Olson named first-team All-American Defense by Hero Sports
12/20/2018 1:06:00 PM | Football
Dante Olson has added another trophy to the case. The prolific junior linebacker landed his fourth first-team All-America honor in the past week on Wednesday by online FCS news outlet HERO Sports.
Â
Olson has been named a first-team All-American on every major FCS list published so far this year, and is one of only two defensive players on Hero Sports' first or second-team from the Big Sky Conference.
Â
The Buchanan Award finalist completed his junior year with Grizzlies tallying a national-best 151 total tackles in the regular season, 24 of which were earned in a single game against the Cal Poly Mustangs. He also tallied double digit tackles in nine of his 11 games last season. He also posted 11 tackles for loss, 6 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, 3 pass breakups and 2 interceptions last season.
Â
In the process, Olson shattered UM's record for most tackles in a single season, previously held by Kendrick Van Ackeren (130), and was only 26 tackles shy of the Big Sky Conference record.
Â
He is set to attend STATS FCS national awards banquet in January in hopes to become Montana's third Buck Buchanan Award winner.
Â
Earlier this week, Hero Sports added three other Grizzlies to its All-American lists. Receiver Samuel Akem and linebacker Jace Lewis were named sophomore All-Americans, while Robby Hauck was named freshman All-American.
Â
Olson's 2018 Post-Season Honors:
Â
Hero Sports FCS All-American Team (2018)
Â
FIRST TEAM OFFENSE
Â
NOTE: AP - All-Purpose; ATH- Dual-threat QB; RS- Return Specialist on Special teams; ST- Special teams standout; LS- Long Snapper
Â
POSÂ Â Â Â Â PLAYER Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â YEARÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â SCHOOL
QB       Easton Stick         Sr.       North Dakota State
QB       Devlin Hodges     Sr.       Samford
RB       James Holland     Sr.       Colgate
RB       Marquis Terry      Sr.       SEMO
RB       Ryan Fulse           Sr.       Wagner
FB       Joe Protheroe     Sr.       Cal Poly
WR      Kelvin McKnight Sr.       Samford
WR      Keelan Doss       Sr.       UC Davis
TE        Donald Parham Sr.       Stetson
OL       Tytus Howard  Sr.       Alabama State
OL       Oli Udoh          Sr.       Elon
OL       Matt Pyke       Sr.       ETSU
OL       Tanner Volson Sr.       North Dakota State
OL       Dan Cooney     Sr.       San Diego
ATH     Chandler Burks Sr.       Kennesaw State
Â
FIRST TEAM DEFENSE
Â
POSÂ Â Â Â Â PLAYER Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â YEARÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â SCHOOL
DL       Isaiah Mack          Sr.       Chattanooga
DL       Darryl Johnson    Jr.       North Carolina A&T
DL       Derick Roberson  Sr.       Sam Houston State
DL       Ahmad Gooden     Sr.       Samford
LB       Jabril Cox            Soph.  North Dakota State
LB       Dante Olson       Jr.        Montana
LB       Zach Hall             Jr.       SEMO
LB       LeGrand Toia       Sr.       Weber State
DB       Isiah Swann         Jr.       Dartmouth
DB       Nasir Adderley     Sr.       Delaware
DB       Jimmy Moreland  Sr.       James Madison
DB       Jordan Brown      Sr.       South Dakota State
AP       Shane Simpson     Jr.       Towson
Â
FIRST TEAM SPECIAL TEAMS
    Â
POSÂ Â Â Â Â PLAYER Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â YEARÂ Â Â SCHOOL
PK       Roldan Alcobendas      Sr.       Eastern Washington
P         Alex Pechin                   Sr.    Bucknell
RS       D'Angelo Amos             Soph.  James Madison
RS       Malik Honeycutt          Jr.     Murray State
ST        Brady May                   Sr.    Weber State
LS        Steven Wethli             Sr.    Youngstown State
Â
SECOND TEAM OFFENSE
Â
POSÂ Â Â Â Â PLAYER YEARÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â SCHOOL
