Kupp and Hall Headline College Sports Journal FCS All-America Team

PHILADELPHIA, PA. — Last year’s Walter Payton Award winner Cooper Kupp and P.J. Hall of Sam Houston State are the centerpieces of the College Sports Journal preseason Football Championship Subdivision All-America team, which was announced on Friday as the 2016 FCS season is set to commence.

Kupp, the record-breaking redshirt senior receiver from Eastern Washington, has established himself as one of the top performers in FCS since earning the Jerry Rice Award and CSJ’s freshman of the year honors in 2013.

Kupp piled up 115 receptions for 1,642 yards and 19 touchdowns as a junior and is expected to shatter most of the career pass receiving records held by the legendary Rice from Mississippi Valley State and David Ball of New Hampshire as he finishes up a sterling college career.

The son of former NFL quarterback Craig Kupp and the grandson of ex-NFL offensive lineman Jake Kupp has 311 career receptions for 4,764 yards and 55 touchdowns and an average of 15.3 yards per catch.

Hall has also been a dominant player since he arrived on the FCS scene in 2014, helping the Bearkats make back-to-back semifinal appearances in the playoffs as a defensive end and special teams ace.

The 6-foot-1, 280-pound playmaker has 94 solo stops, 171 total tackles, 23 sacks for 129 yards in losses, 52 tackles for loss and 16 pass breakups in his first two seasons. Hall has also 10 blocked kicks, including several that have helped lift the Bearkats to wins.

A total of 105 players are honored, with all 13 FCS conferences represented.

2016 FCS PRESEASON ALL-AMERICA TEAM

Offensive Player of the Year
Cooper Kupp, Eastern Washington, Senior, Wide Receiver

Defensive Player of the Year
P.J. Hall, Sam Houston State, Junior

FIRST TEAM OFFENSE
QB Case Cookus, Northern Arizona, Sophomore
RB Chase Edmonds, Fordham, Junior
RB Kade Harrington, Lamar, Senior
FB Tyler Renew, The Citadel, Senior
WR Emmanuel Butler, Northern Arizona, Junior
WR Anthony Warrum, Illinois State, Senior
WR Jake Wieneke, South Dakota State, Junior
AP DeVonte Dedmon, William & Mary, Junior
TE Eric Saubert, Drake, Senior
OT Julie’n Davenport, Bucknell, Senior
OT Javarius Leamon, South Carolina State, Senior
OG Eric Austell, Charleston Southern, Senior
OG Jessamen Dunker, Tennessee State, Senior
C Casey Dunn, Jacksonville State, Senior

FIRST TEAM DEFENSE
DE Keionta Davis, Chattanooga, Senior
DE Karter Schult, UNI, Senior
DE Tanoh Kpassagnon, Villanova, Senior
DT Pat Ricard, Maine, Senior
DT Copache Taylor, Yale, Senior
LB Andrew Ankrah, James Madison, Junior
LB Kourtney Berry, Alabama State, Senior
LB Nick DeLuca, North Dakota State, Senior
LB Chase Allen, Southern Illinois, Senior
CB Dee Delaney, The Citadel, Junior
CB Casey DeAndrade, New Hampshire, Senior
S LeRoy Alexander, Youngstown State, Senior
S David Jones, Richmond, Senior
S Donald Payne, Stetson, Senior

FIRST TEAM SPECIALISTS
K Lance Geesey, Saint Francis, Senior
P Chris Fraser, Cornell, Senior
LS Joshua Appel, Indiana State, Senior
KR Willie Quinn, Southern, Senior
PR Khris Gardin, North Carolina A&T, Junior

SECOND TEAM OFFENSE
QB Eli Jenkins, Jacksonville State, Senior
RB Cory Avery, Sam Houston State, Junior
RB Tarik Cohen, North Carolina A&T, Senior
FB Joe Protheroe, Cal Poly, Junior
TE Jesse Blackburn, Murray State, Senior
WR Brendan Flaherty, Holy Cross, Senior
WR Justin Watson, Penn, Junior
WR Josh Barge, Jacksonville State, Senior
AP Justice Shelton-Mosley, Harvard, Sophomore
OT Max Rich, Harvard, Senior
OT Anton Wahrby, Wofford, Senior
OG Zack Johnson, North Dakota State, Senior
OG Corey Levin, Chattanooga, Senior
C Robert Rathje, UNI, Senior

SECOND TEAM DEFENSE
DL Anthony Ellis, Charleston Southern, Junior
DE Ebenezer Ogundeko, Tennessee State, Junior
DE Derek Rivers, Youngstown State, Senior
DT Chance Bearnson, Southern Utah, Junior
DT Cole Langer, South Dakota State, Senior
LB Mac Bignell, Montana State, Junior
LB Dylan Cole, Missouri State, Senior
LB Omar Howard, Richmond, Senior
LB Christian Kuntz, Duquesne, Senior
CB Tremon Smith, Central Arkansas, Junior
CB Xavier Coleman, Portland State, Senior
S Jamerson Blount, Samford, Senior
S Trey Robinson, Furman, Senior
S Dorian Williams, Princeton, Senior

SECOND TEAM SPECIALISTS
K Nick Dorka, William and Mary, Junior
P Keith Wrzuszczak, Eastern Kentucky, Junior
LS Joseph Smith, Charleston Southern, Senior
KR Lorenzo Jerome, St. Francis (PA), Senior
PR Christian Searles, Dayton, Junior

THIRD TEAM OFFENSE
QB Kyle Lauletta, Richmond, Junior
RB Kendall Anderson, William and Mary, Senior
RB Darius Victor, Towson, Senior
FB Emmanuel Holder, Towson, Senior
TE Phazahn Odom, Fordham, Senior
WR Brian Brown, Richmond, Senior
WR Lance Lenoir, Western Illinois, Senior
WR Spearman Robinson, Western Carolina, Senior
AP John Santiago, San Diego, Sophomore
OT Taylor Gadbois, Southeastern Louisiana, Senior
OT Jerry Ugokwe, William and Mary, Senior
OG Cam Kelzur, Portland State, Senior
OG Kyle Avaloy, Illinois State, Senior
C Bruce Johnson, Maine, Senior

THIRD TEAM DEFENSE
DE Darius Jackson, Jacksonville State, Junior
DE Javancy Jones, Jackson State. Senior
DT Jon Taylor, Southeastern Louisiana, Junior
DT Matthew Sommer, Eastern Washington, Senior
LB Austin Calitro, Villanova, Senior
LB Darius Leonard, South Carolina State, Junior
LB James Rentz, Sacred Heart, Senior
LB Brett Taylor, Western Illinois, Junior
LB Folarin Orimolade, Dartmouth, Senior
CB Jamal Agnew, San Diego, Senior
CB Taylor Reynolds, James Madison, Senior
CB Josh Thornton, Southern Utah, Senior
S Lorenzo Jerome, Saint Francis (PA), Senior
S Adam Jones, Northwestern State, Senior

THIRD TEAM SPECIALISTS
K Zak Kennedy, Youngstown State, Sophomore
P Ian Berryman, Western Carolina, Sophomore
LS Joseph Smith, Charleston Southern, Senior
KR Jacob Arnell, San Diego, Senior
PR Ellis Onic, Northern Colorado, Junior