Southland Announces Preseason All-Conference Football Teams
Southland Conference
FRISCO, Texas – A total of 20 of the 58 Southland Conference all-conference positions from the 2015 season return for the 2016 season and garner spots on the preseason all-conference teams, the league office announced Wednesday, a week ahead of its media day at L’auberge Resort in Lake Charles, La.
Reigning conference player of the year Kade Harrington from Lamar and freshman of the year Jabari Butler from Abilene Christian highlight a talented list of nine offensive players and 11 defensive players who return from last season’s all-conference squads to earn a spot on the preseason teams.
Harrington completed the 2015 regular season as the all-time single-season rushing leader in league history with 2,092 yards, which led the FCS by more than 300 yards and set the conference record by more than 400 yards. The senior from Kingwood, Texas, finished second in the STATS FCS Offensive Player of the Year voting after leading the nation in all-purpose yards per game (213.36), rushing touchdowns (21) and rushing yards per game (190.2) while finishing second in scoring (12.5) and third in rush yards per carry (7.86).
Butler returns for his second year at ACU after leading the league last season with six interceptions. The sophomore defensive back from Potomac, Md., was a finalist for the STATS FCS National Freshman of the Year award. He also finished 2015 ranked second in the conference with 15 passes defended.
National semifinalist Sam Houston State leads all league schools with 14 all-conference selections. Central Arkansas has 10 players on the two teams and defending regular-season champion McNeese has nine. Lamar lands five players followed by ACU with four and UIW, Northwestern State and Stephen F. Austin all with three. Houston Baptist and Southeastern Louisiana are represented by two players each while Nicholls places one player on the preseason all-conference teams.
Sam Houston lands a league-high eight members on the first team with six coming on the offensive side of the ball. Junior Yedidiah Louis leads the way for the Bearkats after picking up first-team honors as a wide receiver and all-purpose player. Joining Louis are junior running back Corey Avery, senior offensive linemen Bridge Blount and Curtis Riser, senior placekicker Luc Swimberghe, junior defensive end P.J. Hall and senior defensive back Darion Flowers.
After running through the regular season in 2015 with a perfect 10-0 overall and 9-0 conference mark, McNeese returns six players earning preseason first-team all-conference honors with senior halfback Zach Hetrick, junior wide receiver Kent Shelby and senior offensive lineman Mason Martin on the offensive side, and junior defensive lineman Isaiah Golden, junior linebacker Ashari Goins and junior defensive back Dominique Hill on the defensive side.
UCA and Lamar each placed four players on the first team followed by ACU and SFA with two. HBU, Nicholls and Southeastern each had one first-team honoree.
Returning student-athletes who earned all-conference honors at the conclusion of the 2015 season were automatically named to the preseason teams. Head coaches from the 11 schools that play football in the Southland Conference voted for the remaining 38 positions, which included six on the first-team offense, four on the first-team defense, 13 positions on the second-team offense and 15 on the second-team defense. No placekickers or punters were nominated to fill the spots on the second team. Coaches could not vote for their own players.
The conference’s two preseason polls – coaches and sports information directors – will be announced July 27 at Media Day.
2016 Preseason All-Southland Conference Football Teams
First-Team Offense
| Pos. |
Name |
University |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Cl. |
Hometown |
| QB |
Zach Conque |
Stephen F. Austin |
6-6 |
237 |
Sr. |
Little Rock, Ark. |
| RB |
Kade Harrington |
Lamar |
5-9 |
190 |
Sr. |
Kingwood, Texas |
| RB |
Corey Avery |
Sam Houston State |
5-10 |
190 |
Jr. |
Dallas, Texas |
| TE/HB |
Zach Hetrick |
McNeese |
6-3 |
250 |
Sr. |
Baton Rouge, La. |
| WR |
Desmond Smith |
Central Arkansas |