QB       Anthony Lawrence      Sr.       San Diego
QB       Taryn Christion Sr.                   South Dakota State
RB       AJ Hines          Jr.                   Duquesne
RB       James Robinson Jr.                   Illinois State
RB       Tevin McCaster Sr.                   Youngstown State
WR      Josh Pearson   Jr.                   Jacksonville State
WR      Michael Bandy Jr.                   San Diego
TE        Charlie Taumoepeau   Jr.        Portland State
OL       C.J. Collins       Sr.                   Kennesaw State
OL       Garrett Bowery Sr.                   Lamar
OL       Micah Shaw     Sr.                   North Carolina A&T
OL       Zack Johnson   Jr.                   North Dakota State
OL       Iosua Opeta     Sr.                   Weber State
ATH     Troy Andersen Soph.              Montana State
SECOND TEAM DEFENSE
Â
POSÂ Â Â Â Â PLAYER YEARÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â SCHOOL
DL       Nick Wheeler  Jr.                   Colgate
DL       Randy Robinson           Sr.       Jacksonville State
DL       John Daka        Jr.                   James Madison
DL       Greg Menard   Sr.                   North Dakota State
LB       Troy Reeder    Sr.                   Delaware
LB       Sterling Sheffield         Sr.       Maine
LB       BJ Blunt           Sr.                   McNeese
LB       Pete Swenson Sr.                   Western Illinois
DB       James Allen     Sr.                   Charleston Southern
DB       Manny Patterson         Jr.       Maine
DB       Robbie Grimsley          Sr.       North Dakota State
DBÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Marvin Tillman Sr. Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Western Carolina
AP       Cade Johnson  Soph.              South Dakota State
Â
SECOND TEAM SPECIAL TEAMS
Â
POSÂ Â Â Â Â PLAYER YEARÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â SCHOOL
PK       Austin Errthum Sr.                   Northern Iowa
P         Chris Faddoul  Soph.              Florida A&M
RS       Rashid Shaheed Soph.              Weber State
RS       Booker Chambers        Sr.       Miss. Valley State
ST        Robert Carter, Jr.         Sr.       James Madison
LS        Josh Brady       Jr.                   Jacksonville State
Â
THIRD TEAM OFFENSE
Â
POSÂ Â Â Â Â PLAYER YEARÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â SCHOOL
QB       Tom Flacco      Jr.                   Towson
QB       Jake Maier       Jr.                    UC Davis
RB       Ra'Quanne Dickens      Sr.       Incarnate Word
RB       Andre Stoddard Sr.                   Wofford
WR      Alexander Hollins        Sr.       Eastern Illinois
WR      Mitch Gueller  Jr.                    Idaho State
WR      Jazz Ferguson  Jr.                   Northwestern State
WR      Jesper Horsted Sr.                   Princeton
TE        Charles Scarff   Sr.                   Delaware
OL       Max Hartzman Sr.                   Colgate
OL       Alex Conley     Sr.                   Duquesne
OL       Noah Johnson  Jr.                    Idaho
OL       BJ Autry           Sr.                   Jacksonville State
OL       Drew Forbes    Sr.                   SEMO
ATH     Tyrie Adams     Jr.                   Western Carolina
Â
Â
Â
THIRD TEAM DEFENSE
Â
POSÂ Â Â Â Â PLAYER YEARÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â SCHOOL
DL       Solomon Brown Sr.                   Charleston Southern
DL       Sully Laiche     Jr.                   Nicholls
DL       Chris Agyemang Jr.                   Sacred Heart
DL       Adam Rodriguez          Jr.        Weber State
LB       Adrian Hope    Fr.                   Furman
LB       T.J. Holl Sr.                               Colgate
LB       Dylan Weigel   Sr.                   ETSU
LB       Jonas Griffith   Jr.                   Indiana State
LB       Christian Rozeboom    Jr.       South Dakota St.
