FCS football season preview: Players to watch, potential upsets and more
CHICAGO – Defending FCS champion North Dakota State and fellow Missouri Valley Conference member South Dakota State lead the way with six selections each on the Stats Perform 2022 FCS Preseason All-America Team, announced on Monday.
Included are NDSU senior fullback Hunter Luepke, who’s been a first-team selection on each of the past two Stats Perform postseason All-America squads, and SDSU tight end Tucker Kraft, also a returning first-team selection who as a junior is considered one of the leading 2023 NFL Draft prospects in the NCAA’s Division I subdivision.
LOOKING AHEAD: Way-too-early FCS bracket predictions
All 15 FCS conferences and 57 schools are represented among the 105 All-Americans, which included 56 players who were postseason All-Americans previously.2022 STATS PERFORM FCS PRESEASON ALL-AMERICA TEAM
Previous Season(s) as First-Team Postseason All-American Listed in Parentheses
FIRST TEAM
OFFENSE
- QB – Xavier Shepherd, 6-0, 205, junior, Kennesaw State (2021 All-Purpose)
- RB – Isaiah Davis, 6-1, 220, junior, South Dakota State
- RB – Isaiah Ifanse, 5-10, 202, senior, Montana State
- FB – Hunter Luepke, 6-1, 236, senior, North Dakota State (2020, 2021)
- WR – Xavier Gipson, 5-9, 170, senior, Stephen F. Austin (2021)
- WR – Taylor Grimes, 5-11, 190, senior, UIW
- TE – Tucker Kraft, 6-5, 255, junior, South Dakota State (2021)
- OL – Michael Corbi, 6-6, 335, senior, Villanova
- OL – McClendon Curtis, 6-6, 328, senior, Chattanooga
- OL – Matthan Hatchie, 6-2, 310, senior, UT Martin
- OL – Cody Mauch, 6-6, 303, senior, North Dakota State
- OL – Mason McCormick, 6-4, 310, senior, South Dakota State
DEFENSE
- DL – Nate Lynn, 6-3, 255, junior, William & Mary (2021)
- DL – Devonnsha Maxwell, 6-3, 296, senior, Chattanooga (2021)
- DL – Josiah Silver, 6-2, 234, sophomore, New Hampshire
- DL – Spencer Waege, 6-5, 278, senior, North Dakota State
- LB – Jacob Dobbs, 6-0, 232, senior, Holy Cross (2021)
- LB – Ryan Greenhagen 6-1, 245, grad, Fordham
- LB – Isaiah Land 6-4, 215, senior, Florida A&M (2021)
- LB – Patrick O’Connell, 6-2, 225, redshirt senior, Montana (2021)
- LB – Stone Snyder, 6-3, 240, senior, VMI (2020)
- DB – Anthony Adams, 6-0, 185, senior, Portland State (2019)
- DB – Justin Ford, 6-2, 190, redshirt senior, Montana (2021)
- DB – Ferlando Jordan, 6-0, 180, redshirt senior, Southeastern Louisiana
- DB – Kedrick Whitehead, 5-11, 195, senior, Delaware (2020)
SPECIAL TEAMS
- PK – Matthew Cook, 5-11, 180, junior, Northern Iowa
- P – Grant Burkett, 6-1, 191, sophomore, Missouri State
- LS – Robert Soderholm, 6-1, 230, senior, VMI
- KR – Malik Flowers, 6-2, 200, redshirt senior, Montana
- PR – Jah’Marae Sheread, 5-7, 175, redshirt senior, Florida A&M
- AP – Ulonzo Gilliam Jr., 5-9, 189, senior, UC Davis
- AP – Jacob Saylors, 5-11, 195, senior, ETSU
SECOND TEAM
OFFENSE
- QB – Jason Shelley, 5-11, 197, senior, Missouri State
- RB – Juwon Farri, 5-10, 195, redshirt senior, Monmouth
- RB – Malik Grant, junior, 5-9, 200, senior, Sacred Heart
- RB – Jaleel McLaughlin, 5-9, 195, senior, Youngstown State
- WR – Avante Cox, 5-10, 170, senior, Southern Illinois (2020)
- WR – Jakob Herres, 6-4, 225, grad, Richmond (2020)
- TE – Kemari Averett, 6-6, 260, senior, Bethune-Cookman
- TE – Ryan Miller, 6-2, 221, redshirt senior, Furman
- OL – Noah Atagi, 6-4, 325, junior, Weber State
- OL – Garret Greenfield, 6-6, 295, senior, South Dakota State (2020)
- OL – Alex Jensen, 6-7, 280, senior, South Dakota