6-1 |
201 |
Sr. |
Bentonville, Ark. |
| WR |
Kent Shelby |
McNeese |
6-3 |
194 |
Jr. |
New Orleans, La. |
| WR |
Yedidiah Louis |
Sam Houston State |
5-8 |
187 |
Jr. |
Richardson, Texas |
| OL |
Bret Treadway |
Lamar |
6-3 |
280 |
Sr. |
Silsbee, Texas |
| OL |
Stockton Mallett |
Central Arkansas |
6-3 |
298 |
Jr. |
Harrison, Ark. |
| OL |
Mason Martin |
McNeese |
6-2 |
286 |
Sr. |
Pineville, La. |
| OL |
Bridge Blount |
Sam Houston State |
5-10 |
295 |
Sr. |
Huntsville, Texas |
| OL |
Curtis Riser |
Sam Houston State |
6-4 |
320 |
Sr. |
DeSoto, Texas |
| AP |
Yedidiah Louis |
Sam Houston State |
5-8 |
187 |
Jr. |
Richardson, Texas |
| PK |
Luc Swimberghe |
Sam Houston State |
6-0 |
197 |
Sr. |
Natchitoches, La. |
First-Team Defense
| Pos. |
Name |
University |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Cl. |
Hometown |
| DL |
P.J. Hall |
Sam Houston State |
6-1 |
280 |
Jr. |
Seguin, Texas |
| DL |
Isaiah Golden |
McNeese |
6-2 |
335 |
Jr. |
Carthage, Texas |
| DL |
Larance Hale |
Lamar |
6-2 |
280 |
Sr. |
Tatum, Texas |
| DL |
John Franklin |
Stephen F. Austin |
6-4 |
284 |
Jr. |
Greenville, Texas |
| LB |
Sam Denmark |
Abilene Christian |
6-1 |
230 |
Jr. |
Las Cruces, N.M. |
| LB |
Ashari Goins |
McNeese |
5-10 |
200 |
Jr. |
Monroe, La. |
| LB |
Antreon Bennett |
Southeastern La. |
6-0 |
225 |
Sr. |
West Point, Miss. |
| DB |
Tremon Smith |
Central Arkansas |
6-0 |
185 |
Jr. |
Anniston, Ala. |
| DB |
Jabari Butler |
Abilene Christian |
5-11 |
180 |
So. |
Potomac, Md. |
| DB |
Dominique Hill |
McNeese |
5-10 |
177 |
Jr. |
Mansfield, La. |
| DB |
B.T. Sanders |
Nicholls |
6-0 |
190 |
Sr. |
Foley, Ala. |
| DB |
Darion Flowers |
Sam Houston State |
6-0 |
195 |
Sr. |
Tyler, Texas |
| P |
Christian Guzman |
Houston Baptist |
5-11 |
165 |
Jr. |
Brookshire, Texas |
| KR |
Rodney Randle |
Lamar |
5-10 |
200 |
So. |
Beaumont, Texas |
| PR |
Brandon Cox |
Central Arkansas |
5-9 |
180 |
Jr. |
Conway, Ark. |
Second-Team Offense
| Pos. |
Name |
University |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Cl. |
Hometown |
| QB |
Jeremiah Briscoe |
Sam Houston State |
6-3 |
220 |
Jr. |
Houston, Texas |
| RB |
Ryan Ross |
McNeese |
5-9 |
205 |
Jr. |
Richwood, Texas |
| RB |
De’Mard Llorens |
Northwestern State |
5-10 |
214 |
Sr. |
Natchitoches, La. |
| TE/HB |
Cody Dauksch |
Central Arkansas |
6-1 |
221 |
Sr. |
West Memphis, Tenn. |
| WR |
Jatavious Wilson |
Central Arkansas |
5-9 |
171 |
Sr. |
Bastrop, La. |
| WR |
Davion Davis |
Sam Houston State |
5-11 |
175 |
So. |
Hutto, Texas |
| WR |
Shakeir Ryan |
Northwestern State |
5-8 |
161 |
Sr. |
Lafayette, La. |
| OL |
Riley Mayfield |
Abilene Christian |
6-7 |
305 |
Jr. |
Cedar Park, Texas |
| OL |
Terrance Boyd |
Northwestern State |
6-3 |
324 |
Sr. |
Baytown, Texas |
| OL |
Dakota Laws |
Abilene Christian |
6-3 |
320 |
So. |
Denton, Texas |
| OL |
Sam Hardy |
Sam Houston State |
6-3 |
310 |
Sr. |
West Hills, Calif. |
| OL |
Travis Romero |
Southeastern La. |
6-3 |
320 |
Jr. |
Manvel, Texas |
| AP |
Jatavious Wilson |
Central Arkansas |
5-9 |
171 |
Sr. |
Bastrop, La. |
Second-Team Defense
| Pos. |
Name |
University |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Cl. |
Hometown |
| DL |
Luis Carreno |
Sam Houston State |
6-2 |
245 |
Sr. |
Coppell, Texas |
| DL |
Jammerio Gross |
McNeese |
6-3 |
240 |
Jr. |
Shreveport, La. |
| DL |
Terrence Partee |
Central Arkansas |
6-3 |
278 |
Sr. |
Memphis, Tenn. |
| DL |
Sione Latu |
Sam Houston State |
6-0 |
285 |
Sr. |
Euless, Texas |
| LB |
Josh Zellars |
UIW |
6-0 |
210 |
Sr. |
Baytown, Texas |
| LB |
Collins Okotcha |
Sam Houston State |
6-1 |
220 |
So. |
Coppell, Texas |
| LB |
Garrett Dolan |
Houston Baptist |
6-2 |
240 |
Jr. |
Mont Belvieu, Texas |
| DB |
Jermaine Antoine |
McNeese |
5-11 |
191 |
Jr. |
Loreauville, La. |
| DB |
George Odum |
Central Arkansas |
6-2 |
185 |
Jr. |
Millington, Tenn. |
| DB |
Brendan Langley |
Lamar |
6-1 |
190 |
Sr. |
Marietta, Ga. |
| DB |
Adrian Norwood |
UIW |
6-0 |
210 |
Sr. |
Waco, Texas |
| DB |
Patrick Martin |
Stephen F. Austin |
5-9 |
186 |
Sr. |
Spring, Texas |
| KR |
Jatavious Wilson |
Central Arkansas |
5-9 |
171 |
Sr. |
Bastrop, La. |
| PR |
Jordan Hicks |
UIW |
5-8 |
175 |
Sr. |
Arlington, Texas |