FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (January 3, 2023) – Two Lumberjacks earned 2022 Freshman All-American honors from Phil Steele/DraftScout, with punter
Eemil Herranen named to the second team and
Kamdan Hightower to the third team.
Herranen, who arrived at Northern Arizona after transferring from McNeese State this past summer, finished the season ranked 24th in the FCS and third in the Big Sky Conference at 41.8 yards per punt.
Finishing the season with 2,089 punting yards on 50 punts, Herranen sent eight of his kicks for 50 or more yards with seven landing inside the opponents 20-yard line. During a four-game stretch in October against Portland State, Cal Poly, UC Davis, and Idaho State, Herranen averaged 43.6 yards on 17 punts. Four of those punts landed inside the 20 with five going for 50 or more yards.
Capping off the stretch with an average of 46.0 yards on four punts against Idaho State, Herranen played a crucial role in Northern Arizona's 24-10 victory in Pocatello, Idaho and earned him Big Sky Conference Special Teams Player of the Week.
Three of the freshman's four punts landed inside the 20, with the Bengals only managing 10 return yards in the game, all coming on a 55-yard kick in the fourth quarter with the game ultimately already decided. Needing to battle for field position, Herranen's kicks set the Lumberjacks up with long fields for the Bengals' offense.
While the first punt of the day went for just 25 yards as the Lumberjacks kicked from the Bengals' 37, it forced a fair catch at the Idaho State 12-yard line. The second kick went for 47 yards and pinned Idaho State at its own 2-yard line. The third punt went for 57 yards and put the Bengals at their own 7-yard line to open the drive.
Herranen's longest punt of the season went for 63 yards against UC Davis.
As for Hightower, the third-year safety bounced back after missing nearly all of the 2021 season to play in 10 games with eight starts in the Lumberjacks' secondary.
Finishing with double-digit tackles in three of his 10 games, Hightower's career high of 13 came at Northern Colorado to top his 12 in the season opener at Arizona State and the 11 against Cal Poly. Ranking 18th in the Big Sky Conference, Hightower was second among freshmen. Adding six pass breakups, Hightower recorded two at Northern Colorado with one coming in the first quarter and another in the fourth.
Hightower was one of eight players to start at least eight games on Northern Arizona's defense and trailed only fellow safety
Morgan Vest on the team in tackles.
For the full list of honorees, click
here.