DB       Tyler Castillo   Sr.                   Colgate
DB       Will Warner    Jr.                   Drake
DB       Jonathant Istache        Sr.       Duquesne
DB       TJ Floyd Jr.                               Princeton
AP       Josh Davis        Fr.                   Weber State
Â
THIRD TEAM SPECIAL TEAMS
Â
POSÂ Â Â Â Â PLAYER YEARÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â SCHOOL
PK       JJ Jerman        Sr.                   ETSU
P         Alex Kjellsten  Sr.                   McNeese
RS       Jimmie Robinson         Sr.       Bethune-Cookman
RS       Chris Rowland Jr.                   Tennessee State
LS        Bradey Sorenson         Soph.  South Dakota State
Â
Â
MORE ON OLSON:
Â
2018: Finalist for the STATS FCS Buck Buchanan Award ... STATS FCS First-Team All-American ... Walter Camp Foundation All-American ... Associated Press First-Team All-American … HERO Sports First-Team All-American ... Led Division I football in total tackles (FBS and FCS) … Selected as First-Team All-Big Sky Conference by the league's coaches ... Awarded Montana Football's Steve Carlson MVP Award … Awarded Montana Football's Defensive MVP Award ... Named ROOT Sports Big Sky Defensive Player of the week on 9/3 ... Named College Sports Madness Big Sky Defensive Player of the week on 9/3 ... Repeated as ROOT Sports Big Sky Player of the Week on 9/8 ... Was named STATS FCS National Defensive Player of the Week on 9/8 as well .... Also repeated as College Sports Madness Big Sky Player of the Week on 9/8 ... Named ROOT Sports Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week for a third time on 10/1 after posting 24 tackles against Cal Poly ... Against UNI (9/1), Olson led the Grizzly defense with 13 total tackles ... Also recorded an interception which he returned 26 yards, a sack for a loss of 9 yards, one PBU and one QB hurry ... Was named the ROOT Sports Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week after the UNI game ... Against Drake (9/8), Olson recorded 16 tackles, 2 sacks (career high), 3.5 TFL's (career high), one forced fumble and one PBU ... Olson recorded 11 tackles, 1.5 TFLs, half a sack, one QB hit, and an interception that he returned 25 yards in a well-rounded performance vs. Western Illinois (9/15) ... Against Sacramento State (9/22) recorded 15 tackles, 1 sack, 1 PBU, and a QB hit ... Against Cal Poly (9/29) Olson earned Big Sky Conference Defensive Player of the Week honors for the 3rd time in 5 weeks putting up 24 total tackles (career high and 2nd best single-game tackling performance in UM history) ... Against Portland State (10/6) put up 19 tackles, half a sack, 2 TFL's and 2 forced fumbles ... Olson put up 8 tackles and one half of a TFL in a matchup against North Dakota (10/13) ... Olson added to his impressive season totals with a 13 tackle and one sack performance vs. #6 UC Davis (10/27) ... Leading his team in tackling, Olson contributed to his team's road victory over Idaho (11/10) with 10 tackles and a QB hit on the day ... Olson completed his break-out season with an 18 tackle performance against rival Montana State (11/17)
Â
2017: Second Team All-Big Sky on Special Teams… Academic All-Big Sky … Hauck Family Special Teams Player of the Year … Recorded 38 tackles, 16 of them solo … Had 2 TFLs and one sack against Idaho State for a loss of seven yards … Blocked a kick against Northern Colorado … Logged QB hurries against Savannah State and Eastern Washington … Played in all 11 games for UM … Once again awarded the William (Robi) Robertson Memorial Athletic Scholarship at the annual Lindsay Awards Banquet
Â
2016: Academic All-Big Sky... Hauck Family Special Teams Player of the Year … Olson played in 11 games as a redshirt freshman at linebacker … Recorded 29 tackles, seven of them solo … Had two tackles for loss for six yards, also recorded a sack … Had back to back games with seven tackles against Miss. Valley State and Sacramento State … Recorded both tackles for loss and also his only sack in the Miss. Valley State game... Awarded the William (Robi) Robertson Memorial Athletic Scholarship at the annual Lindsay Awards Banquet.
Â
2015: Defensive Scout Team Player of the Year … Was a redshirt freshman
Â
HIGH SCHOOL: Olson was a four-year letterman in football at Cascade Christian HS, where his team won four conference championships (10-3 in 2011; 13-1 in 2012; 12-2 in 2013, and 8-3 in 2014) in a row... Three-year team captain and defensive player of the year.... Also led his team in tackles for three seasons...Voted defensive MVP of his conference and the state two times... His senior year he had 135 tackles, 5 sacks, and 4 forced fumbles; rushed for 583 yards and 8 TDs... named to the state's All-Star Football Game... A three-time all-state selection at linebacker and tight end (as a senior) ... His prep coach was Jon Gettman.... Also lettered in basketball and tennis.
