Five Sky Players Named to AFCA All-America Team
Eastern Washington wide receiver Cooper Kupp and Portland State punter Kyle Loomis were selected to the American Football Coaches Association FCS All-America Team for the second consecutive season.
Kupp and Loomis led a group of five Big Sky players named to the team. Eastern Washington offensive lineman Jake Rodgers, Montana defensive end Zack Wagenmann, and Cal Poly linebacker Nick Dzubnar were also selected to the squad.
The Missouri Valley led FCS conferences with seven players selected. The Big Sky was second with five.
Kupp, a 6-2, 195-pound sophomore from Yakima, Wash., became the second player in league history to catch 100 passes in a season. The 2013 Jerry Rice Award winner finished his sophomore campaign with 104 catches for 1,431 yards and 16 touchdowns.
Rogers, a 6-6, 315-pound senior from Spokane, Wash., anchored the Eagles' offensive line. EWU led the nation in scoring offense, and was among the national leaders in passing offense and total offense. The Eagles won the Big Sky with a 7-1 record.
Loomis, a 6-2, 230-pound senior from Roseburg, Ore., led the nation in punting for the second straight season. Loomis was a consensus All-American in 2013. He averaged 46 yards per punt.
Wagenmann, a 6-3, 250-pound senior from Missoula, Mont., led the Big Sky in sacks and forced fumbles, and was second in tackles for loss. He was tabbed as the Big Sky Defensive MVP. Wagenmann finished third in voting for the Buck Buchanan Award.
Dzubnar, a 6-2, 250-pound senior from
Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif., led the Big Sky with 167 total tackles. He finished second in the nation in tackles per game (13.9).
2014 AFCA Football Championship Subdivision Coaches’ All-America Team
Offense
|
Pos. |
Name |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Cl. |
School |
Coach |
Hometown (High School) |
|
WR |
*Cooper Kupp |
6-2 |
195 |
So. |
Eastern Washington |
Beau Baldwin |
Yakima, Wash. (Davis) |
|
WR |
R.J. Harris |
6-0 |
201 |
Sr. |
New Hampshire |
Sean McDonnell |
Odenton, Md. (Arundel) |
|
TE |
*MyCole Pruitt |
6-3 |
255 |
Sr. |
Southern Illinois |
Dale Lennon |
St. Louis, Mo. (Kirkwood) |
|
OL |
Chad Hamilton |
6-3 |
305 |
Sr. |
Coastal Carolina |
Joe Moglia |
Charleston, S.C. (James Island) |
|
OL |
Collin Seibert |
6-4 |
290 |
Sr. |
Eastern Illinois |
Kim Dameron |
Oswego, Ill. (Oswego) |
|
C |
Ronald Canty |
6-0 |
277 |
Sr. |
North Carolina A&T |
Rod Broadway |
Chester, S.C. (Chester) |
|
OL |
Joe Haeg |
6-6 |
299 |
Jr. |
North Dakota State |
Chris Klieman |
Lake Shore, Minn. (Brainerd) |
|
OL |
Jake Rodgers |
6-6 |
315 |
Sr. |
Eastern Washington |
Beau Baldwin |
Spokane, Wash. (Shadle Park) |
|
QB |
John Robertson |
6-1 |
221 |
Jr. |
Villanova |
Andy Talley |
Paramus, N.J. (Paramus) |
|
RB |
Gus Johnson |
5-10 |
224 |
Sr. |
Stephen F. Austin |
Clint Conque |
Gilmer, Texas (Gilmer) |
|
RB |
**Zach Zenner |
6-0 |
220 |
Sr. |
South Dakota State |
John Stiegelmeier |
Eagan, Minn. (Eagan) |
Defense
|
Pos. |
Name |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Cl. |
School |
Coach |
Hometown (High School) |
|
DL |
Mike Reilly |
6-4 |
265 |
Sr. |
William & Mary |
Jimmye Laycock |
Old Tappan, N.J. (Northern Valley) |
|
DL |
**Davis Tull |
6-3 |
240 |
Sr. |
Tennessee-Chattanooga |
Russ Huesman |
Knoxville, Tenn. (Bearden) |
|
DL |
Kyle Emanuel |
6-3 |
251 |
Sr. |
North Dakota State |
Chris Klieman |
Schuyler, Neb. (Schuyler Central) |
|
DL |
Zack Wagenmann |
6-3 |
250 |
Sr. |
Montana |
Mick Delaney |
Missoula, Mont. (Sentinel) |
|
LB |
Evan Byers |
6-0 |
235 |
Sr. |
Bucknell |
Joe Susan |
Raleigh, N.C. (Trinity-Pawling) |
|
LB |
Nick Thrasher |
6-2 |
240 |
Sr. |
Tennessee State |
Rod Reed |
Morrow, Ga. (Mt. Zion) |
|
LB |
Nick Dzubnar |
6-2 |
250 |
Sr. |
Cal Poly |
Tim Walsh |
Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif. (Mission Viejo) |
|
DB |
Jaquiski Tartt |
6-1 |
218 |
Sr. |
Samford |
Pat Sullivan |
Mobile, Ala. (Davidson) |
|
DB |
De’Ante Saunders |
5-11 |
200 |
Jr. |
Tennessee State |
Rod Reed |
DeLand, Fla. (DeLand) |
|
DB |
Colten Heagle |
5-11 |
206 |
Sr. |
North Dakota State |
Chris Klieman |
Appleton, Wis. (Kimberly) |
|
DB |
Caleb Schaffitzel |
6-0 |
217 |
Sr. |
Missouri State |
Terry Allen |
Fair Grove, Mo. (Fair Grove) |
Specialists
|
Pos. |
Name |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Cl. |
School |
Coach |
Hometown (High School) |
|
P |
*Kyle Loomis |
6-2 |
230 |
Sr. |
Portland St. |
Nigel Burton |
Roseburg, Ore. (Roseburg) |
|
PK |
Michael Schmadeke |
5-10 |
181 |
Jr. |
Northern Iowa |
Mark Farley |
Waterloo, Iowa (Columbus) |
|
AP |
Johnta Hebert |
5-10 |
195 |
Jr. |
Prairie View A&M |
Heishma Northern |
Baton Rouge, La. (Landry-Walker) |
*-2013 All-American; **-2012-2013 All-American
Team Background: The AFCA?has selected an All-America team every year since 1945. What makes these teams so special is that they are the only ones chosen exclusively by the men who know the players the best — the coaches themselves.
