Six Southland Conference Football Players Named AP All-American
FRISCO, Texas - Six Southland Conference football players were named AP All-Americans today. First-team selections included McNeese State's Bryan Smith, Northwestern State's Demetrius Bell, Texas State's Chris MacDonald and Sam Houston State's Blake Martin. Nicholls State's Kareem Moore and Ladarius Webb earned second-team honors.
Smith earns his third All-America honor this season, joining the American Football Coaches Association and Walter Camp Foundation and for the second straight year, earns honors from the AP.
The Southland Conference Player of the Year for the 2007 season, Smith set school records in quarterback sacks and tackles for a loss during his career with the Cowboys.
Smith was among the nation’s top five in quarterback sacks (10.5) and tackles for a loss (22.5) this past season. He was a first team all-Southland Conference pick and was also named the league’s Player of the Year.
Bell, one of only four current Division I athletes to have played both football and basketball in college, helped clear the way for Demons' junior tailback Byron Lawrence to lead the Southland Conference with a 125.1 yards per game average. Bell had never played organized football at any level prior to 2005, when he redshirted in basketball after playing for the Demons for two seasons.
"I'm just thrilled for D-Bell," said Demons football coach Scott Stoker. "He's such a good person, very humble, very hard-working and unselfish. Making the AP All-America first team is as big an honor as you can get. It says that people who watch film and evaluate players believe he is one of the best offensive linemen in the FCS.
"It's a tribute to him and how hard he's worked. It's also a tribute to (offensive line coach Jeremy) Offut and the job he did bringing D-Bell along, literally, from the starting blocks two years ago," said Stoker.
Bell played defensive end in his first season, 2005, getting into just one game. He was reluctantly shifted to starting left offensive tackle three weeks before the 2006 season opener. He started all 22 games since then, earning second-team All-Louisiana honors last season in media voting, then getting first-team All-Southland Conference honors for this season chosen by the league's head coaches and sports information directors.
This fall, Bell had 50 knockdown blocks and five games of 80 percent or better grades, leading the offensive line in grades six times.
Bell is a rising NFL Draft prospect who is considering whether to play his senior season of basketball or completely focus on his pro football opportunities. He was an All-State and honorable mention All-America basketball standout at tiny Summerfield High School, which did not field a football team. He has played in 88 basketball games, including starting twice last season, for coach Mike McConathy's Demons.
"I can't believe it. My heart started pounding hard when I heard the news and two hours later it's still pounding pretty good," said Bell. "I have a lot to be thankful for, with Coach McConathy giving me his blessing to try football, to Coach Stoker and the football team for being willing to give me the chance, and then for Coach Stoker talking me into playing offense and Coach Offut and my teammates helping me learn to play tackle as I went along.
"There was no way I could have ever dreamed this might happen when I came to play basketball here," said Bell. "I definitely feel blessed."
Bell admitted he initially objected to being moved from defensive end to offensive tackle three weeks before the 2006 season opener at Kansas.
"Me and Coach Stoker had it out. I talked to him for way more than an hour because I wasn't OK with it, but they had to have somebody step in and play and he said I was the best one for the job. I didn't know anything about playing offensive tackle, but Coach Stoker and Coach Offut really encouraged me and it sure turned out pretty good."
Bell became the first AP All-America first-team selection from Northwestern since linebacker Jamall Johnson in 2004. He is the 39th All-America selection in NSU's 100-year football history and the fourth Demons' offensive lineman to earn that honor in the last 10 seasons, joining Greg Buckley (2004), Gene Tennison (2001) and William Broussard (1998, 1999).
Defensive tackle Tory Collins was a third-team AP All-America pick last year along with receiving first-team honors on the American Football Coaches' Association team and inclusion on the College Sporting News Fabulous 50 All-America team.
Bell is the eighth All-America pick for NSU in Stoker's six seasons as head coach.
MacDonald earns his third All-America honor of the season, as he was named Walter Camp and American Football Coaches Association. He led Division I’s Football Championship Subdivision in punting during his senior year with a 45.92 yards per punt average. Despite punting from only eight yards back of center, he still got the ball off with one step. Of MacDonald’s 49 punts, 19 were over 50 yards.
Martin led the Bearkats with 46 catches for 561 yards in 2007 with a pair of touchdown catches. Martin, who was a preseason selection on the All-American team, was a first-team All-Southland selection this year as well.
Martin finished his Bearkat career with 117 catches and 1,388 yards. He had five touch receptions in his career with the Bearkats.
The selection of Martin marks the fourth straight season the Bearkats have had a player selected as an All-American. In 2004 Paul Donelson (Sports Network, Second Team), Stephen Izevbizua (Sports Network, Second Team), Jason Mathenia (Don Hansen, Honorable Mention), Dustin Long (Sports Network, Second Team and AP Third Team) all earned nation recognition. In 2005 Corey Roberts was selected to the first team of the American Football Coaches Association and last season Derik Harris was an Associated Press second-team selection.
Martin joins Michael Bankston (1991) and Jonathan Cooper (2001) as the only Bearkats to be named to the Associated Press first team. In all, 11 Bearkats have now been named a first-team All-American since Sam Houston State moved up to Division I football.