Â
PERSONAL: Olson carries a 3.87 GPA .... A Management major … His parents are Linda and Jeff Olson of Medford … His dad Jeff was the former head football coach at Southern Oregon University … Serves as a pen-pal mentor to a class of underprivileged kids in Northern California
Â
Â
Olson has been named a first-team All-American on every major FCS list published so far this year, and is one of only two defensive players on Hero Sports' first or second-team from the Big Sky Conference.
Â
The Buchanan Award finalist completed his junior year with Grizzlies tallying a national-best 151 total tackles in the regular season, 24 of which were earned in a single game against the Cal Poly Mustangs. He also tallied double digit tackles in nine of his 11 games last season. He also posted 11 tackles for loss, 6 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, 3 pass breakups and 2 interceptions last season.
Â
In the process, Olson shattered UM's record for most tackles in a single season, previously held by Kendrick Van Ackeren (130), and was only 26 tackles shy of the Big Sky Conference record.
Â
He is set to attend STATS FCS national awards banquet in January in hopes to become Montana's third Buck Buchanan Award winner.
Â
Earlier this week, Hero Sports added three other Grizzlies to its All-American lists. Receiver Samuel Akem and linebacker Jace Lewis were named sophomore All-Americans, while Robby Hauck was named freshman All-American.
Â
Olson's 2018 Post-Season Honors:
- STATS FCS Buck Buchanan Award Finalist
- HERO Sports First-Team All-American
- STATS FCS First-Team All-American
- Walter Camp Foundation All-American
- Associated Press First-Team All-American
- First-Team All-Big Sky
- Steve Carlson Team MVP
- Grizzly Defensive MVP
Â
Hero Sports FCS All-American Team (2018)
Â
FIRST TEAM OFFENSE
Â
NOTE: AP - All-Purpose; ATH- Dual-threat QB; RS- Return Specialist on Special teams; ST- Special teams standout; LS- Long Snapper
Â
POSÂ Â Â Â Â PLAYER Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â YEARÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â SCHOOL
QB       Easton Stick         Sr.       North Dakota State
QB       Devlin Hodges     Sr.       Samford
RB       James Holland     Sr.       Colgate
RB       Marquis Terry      Sr.       SEMO
RB       Ryan Fulse           Sr.       Wagner
FB       Joe Protheroe     Sr.       Cal Poly
WR      Kelvin McKnight Sr.       Samford
WR      Keelan Doss       Sr.       UC Davis
TE        Donald Parham Sr.       Stetson
OL       Tytus Howard  Sr.       Alabama State
OL       Oli Udoh          Sr.       Elon
OL       Matt Pyke       Sr.       ETSU
OL       Tanner Volson Sr.       North Dakota State
OL       Dan Cooney     Sr.       San Diego
ATH     Chandler Burks Sr.       Kennesaw State
Â
FIRST TEAM DEFENSE
Â
POSÂ Â Â Â Â PLAYER Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â YEARÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â SCHOOL
DL       Isaiah Mack          Sr.       Chattanooga
DL       Darryl Johnson    Jr.       North Carolina A&T
DL       Derick Roberson  Sr.       Sam Houston State
DL       Ahmad Gooden     Sr.       Samford
LB       Jabril Cox            Soph.  North Dakota State
LB       Dante Olson       Jr.        Montana
LB       Zach Hall             Jr.       SEMO
LB       LeGrand Toia       Sr.       Weber State
DB       Isiah Swann         Jr.       Dartmouth
DB       Nasir Adderley     Sr.       Delaware
DB       Jimmy Moreland  Sr.       James Madison
DB       Jordan Brown      Sr.       South Dakota State
AP       Shane Simpson     Jr.       Towson
Â
FIRST TEAM SPECIAL TEAMS
    Â
POSÂ Â Â Â Â PLAYER Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â YEARÂ Â Â SCHOOL
PK       Roldan Alcobendas      Sr.       Eastern Washington
P         Alex Pechin                   Sr.    Bucknell
RS       D'Angelo Amos             Soph.  James Madison
RS       Malik Honeycutt          Jr.     Murray State
ST        Brady May                   Sr.    Weber State
