Seven Football Players Named To Football Gazette All-America Team
PITTSBURG, Kan. - Seven South Atlantic Conference players have been named to the Don Hansen's Football Gazette NCAA Division II All-America Team.
Mars Hill and Carson-Newman led the conference with two selections each.
Mars Hill running back Jonas Randolph was named second team All-American and right guard Josh Sims was an All-American honorable mention. Carson-Newman running back Buck Wakefield was also named second team All-American as was offensive tackle Michael Tribue. They were joined by Newberry safety Ron Parker who was named a first team All-American, Wingate return specialist Perry Floyd who was named second team All-American, and by Tusculum tight end Jarrell NeSmith who was named a third team All-American.
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Ron Parker |
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Jonas Randolph |
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Buck Wakefield |
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Michael Tribue |
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Perry Floyd |
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Jarrell NeSmith |
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Josh Sims |
For Ron Parker this is the third All-American team he has been named to this season. Parker was this year's SAC Defensive player of the year and was first team All-Conference player. Parker finished second in the conference in tackles per game with 8.3, first in interceptions with 6, and second in passes defended with 13. Parker's 6 interceptions also put him 11th in the nation. Parker is only the third player from Newberry to ever make the Gazette All-American team.
For Jonas Randolph, who was named the SAC Co-Offensive player of the year, this was the forth different All-American team he has been named too this season. Randolph led the league in rushing yards with 1,804, all-purpose yards with 1,879, and set the SAC season record for rushing yards per game with 180.4, Randolph also set seven other Mars Hill single season records.
Josh Sims, who was named first team All-Conference, was an instrumental part of a Mars Hill offensive line that paved the way for an average of 197.4 rushing yards per game. Sims was also named to the 2009 Daktronics Super Region II First Team.
Jarrell NeSmith returns to the Don Hansen's Football Gazette Division II All-American team after being named first team last season. NeSmith, a two-time first team All-Conference player, led the SAC in receiving yards per game with 67.8 this season. He is also the first ever three-time winner of the SAC Football Scholar-Athlete award and was named an ESPN the Magazine Academic All-American for the second time. NeSmith is a pre-medicine major who graduated in December with a 3.87 GPA.
Perry Floyd, who was also named first team All-Conference return man, led the SAC in yards per kick return with 30.4 and yards per punt return with 15.1. Floyd's numbers also put him third on the NCAA Division II ranks in kick returns and ninth in punt returns. Floyd finished the year with 1,105 all-purpose yards. As a receiver, he had 32 receptions for 389 yards.
For Buck Wakefield, this is his third All-American team he has been named to this season. Wakefield who set the SAC record for points per game with 13.1 and tied the records for points scored in a season with 144 and most touchdowns in a season with 24. He finished second in the SAC in yards (1,515) and yards per game (137.7), second in all-purpose yards (1,900) and all-purpose yards per game (172.7), and first in touchdowns (24), points (144), and points per game (13.1).
For Michael Tribue, this is also the third All-American team he has been named too. Tribue helped pave the way for the Eagles number one scoring offense and rushing offense in the SAC, the Eagles averaged 471.9 yards per game and 336.7 rushing yards per game this season. Tribue and the rest of his offensive line also allowed the 4th fewest sacks in the SAC this year. He received the league's Jacobs Blocking Trophy, presented to the top lineman.
This marks the 22nd year Don Hansen's Football Gazette, a recognized authority on small college football, has selected an NCAA Division II All-America team. The national publication selected All-Region teams with the first team and second-team All-Region players from each of the four geographic regions (Super Region One - former Northeast; Super Region Two - former Southeast; Super Region Three - former Northwest; Super Region Four - former Southwest) comprising the national ballot, which was voted upon by a select national panel.
A total of 157 players earned some form of Football Gazette All-America honors. Players from 83 of the 150 football-playing schools in Division II earned Football Gazette All-America accolades. National Champion NW Missouri State and national
quarterfinalist West Liberty State led the way by placing seven players apiece on All-America squad, while national semifinalist California (Pa.) had six honorees.