Southland Announces 2019 Preseason All-Conference Football Teams
FRISCO, Texas – The 2019 Southland Conference Football Preseason All-Conference Teams were announced on Thursday, with defending co-champion Nicholls leading the league with 11 total selections.
Led by senior quarterback Chase Fourcade and senior defensive lineman Sully Laiche, the Colonels accounted for eight of the 28 first-team slots. Fourcade, the 2018 Southland Conference Player of the Year, enters his final season with the 10th-most career total offense yards in league history (8,990), and Laiche begins his senior campaign as the active FCS leader in career sacks (25.5).
Central Arkansas earned the second-most selections with seven, followed by six each for Sam Houston State and Southeastern Louisiana.
The Bears’ secondary placed three on the all-league teams with Juan Jackson earning first-team honors after leading the team with 91 tackles in 2018. UCA’s second-leading tackler, junior Jackie Harvell (69), joins classmate Robert Rochell on the second team.
With 1,000 receiving yards in 2019, Sam Houston State wide receiver Nathan Stewart would become just the third player in FCS history to tally 1,000 yards all four years, joining Elon’s Terrell Hudgins and Eastern Washington’s Cooper Kupp.
The Lions boast a talented crop of return specialists with returning all-conference selections Juwan Petit-Frere and Devonte Williams named to the top squad and punt returner Austin Mitchell appearing on the second team.
Defending co-champion UIW and Abilene Christian placed five on the teams, while Northwestern State garnered four preseason all-conference selections. Houston Baptist, Lamar, McNeese and Stephen F. Austin earned three spots each.
Returning all-conference selections from the previous season are automatically named to the preseason all-conference teams and may advance to higher team slots if they are vacated by non-returning players. Open positions are nominated and voted upon by the league’s head coaches.
The 2019 preseason poll will be revealed next Thursday, July 18, to kick off Southland Football Media Day at the Hilton Houston Post Oak.
First Team All-Conference Offense
| Pos. |
Name |
School |
Class |
Hometown |
| QB |
Chase Fourcade* |
Nicholls |
Sr. |
Metairie, La. |
| RB |
Carlos Blackman* |
Central Arkansas |
Sr. |
Gosnell, Ark. |
| RB |
Billy McCrary* |
Abilene Christian |
Sr. |
Austin, Texas |
| TE/HB |
Bransen Schwebel* |
Southeastern Louisiana |
Sr. |
Amite, La. |
| WR |
Nathan Stewart* |
Sam Houston State |
Sr. |
Dallas, Texas |
| WR |
Dai’Jean Dixon* |
Nicholls |
Jr. |
New Orleans, La. |
| WR |
Juwan Petit-Frere* |
Southeastern Louisiana |
Sr. |
Orlando, Fla. |
| OL |
Hunter Watts* |
Central Arkansas |
Sr. |
San Antonio, Texas |
| OL |
Brandon Floores* |
UIW |
Sr. |
La Vernia, Texas |
| OL |
Terence Hickman II* |
UIW |
Sr. |
Converse, Texas |
| OL |
Grant Burguillos* |
McNeese |
Sr. |
Mandeville, La. |
| OL |
P.J. Burkhalter |
Nicholls |
R-Jr. |
Franklinton, La. |
| PK |
Storm Ruiz |
Stephen F. Austin |
Sr. |
League City, Texas |
| P |
Winston Jones* |