Webb earns his second All-America honor of the season, as he was also selected by Walter Camp. He led the SLC with five interceptions on the year, while posting 51 tackles.
Moore earns his first All-America honor of the season, as he finished with four interceptions on the year. He finished No. 4 in the SLC in tackles with 73.
2007 AP All-AMERICAN FIRST TEAM
OFFENSE
Quarterback - Ricky Santos, senior, 6-foot-2, 215 pounds, New Hampshire.
Running backs - Omar Cuff, senior, 5-10, 195, Delaware; Jayson Foster, senior, 5-9, 164, Georgia Southern.
Wide receivers - Ramses Barden, junior 6-6, 228, Cal Poly; Terrell Hudgins, junior, 6-2, 226, Elon.
Linemen - Kerry Brown, senior, 6-6, 290, Appalachian State; Chad Rinehart, senior, 6-5, 310, Northern Iowa; Mitch Erickson, senior, 6-6, 290, South Dakota State; Brennan Carvalho, 6-1, 310, senior, Portland State; Demetrius Bell, senior, 6-5, 263, Northwestern State.
Tight end - Blake Martin, senior, 6-3, 235, Sam Houston State.
All-purpose player - Jeremy Gilchrist, junior, 5-10, 174, Hampton.
Kicker - Jon Striefsky, junior, 6-1, 185, Delaware.
2007 AP ALL-AMERICAN FIRST TEAM
DEFENSE
Linemen - Kroy Biermann, senior, 6-3, 241, Montana; Eric Bakhtiari, senior, 6-4, 260, San Diego; Bryan Smith, 6-2, 230, McNeese State; Brian Johnston, 6-5, 280, Gardner-Webb.
Linebackers - Bobby Daly, senior, 6-1, 215, Montana State; Brian Bradford, senior, 6-2, 235, Towson; Brannon Carter, senior, 6-3, 233, Northern Iowa.
Defensive backs - Tony LeZotte, senior, 6-0, 200, James Madison; Corey Lynch, senior, 6-0, 205, Appalachian State; Bobbie Williams, senior, 6-1, 210, Bethune-Cookman; Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, senior, 6-2, 180, Tennessee State.
Punter - Chris MacDonald, senior, 6-4, 215, Texas State.
2007 AP ALL-AMERICAN SECOND TEAM
OFFENSE
Quarterback - Josh Johnson, senior, San Diego.
Running backs - Tim Hightower, senior, Richmond; Tyler Roehl, junior, North Dakota State
Wide receivers - Eddie Cohen, senior, Western Carolina; Aaron Boyce, sophomore, Eastern Washington
Offensive linemen - Nate Safe, senior, North Dakota State; Matt Austin, senior, Massachusetts; Jesse Padilla, senior, Lafayette; David Hale, senior, Weber State; Brad Samsa, junior, Youngstown State.
Tight end - Matt Champa, senior, Dayton.
All-purpose player - Larry Shipp, senior, Tennessee Tech
Kicker - Dan Carpenter, senior, Montana.
2007 AP ALL-AMERICAN SECOND TEAM
DEFENSE
Defensive line - Kendall Langford, senior, Hampton; Rudolph Hardie, senior, Howard; Jovan Belcher, junior, Maine; Greg Peach, junior, Eastern Washington.
Linebackers - Mike Gallihugh, senior, Colgate; Zach East, senior, Prairie View A&M; Jason Williams, junior, Western Illinois.
Defensive backs - Kareem Moore, senior, Nicholls State; Derrick Huff, senior, Eastern Kentucky; LaDarius Webb, junior, Nicholls State; Al Donaldson, junior, Alabama A&M.
Punter - Benjamin Dato, senior, Fordham.
2007 AP ALL-AMERICAN THIRD TEAM
OFFENSE
Quarterback - Eric Sanders, senior, Northern Iowa.
Running backs - Herb Donaldson, junior, Western Illinois; Mike McLeod, senior, Yale.
Wide receivers - Tremayne Kirkland, senior, Portland State; Andre Roberts, freshman, Citadel.
Linemen - Mike Byrne, senior, Delaware; Stephen Field, junior, Cal Poly; Matt Alfred, senior, Eastern Washington; James Lee, senior, South Carolina State; Brandon Keith, senior, Northern Iowa.
Tight end - Clay Harbor, sophomore, Missouri State.
All-purpose player - J.T. Rogan, junior, San Diego.
Kicker - Gavin Halliford, junior, Jacksonville State.
2007 AP ALL-AMERICAN THIRD TEAM
DEFENSE
Linemen - Marcus Dixon, senior, Hampton; Pierre Walters, junior, Eastern Illinois; Robert Brown, junior, Wagner; Gary Tharrington, sophomore, Appalachian State.
Linebackers - Joe Mays, senior, North Dakota State; Jason Hatchell, senior, Massachusetts; Ronnie McCullogh, senior, Bethune-Cookman.
Defensive backs - Steven Williams, senior, Harvard; Tyler Koch, senior, South Dakota State; David Hyland, junior, Morehead State; K.J. Gerard, junior, Northern Arizona.
Punter - Tyler Johnson, senior, Montana.