LS        Steven Wethli             Sr.    Youngstown State
Â
SECOND TEAM OFFENSE
Â
POSÂ Â Â Â Â PLAYER YEARÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â SCHOOL
QB       Anthony Lawrence      Sr.       San Diego
QB       Taryn Christion Sr.                   South Dakota State
RB       AJ Hines          Jr.                   Duquesne
RB       James Robinson Jr.                   Illinois State
RB       Tevin McCaster Sr.                   Youngstown State
WR      Josh Pearson   Jr.                   Jacksonville State
WR      Michael Bandy Jr.                   San Diego
TE        Charlie Taumoepeau   Jr.        Portland State
OL       C.J. Collins       Sr.                   Kennesaw State
OL       Garrett Bowery Sr.                   Lamar
OL       Micah Shaw     Sr.                   North Carolina A&T
OL       Zack Johnson   Jr.                   North Dakota State
OL       Iosua Opeta     Sr.                   Weber State
ATH     Troy Andersen Soph.              Montana State
SECOND TEAM DEFENSE
Â
POSÂ Â Â Â Â PLAYER YEARÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â SCHOOL
DL       Nick Wheeler  Jr.                   Colgate
DL       Randy Robinson           Sr.       Jacksonville State
DL       John Daka        Jr.                   James Madison
DL       Greg Menard   Sr.                   North Dakota State
LB       Troy Reeder    Sr.                   Delaware
LB       Sterling Sheffield         Sr.       Maine
LB       BJ Blunt           Sr.                   McNeese
LB       Pete Swenson Sr.                   Western Illinois
DB       James Allen     Sr.                   Charleston Southern
DB       Manny Patterson         Jr.       Maine
DB       Robbie Grimsley          Sr.       North Dakota State
DBÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Marvin Tillman Sr. Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Western Carolina
AP       Cade Johnson  Soph.              South Dakota State
Â
SECOND TEAM SPECIAL TEAMS
Â
POSÂ Â Â Â Â PLAYER YEARÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â SCHOOL
PK       Austin Errthum Sr.                   Northern Iowa
P         Chris Faddoul  Soph.              Florida A&M
RS       Rashid Shaheed Soph.              Weber State
RS       Booker Chambers        Sr.       Miss. Valley State
ST        Robert Carter, Jr.         Sr.       James Madison
LS        Josh Brady       Jr.                   Jacksonville State
Â
THIRD TEAM OFFENSE
Â
POSÂ Â Â Â Â PLAYER YEARÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â SCHOOL
QB       Tom Flacco      Jr.                   Towson
QB       Jake Maier       Jr.                    UC Davis
RB       Ra'Quanne Dickens      Sr.       Incarnate Word
RB       Andre Stoddard Sr.                   Wofford
WR      Alexander Hollins        Sr.       Eastern Illinois
WR      Mitch Gueller  Jr.                    Idaho State
WR      Jazz Ferguson  Jr.                   Northwestern State
WR      Jesper Horsted Sr.                   Princeton
TE        Charles Scarff   Sr.                   Delaware
OL       Max Hartzman Sr.                   Colgate
OL       Alex Conley     Sr.                   Duquesne
OL       Noah Johnson  Jr.                    Idaho
OL       BJ Autry           Sr.                   Jacksonville State
OL       Drew Forbes    Sr.                   SEMO
ATH     Tyrie Adams     Jr.                   Western Carolina
Â
Â
Â
THIRD TEAM DEFENSE
Â
POSÂ Â Â Â Â PLAYER YEARÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â SCHOOL
DL       Solomon Brown Sr.                   Charleston Southern
DL       Sully Laiche     Jr.                   Nicholls
DL       Chris Agyemang Jr.                   Sacred Heart
DL       Adam Rodriguez          Jr.        Weber State
LB       Adrian Hope    Fr.                   Furman
LB       T.J. Holl Sr.                               Colgate
LB       Dylan Weigel   Sr.                   ETSU
LB       Jonas Griffith   Jr.                   Indiana State
LB       Christian Rozeboom    Jr.       South Dakota St.