- OL – Kyle Nunez, 6-2, 340, grad, Stony Brook
- OL – Anderson Tomlin, 6-5, 296, redshirt senior, Furman
DEFENSE
- DL – Brevin Allen, 6-4, 265, senior, Campbell
- DL – Malik Hamm, 6-3, 260, senior, Lafayette
- DL – Jeblonski Green, 6-3, 265, redshirt junior, South Carolina State
- DL – Jordan Lewis, 6-3, 195, junior, Southern (2020)
- DL – Clay Patterson, 6-3, 267, junior, Yale
- DL – B.J. Thompson, 6-6, 210, senior, Stephen F. Austin
- LB – Kelechi Anyalebechi, 6-0, 240, grad, UIW
- LB – Adam Bock, 6-1, 215, sophomore, South Dakota State
- LB – Spencer Cuvelier, 6-3, 245, redshirt senior, Northern Iowa
- LB – David Hoage, 6-3, 250, junior, Northern Colorado
- LB – Titus Leo, 6-4, 245, grad, Wagner
- LB – Tristan Wheeler, 6-2, 228, redshirt junior, Richmond
- DB – Zy Alexander, 6-3, 185, sophomore, Southeastern Louisiana
- DB – Montrae Braswell, 6-0, 190, junior, Missouri State
- DB – Robby Hauck, 5-10, 185, redshirt senior, Montana
- DB – Michael Tutsie, 5-11, 193, senior, North Dakota State
SPECIAL TEAMS
- PK – Kyle Sentkowski, 6-0, 209, senior, Sacramento State
- P – Max Quick, 5-10, 185, junior, Stephen F. Austin
- LS – Dalton Godfrey, 6-2, 230, senior, South Dakota
- KR – Isaiah Bolden, 6-2, 205, senior, Jackson State
- PR – Devon Harper, 5-9, 165, junior, Mercer (2020)
- AP – Jake Chisholm, 5-9, 191, senior, Dayton
- AP – Javon Williams Jr., 6-2, 245, junior, Southern Illinois (2020)
FCS History: 44 players to know for 44 years of FCS history
THIRD TEAM
OFFENSE
- QB – Trae Self, 6-4, 190, senior Stephen F. Austin
- RB – Ailym Ford, 5-9, 213, junior, Chattanooga
- RB – Geno Hess, 5-8, 209, senior, Southeast Missouri
- RB – Ty Son Lawton, 5-10, 215, senior, Stony Brook
- WR – Abdul-Fatai Ibrahim, 6-1, 190, senior, Alabama A&M
- WR – Jaxon Janke, 6-3, 210, senior, South Dakota State
- WR – Xavier Smith, 5-10, 170, grad, Florida A&M
- TE – Marshel Martin, 6-2, 209, junior, Sacramento State
- OL – Nick Correia, 6-6, 330, redshirt junior, Rhode Island
- OL – Mark Evans II, 6-4, 295, senior, Arkansas-Pine Bluff
- OL – Levi Nesler, 6-1, 318, redshirt senior, Murray State
- OL – Jake Parks, 6-3, 285, senior, UC Davis
- OL – Evan Roussel, 6-2, 290, sophomore, Nicholls
DEFENSE
- DL – Ty French, 6-3, 230, junior, Gardner-Webb
- DL – Jonathan Hammond, 6-2, 227, junior, Davidson
- DL – Logan Jessup, 6-3, 255, junior, Central Arkansas
- DL – VJ Malo, 6-1, 270, senior, Portland State
- DL – Kevin Peprah, 6-2, 235, senior, Sacred Heart
- DL – Markel Perry, 6-2, 220, redshirt senior, Sam Houston
- LB – Ty Boeck, 6-1, 218, senior, Chattanooga
- LB – John Ford II, 6-3, 230, grad, UT Martin
- LB – Matthew Jackson, 6-2, 205, redshirt senior, Eastern Kentucky
- LB – James Kaczor, 6-0, 212, senior, North Dakota State
- LB – Trevor Williams, 5-9, 205, senior, Sam Houston
- DB – Cole Coleman, 5-10, 193, senior, Elon
- DB – Eddie Heckard, 5-10, 190, junior, Weber State
- DB – Travis Hunter, 6-1, 165, freshman, Jackson State
- DB – Deven Sims, 6-2, 200, redshirt senior, UT Martin
- DB – Lance Wise, 5-8, 185, junior, Mercer
SPECIAL TEAMS
- PK – Chris Campos, 5-10, 220, redshirt sophomore, Stephen F. Austin
- P – Ryan Kost, 6-2, 200, grad, Monmouth
- LS – Brian McNamara, 5-9, 190, senior, Sacred Heart
- KR – Calvin Jones, 5-10, 175, sophomore, Western Carolina
- PR – Jayden Price, 6-0, 197, senior, North Dakota State
- AP – Narii Gaither, 5-10, 181, senior, Gardner-Webb
- AP – Darius Hale, 5-11, 225, sophomore, Central Arkansas
- AP – Tommy Mellott, 6-0, 195, sophomore, Montana State
