Dame (Ohio) running back Jaleel McLaughlin, Mars Hill wide receiver Craig Rucker, Minnesota State wide receiver Shane Zylstra and Concordia (Minn.) defensive lineman Chris Garrett are the four players who earned AFCA Division II Coaches' All-America honors for the second consecutive season in 2019.Three-peat: Catawba linebacker Kyle Kitchens became the fourth player in Division II history to be named to three straight AFCA All-America Teams. Kitchens was a first-team selection in 2015 and 2017, and a second-team selection in 2016. He joins Brandon Williams, a defensive lineman from Missouri Southern State (2010-12), running back Jonas Randolph from Mars Hill (2009-11) and Tywan Mitchell, a wide receiver from Minnesota State (1996-98).Yearly Leader: Texas A&M-Commerce (2017-OL Jared Machorro, QB Luis Perez and DB Yusef Sterling-Lowe) became the first school to have more than two players named to the AFCA Division II Coaches' All-America Team in one year.
Repeat After Me: Texas A&M-Kingsville's Johnny Bailey is the only Division II player to earn AFCA All-America honors in four consecutive years. Bailey was a four-year pick at running back in 1986-87-88-89.
Two Players, Two Schools: Punter Mark Bounds and placekicker Greg Zuerlein are the only players to earn AFCA All-America honors at two different schools. Bounds was named to the AFCA College Division I team in 1990 while playing for West Texas A&M. He transferred to Texas Tech after West Texas dropped football and earned I-A All-America honors as a Red Raider in 1991. Zuerlein was named to the Division II Coaches' All-America Team in 2009 while playing for Nebraska-Omaha. He transferred to Missouri Western State after Nebraska-Omaha dropped its football program and earned Division II honors in 2011 as a Griffon.
Class Distinction: This year's Division II Coaches' All-America Team is made up of 32 seniors, 10 juniors, six sophomores, one freshman and one graduate student.It's Been A While: Running back JaQuan Hardy from Tiffin has earned AFCA Coaches' All-America Team honors for his school for the first time since 1993 when Brian Diliberto was named as a running back as well.
First Time's A Charm: Saint Anselm linebacker CJ Miller, North Greenville defensive lineman Chauncy Haney and Texas-Permian Basin linebacker Chris Hoad earned honors for their schools for the first time in AFCA Division II Coaches' All-America Team history.
For more information about the AFCA, visit www.AFCA.com.