FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (August 18, 2021) – Led by preseason All-American honorees
Luis Aguilar and
DJ Arnson, seven Northern Arizona Lumberjacks earned recognition on the 2021 Phil Steele Preseason All-Big Sky Teams. In addition to landing all-conference honors, Aguilar and Arnson earned places on the 2021 Phil Steele Preseason All-American Second Team.
The All-Big Sky honors included all three of the Lumberjacks' starting specialists, with Aguilar named to the first team, Arnson to the second team and long snapper
Justin Hathoot to the third team.
While Aguilar and Arnson's accolades are well-noted, Hathoot enters his final season with the Lumberjacks as well after snapping for the pair of All-Americans since the 2017 season. At the center of Aguilar's 57-yard field goal and Arnson's 82-yard punt, both career-longs and the second longest kicks in school history, Hathoot has been an integral part of Northern Arizona's special teams prowess in recent history.
On the defensive side of the ball, safety
Morgan Vest landed as a second-team selection by Phil Steele while linebacker
Harrison Beemiller earned a spot on the third team.
Vest earned All-Big Sky Unanimous First Team honors following the spring season and was selected to the conference's 2021 Preseason All-Big Sky Team. Vest, who missed the first year of his Lumberjack career with an injury, broke out in his debut season with 53 tackles across the five spring games. Recovering a pair of fumbles and picking off a pass, Vest twice put a stop to an opponent's drive in the red zone.
Beemiller was named All-Big Sky Second Team following a spring season in which he tallied 33 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks and forced a fumble he recovered himself. Starting for the second consecutive season, Beemiller finished with double-digit tackles in the season opener against Southern Utah and the finale against Idaho.
Wide receiver
Stacy Chukwumezie and tight end
Matthew Kempton rounded out the All-Big Sky honorees from Phil Steele, both earning spots on the third team.
Finishing the spring with 16 receptions at 270 yards, Chukwumezie earned All-Big Sky Second Team honors and led the team in yards per catch among qualified players. Scoring a 55-yard touchdown in the season opener against Southern Utah, the senior continues to rank second in program history at 18.5 yards per reception and is 22nd all-time with 1,297 career receiving yards.
Kempton, also an All-Big Sky Second Team selection following the spring, finished with 118 yards on 10 receptions. Catching passes of 15 and 20 yards on back-to-back plays during the fourth quarter against Southern Utah, Kempton helped set up Northern Arizona's game-winning touchdown as time expired.
The Northern Arizona Lumberjacks open the fall season on Thursday, Sept. 2 against the defending FCS champion Sam Houston Bearkats who also enter the season ranked No. 1 in the nation. Tickets can be purchased online at
www.nauathletics.com/buy and questions can be directed to the Lumberjack Ticket Office at LumberjackTicketOffice@nau.edu or 928-523-0639.
Season tickets for the Lumberjacks' five home games in the Walkup Skydome this fall are available for as low as $75 for general admission. Discounts are available for groups of 10 or more on a per game basis, as well as a Pick-Two Flex Mini Plan for any two home games for as little as $36 per person.
