CHICAGO, Ill. - A trio of Northern Arizona football players have been recognized on the College Sporting News 2015 Fabulous Fifty FCS All-America Team. Quarterback Case Cookus, wide receiver Emmanuel Butler, and cornerback Marcus Alford were all honored. Fifty of the best student-athletes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision received honors. Six players won the annual awards, while 44 other players were placed on the team. An additional 17 players received enough votes to earn honorable mention honors.
Cookus picked up Freshman of The Year honors. The Thousand Oaks, Calif. native had one of the best freshman campaigns in FCS history. He broke the long-standing FCS record for the most touchdown passes by a freshman. The previous record was 31 touchdown passes set in 2004. Cookus tallied 37 touchdown passes leading not only all FCS freshmen, but also all of the quarterbacks in the nation. He had the lowest amount of interceptions by any quarterback with 3,000 or more passing yards and led the nation in completion percentage for the majority of the season. He also broke the NAU season records for touchdown passes, completion percentage, and yards per pass attempt.
Butler, a sophomore from Phoenix, Ariz., was one of four wide receivers selected to the team. He broke the school record for receiving yards with 1,208 and tied the receiving touchdowns record with 15 scores. With two seasons under his belt, Butler ranks in the top 15 on the NAU career receiving yards chart. Butler ranked amongst the top in the nation in receiving touchdowns, receiving yards, and receiving yards all year long.
Alford, an honorable mention selection, had a team-high 13 pass breakups to rank amongst the best in the nation. A native of Oxnard, Calif, Alford registered 49 tackles and was second on the team in interceptions with three. Alford's four passes defended versus Eastern Washington was tied for the ninth-best in the FCS in a single game during the regular season.
Unlike other All-American teams, the CSN honor's squad is designed to be like a real team, capable of taking the field and competing in a game. It includes everything from quarterbacks who can run or pass and often-overlooked fullbacks, to long snappers and other special teams performers. The Fabulous Fifty also emphasizes players who have exhibited character and other team-oriented traits, not just lofty statistics, or talent.
Below are the full team and honorable mention selections:
COLLEGE SPORTING NEWS 2015 "FAB FIFTY" ALL-AMERICAN TEAM
The Roy Kidd FCS Coach of the Year Award: Bruce Barnum, Portland State
The Adrian "AP" Peterson FCS Offensive Player of the Year Award: Marshaun Coprich, RB, senior, 5-9, 205, Illinois State
The James "Boomer" Grigsby FCS Defensive Player of the Year Award: James Cowser, DE, senior, 6-4, 258, Southern Utah
Offensive Lineman Of The Year: Joe Haeg, OT, senior, 6-6, 310, North Dakota State
Special Teams Player Of The Year: Ben LeCompte, P, senior, 5-10, 196, North Dakota State.
Freshmen of the Year: Case Cookus, QB, 6-4, 200, Northern Arizona
Playoff MVP: Nick DeLuca, junior, LB, 6-3, 244, North Dakota State
MORE "FAB FIFTY" OFFENSE
QB Eli Jenkins, junior, 6-2, 205, Jacksonville State
QB Jacob Huesman, senior, 6-2, 220, Chattanooga
RB Chase Edmonds, sophomore, 5-9, 196, Fordham
RB Kade Harrington, junior, 5-8, 190, Lamar
RB Jacobi Green, senior, 5-9, 192, Richmond
FB Andrew Bonnet, senior, 6-3, 250, North Dakota State
FB Tyler Renew, junior, 5-11, 217, The Citadel
AP Tarik Cohen, junior, 5-6, 173, North Carolina A&T
OC Casey Dunn, junior, 6-3, 285, Jacksonville State
OG Corey Levin, junior, 6-5, 305, Chattanooga
OG Garrick Mayweather, Jr, 6-3, 319, Fordham
OT Clay DeBord, senior, 6-6, 305, Eastern Washington
OT Donald Jackson III, senior, 6-2, 290, Sam Houston State
OL Jonathan Burgess, senior, 6-2, 305, Liberty
OL Erik Austell, junior, 6-3, 285, Charleston Southern
TE Ben Braunecker, senior, 6-4, 240, Harvard
TE Beau Sandland, senior, 6-5, 250, Montana State
WR Jamaal Jones, senior, 6-1, 192, Montana
WR Cooper Kupp, junior, 6-2, 195, Eastern Washington
WR Jake Wieneke, sophomore, 6-4, 210, South Dakota State
WR Emmanuel Butler, sophomore, 6-3, 210, Northern Arizona
MORE "FAB FIFTY" DEFENSE
DT Javon Hargrave, senior, 6-2, 295, South Carolina State
DT Mitchell Jeter, senior, 6-0, 275, The Citadel
DE Tyrone Holmes, senior, 6-4, 245, Montana
DE Victor Ochi, senior, 6-2, 255, Stony Brook
DL Noah Spence, junior, 6-3, 261, Eastern Kentucky.
DL Keionta Davis, junior, 6-4, 260, Chattanooga
LB Deon King, senior, 6-1, 220, Norfolk State
LB Darnell Sankey, senior, 6-2, 250, Sacramento State
LB Kourtney Berry, junior, 6-0, 215, Alabama State
LB Don Cherry, senior, 6-1, 240, Villanova
LB John Hugunin, 5-11, 232, Drake
LB Christian Kuntz, junior, 6-1, 210, Duquesne
CB Deiondre' Hall, senior, 6-2, 190, Northern Iowa
CB Jermaine Hough, senior, 5-10, 185, Jacksonville State
DB C.J. Smith, senior, 5-11, 183, North Dakota State
DB Dee Delaney, sophomore, 6-1, 191, The Citadel
S DeAndre Houston-Carson, senior, 6-2, 195, William & Mary
S Patrick Onwuasor, senior, 6-2, 225, Portland State
MORE "FAB FIFTY" SPECIAL TEAMS
K Nick Dorka, sophomore, 6-0, 180, William & Mary
P Ian Berryman, freshman, 6-0, 200, Western Carolina
KR Willie Quinn, senior, 5-5, 145, Southern
PR Ellis Onic II, sophomore, 5-6, 163, Northern Colorado
LS Joseph Smith, junior, 6-3, 200, Charleston Southern
HONORABLE MENTION
QB Vad Lee, senior, 6-1, 225, James Madison
RB Troymaine Pope, senior, 5-9, 205, Jacksonville State
RB John Santiago, freshman, 5-9, 170, North Dakota
WR Brendan Flaherty, junior, 6-2, 200, Holy Cross
WR Anthony Warrum, junior, 6-2, 190, Illinois State
WR Justin Watson, sophomore, 6-3, 210, Penn
WR Tyler Dube, senior, 6-0, 170, Sacred Heart
OL Cole Toner, senior, 6-7, 300, Harvard
OL Zack Johnson, junior, 6-4, 327, North Dakota State
OL Aaron Neary, senior, 6-4, 300, Eastern Washington
TE Jordan Powell, sophomore, 6-3, 246, New Hampshire
DL Dino Fanti, senior, 6-1, 265, Eastern Illinois
DL O.J. Mau, junior, 6-2, 308, Gardner-Webb
LB Bo Brown, senior, 6-1, 216, McNeese State
LB Will Ratelle, senior, 5-11, 250, North Dakota
DB Marcus Alford, senior, 5-10, 160, Northern Arizona
DB Tim Kilfoy, senior, 6-1, 215, Northern Iowa