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 — Division I-A and Division I-AA. In 1996, the College I and College II teams were renamed Division II?and Division III,?respectively. In 2006, the Division I-A and Division I-AA teams were renamed Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS)?and Football Championship Subdivision (FCS),?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. A return specialist was added in 1997, giving us the current 25-player team. The return specialist position was replaced by an all-purpose player in 2006.
Top Teams: Montana has the most AFCA FCS All-America selections of any school with 24 selections by 23 players since 1979. The Grizzlies are followed by Eastern Kentucky (23/21), Appalachian State (23/17), Eastern Washington (21/19), Delaware (20/17), Northern Iowa (20/17), Furman (19/18), Portland State (16/15), Lehigh (15/15), Stephen F. Austin (15/14), Youngstown State (15/14), Eastern Illinois (15/13), New Hampshire (15/13), Grambling State (14/13), Jackson State (13/12), Weber State (13/12), Montana State (12/12) and James Madison (11/11) among current FCS schools.
Top Conference: The Colonial Athletic Association (formerly Atlantic 10) (125 appearances/115 players) is tops among all FCS?conferences on the AFCA FCS Coaches All-America Team since 1979. Following the CAA is the Southern (113 appearances/98 players), Missouri Valley Football (formerly Gateway) (97/87), Big Sky (92/88), Ohio Valley (68/63), Southland (63/58), Southwestern Athletic (55/53), Patriot (49/48), Ivy League (33/33), Mid-Eastern Athletic (31/29), Northeast (15/13), Pioneer (13/13) and Big South (10/10). These totals reflect FCS?selections only from current conference members. Several schools had additional players chosen when they played in divisions other than FCS.
2014 Conference-by-Conference Breakdown: Missouri Valley – 7; Big Sky – 5; Colonial – 3; Ohio Valley – 3; Southern – 2; Southland – 1; Big South – 1; Mid-Eastern Athletic – 1; Patriot – 1; Southwestern Athletic – 1.
Consecutive Years: Eastern Kentucky leads all schools, having had at least one player named to the AFCA FCS Coaches’ All-America Team in each of the first 15 years a FCS team was chosen (1979-93). Eastern Washington has the longest current streak at seven straight years from 2008 to present.
Long Time Coming: Senior center Ronald Canty makes the AFCA FCS All-America Team for North Carolina A&T, marking the first time the Aggies have had a representative since 1995, when offensive lineman Jamain Stephens made the team.
Repeat After Me: Eastern Washington’s Cooper Kupp, Southern Illinois’s MyCole Pruitt and Portland State’s Kyle Loomis were elected to the AFCA FCS All-American Team for the second consecutive year.
Third Time’s A Charm: South Dakota State running back Zach Zenner and Tennessee-Chattanooga defensive lineman Davis Tull join Linebackers Gary Reasons of Northwestern State (La.) (1981-83) and Dexter Coakley of Appalachian State (1994-96) as the only three-time AFCA All-Americans in Football Championship Subdivision.
Yearly Leaders: North Dakota State (2014-OL Joe Haeg, DL Kyle Emanuel and DB Colten Haegle) joins Alabama State (2012-OL Terren Jones, DB Kejuan Riley and P Bobby Wenzig), Grambling State (1979-DL Joe Gordon, LB Aldrich Allen and DB Robert Salters) and Jackson State (1996-QB?Grailyn Pratt, LB Otha Evans and DB?Sean Woodson) as the only schools to have more than two players named to the AFCA?FCS?Coaches’ All-America Team in one year.
Two Players, Two Schools: Punter Mark Bounds and placekicker Greg Zuerlein are the only players to earn Coaches’ 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 AFCA?FCS Coaches’ All-America Team is made up of 19 seniors, five juniors and one sophomore.