Nicholls |
Sr. |
Thibodaux, La. |
First Team All-Conference Defense
| Pos. |
Name |
School |
Class |
Hometown |
| DL |
Sully Laiche* |
Nicholls |
Sr. |
Grammercy, La. |
| DL |
Chris Terrell* |
Central Arkansas |
Sr. |
Pensacola, Fla. |
| DL |
Chris Livings* |
McNeese |
Sr. |
Lake Charles, La. |
| DL |
Daniel Crosley* |
Lamar |
Sr. |
DeRidder, La. |
| LB |
Jeremiah Chambers* |
Abilene Christian |
Sr. |
Austin, Texas |
| LB |
Evan Veron* |
Nicholls |
Sr. |
LaPlace, La. |
| LB |
Allen Pittman* |
Nicholls |
Sr. |
St. Rose, La. |
| DB |
Hayden Bourgeois* |
Northwestern State |
Jr. |
Church Point, La. |
| DB |
Zyon McCollum* |
Sam Houston State |
Jr. |
Galveston, Texas |
| DB |
Colby Burton* |
McNeese |
Sr. |
League City, Texas |
| DB |
Juan Jackson* |
Central Arkansas |
Sr. |
Gardendale, Ala. |
| DB |
Darren Evans* |
Nicholls |
Jr. |
Baton Rouge, La. |
| KR |
Juwan Petit-Frere* |
Southeastern Louisiana |
Sr. |
Orlando, Fla. |
| PR |
Devonte Williams* |
Southeastern Louisiana |
Sr. |
Columbia, Md. |
Second Team All-Conference Offense
| Pos. |
Name |
School |
Class |
Hometown |
| QB |
Jon Copeland* |
UIW |
So. |
Argyle, Texas |
| RB |
Dontrell Taylor* |
Nicholls |
Sr. |
White Castle, La. |
| RB |
Myles Wanza |
Lamar |
Jr. |
Houston, Texas |
| TE/HB |
Woody Brandom |
Sam Houston State |
R-Sr. |
Corona, Calif. |
| WR |
Tamrick Pace |
Stephen F. Austin |
Sr. |
Brownsboro, Texas |
| WR |
Jerreth Sterns |
Houston Baptist |
So. |
Midlothian, Texas |
| WR |
Josh Fink |
Abilene Christian |
Sr. |
Coppell, Texas |
| OL |
Jair Joseph |
Nicholls |
Jr. |
Napoleonville, La. |
| OL |
Chris Zirkle |
Northwestern State |
Sr. |
League City, Texas |
| OL |
Toby Sanderson |
Central Arkansas |
Jr. |
Edmond, Okla. |
| OL |
Kade Parmelly |
Abilene Christian |
Jr. |
Abilene, Texas |
| OL |
Uzoma Okere |
UIW |
Jr. |
Grand Prairie, Texas |
| PK |
Elvin Martinez |
Lamar |
Jr. |
Huntsville, Texas |
| P |
David Balcomb |
UIW |
Sr. |
Gordon, Australia |
Second Team All-Conference Defense
| Pos. |
Name |
School |
Class |
Hometown |
| DL |
Erick Fowler* |
Sam Houston State |
Sr. |
Austin, Texas |
| DL |
Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund |
Southeastern Louisiana |
Sr. |
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia |
| DL |
O’Shea Jackson |
Northwestern State |
Sr. |
Arlington, Texas |
| DL |
Andre Walker |
Houston Baptist |
Sr. |
Slidell, La. |
| LB |
Caleb Johnson |
Houston Baptist |
Jr. |
San Diego, Calif. |
| LB |
Hunter Brown |
Sam Houston State |
R-Sr. |
Weston, Fla. |
| LB |
Royce See |
Sam Houston State |
Sr. |
Shepherd, Texas |
| DB |
Khristian Mims* |
Nicholls |
Sr. |
Baton Rouge, La. |
| DB |
Bolu Onifade* |
Abilene Christian |
Sr. |
Oklahoma City, Okla. |
| DB |
Alize Ward* |
Stephen F. Austin |
Sr. |
San Diego, Calif. |
| DB |
Jackie Harvell |
Central Arkansas |
Jr. |
Gurdon, Ark. |
| DB |
Robert Rochell |
Central Arkansas |
Jr. |
Shreveport, La. |
| KR |
Myles Ward |
Northwestern State |
So. |
Harvey, La. |
| PR |
Austin Mitchell |
Southeastern Louisiana |
Jr. |
Plaquemine, La. |
*
Automatic selection; returning all-conference player