College Sports Journal FCS Spring 2021 All-America Team

PHILADELPHIA, PA – Sixty student-athletes in the NCAA Division I Football’s Championship Subdivision have been named to the Spring 2020 College Sports Journal Preseason FCS All-America Team. 

Unlike other All-America teams, the CSJ’s honor’s squad is designed to be like a fielded team, capable of competing in a game possibly against a Top 5 Power Five School such as Clemson or Alabama. It includes everything from quarterbacks who can run or pass, to long snappers and other special teams performers. CSJ’s preseason all-America team also emphasizes players who have exhibited character and other team-oriented traits, not just lofty statistics, or talent.

Sixty players were selected as this is typically the travel roster for a travel team in the FCS. 

Additionally, three players were selected as CSJ’s Preseason Players of the Year on Offense, Defense, and Special Teams.  These awards went to Villanova QB Daniel Smith on Offense, Citadel LB Willie Eubanks III on Defense, and Monmouth WR/KR Lonnie Moore IV on Special Teams. 

Smith was a dynamic force as a dual-threat quarterback in his first season with the Wildcats in 2019, earning a spot on the CAA Football Third Team Offense and ranking as one of the top signal callers in the nation. A transfer from Campbell, he threw for 3,274 yards with 35 touchdowns and only 10 interceptions while rushing for 457 yards and 12 scores. Smith averaged 287.0 yards of total offense per contest and led all of the FCS in the total number of points he was responsible for.
 
In addition to his 35 passing touchdowns and 12 rushing scores, Smith also caught a touchdown pass and wound up having a hand in 48 of the team’s 62 offensive touchdowns. He became only the fourth quarterback in school history to throw for over 3,000 yards in a single season and after just one season on the Main Line has already put himself into 10th place in school history in career passing as well as 11th in career total offense.

Already one of the most decorated linebackers in program history, Eubanks is coming off a four-game fall campaign that saw him record 43 tackles, 5.0 tackles-for-loss and 2.0 sacks. He recorded at least eight tackles in every game, including a career-high 14 against Eastern Kentucky.
 
Following the 2019 season, Eubanks was a consensus All-America selection and a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award. The SoCon Defensive Player of the Year finished the season with 112 tackles, 63 solo, 11.5 tackles-for-loss, 4.0 sacks, three forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, one interception and 11 quarterback hurries.
 
He was the first Bulldog to eclipse 100 tackles since Kailik Williams in 2016, and his tackle total was the highest since Travis Stephens (144) and Denny Haywood (134) in 2000.

Moore has earned national preseason All-America recognition at kickoff returner after averaging 27.8 yards per return and setting the NCAA FCS record with a 93-yard touchdown return in Monmouth’s second round game against James Madison. Moore finished last season with 19 returns for 529 yards. He was third in the league in all-purpose yards and had 1,022 receiving yards and nine touchdowns. Additionally, Moore was one of the Big South’s most productive wide receivers a season ago, tying the Monmouth record with 74 receptions.

The College Sports Journal released an all-America team in the summer of 2020 before the FCS Championship season was cancelled. It was the basis of this spring team, and as teams committed to forego the spring season, some players were removed and other players added to the team. This team consists of players that are scheduled to play at least four games this spring.

The College Sports Journal is an independent, writer-driven media organization that has been previewing, covering and promoting FCS football for nearly two decades.

COLLEGE SPORTS JOURNAL SPRING 2021 PRESEASON FCS ALL-AMERICA TEAM

Offensive Player of the Year: Daniel Smith, QB, Villanova

Defensive Player of the Year: Willie Eubanks III, LB, The Citadel

Special Teams Player of the Year: KR Lonnie Moore IV, Monmouth

See the full team below:

QB Daniel Smith, Villanova
QB Reese Udinski, VMI
QB Eric Barriere, Eastern Washington

RB Karl Mofor, UAlbany
RB Pierre Strong Jr., South Dakota State
RB Julius Chestnut, Sacred Heart
RB Julien Gums, Nicholls

WR Deangelo Wilson, Austin Peay
WR Brandon Porter, Northern Arizona
WR Jakob Herres, VMI
WR Izaiah Gathings, Gardner-Webb
WR Jaaron Hayek, Villanova
WR Abu-Fatai Ibrahim, Alabama A&M
WR Isaiah Weston, Northern Iowa
WR C.J. Turner, Southeastern Louisiana

TE Brett Samson, South Dakota
TE Trae Barry, Jacksonville State

C Colby Thomas, Sam Houston State
C PJ Burkhalter, Nicholls
OT Cordell Volson, NDSU
OT Liam Fornadel, James Madison
OG Zeveyon Furcron, Southern Illinois
OG Atondre Smith, Arkansas-Pine Bluff
OL D.J. Wright, San Diego
OL Brian Foley, Holy Cross
OL Drew Himmleman, Illinois State
OL Ty Whitworth, Weber State

DE Spencer Waege, North Dakota State
DE Malik Fisher, Villanova
DE Jerry Garner, Mississippi Valley State
DT Trace Mascorro, Sam Houston State
DT Roderick Perry, South Carolina State
DT Jared Schiess, Weber State
DL Vaughn Taylor Jr., Morehead State
DL Malik Hamm, Lafayette
DL Micheal Mason, Wofford

OLB Christian Ellis, Idaho
OLB Ryan Greenhagen, Fordham
OLB Bryson Armstrong, Kennesaw State
ILB Keonte Hampton, Jackson State
ILB Aniello Buzzacco, Robert Morris
ILB Willie Eubanks III, The Citadel
LB Tyler Dressler, Richmond
LB Logan Backhaus, South Dakota State
LB John Staton, Samford

CB Devon King, UC Davis
CB Ferlando Jordan, Southeastern Louisiana
CB Jaylen Harris, Priarie View A&M
S Kedrick Whitehead, Delaware
S Brandon Dowdell, Chattanooga
S JaQuez Akins, UT Martin
DB Kordell Jackson, Austin Peay
DB Evan Horn, New Hampshire
DB Michael Tutsie, North Dakota State

P Brady Schutt, South Dakota
K Luis Aguiar, Northern Arizona
P/K Ethan Ratke, James Madison
KR Lonnie Moore IV, Monmouth
PR Montrell Washington, Samford
LS Justin Hathoot Northern Arizona