DB       Tyler Castillo   Sr.                   Colgate
DB       Will Warner    Jr.                   Drake
DB       Jonathant Istache        Sr.       Duquesne
DB       TJ Floyd Jr.                               Princeton
AP       Josh Davis        Fr.                   Weber State
Â
THIRD TEAM SPECIAL TEAMS
Â
POSÂ Â Â Â Â PLAYER YEARÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â SCHOOL
PK       JJ Jerman        Sr.                   ETSU
P         Alex Kjellsten  Sr.                   McNeese
RS       Jimmie Robinson         Sr.       Bethune-Cookman
RS       Chris Rowland Jr.                   Tennessee State
LS        Bradey Sorenson         Soph.  South Dakota State
Â
Â
MORE ON OLSON:
Â
2018: Finalist for the STATS FCS Buck Buchanan Award ... STATS FCS First-Team All-American ... Walter Camp Foundation All-American ... Associated Press First-Team All-American … HERO Sports First-Team All-American ... Led Division I football in total tackles (FBS and FCS) … Selected as First-Team All-Big Sky Conference by the league's coaches ... Awarded Montana Football's Steve Carlson MVP Award … Awarded Montana Football's Defensive MVP Award ... Named ROOT Sports Big Sky Defensive Player of the week on 9/3 ... Named College Sports Madness Big Sky Defensive Player of the week on 9/3 ... Repeated as ROOT Sports Big Sky Player of the Week on 9/8 ... Was named STATS FCS National Defensive Player of the Week on 9/8 as well .... Also repeated as College Sports Madness Big Sky Player of the Week on 9/8 ... Named ROOT Sports Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week for a third time on 10/1 after posting 24 tackles against Cal Poly ... Against UNI (9/1), Olson led the Grizzly defense with 13 total tackles ... Also recorded an interception which he returned 26 yards, a sack for a loss of 9 yards, one PBU and one QB hurry ... Was named the ROOT Sports Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week after the UNI game ... Against Drake (9/8), Olson recorded 16 tackles, 2 sacks (career high), 3.5 TFL's (career high), one forced fumble and one PBU ... Olson recorded 11 tackles, 1.5 TFLs, half a sack, one QB hit, and an interception that he returned 25 yards in a well-rounded performance vs. Western Illinois (9/15) ... Against Sacramento State (9/22) recorded 15 tackles, 1 sack, 1 PBU, and a QB hit ... Against Cal Poly (9/29) Olson earned Big Sky Conference Defensive Player of the Week honors for the 3rd time in 5 weeks putting up 24 total tackles (career high and 2nd best single-game tackling performance in UM history) ... Against Portland State (10/6) put up 19 tackles, half a sack, 2 TFL's and 2 forced fumbles ... Olson put up 8 tackles and one half of a TFL in a matchup against North Dakota (10/13) ... Olson added to his impressive season totals with a 13 tackle and one sack performance vs. #6 UC Davis (10/27) ... Leading his team in tackling, Olson contributed to his team's road victory over Idaho (11/10) with 10 tackles and a QB hit on the day ... Olson completed his break-out season with an 18 tackle performance against rival Montana State (11/17)
Â
2017: Second Team All-Big Sky on Special Teams… Academic All-Big Sky … Hauck Family Special Teams Player of the Year … Recorded 38 tackles, 16 of them solo … Had 2 TFLs and one sack against Idaho State for a loss of seven yards … Blocked a kick against Northern Colorado … Logged QB hurries against Savannah State and Eastern Washington … Played in all 11 games for UM … Once again awarded the William (Robi) Robertson Memorial Athletic Scholarship at the annual Lindsay Awards Banquet
Â
2016: Academic All-Big Sky... Hauck Family Special Teams Player of the Year … Olson played in 11 games as a redshirt freshman at linebacker … Recorded 29 tackles, seven of them solo … Had two tackles for loss for six yards, also recorded a sack … Had back to back games with seven tackles against Miss. Valley State and Sacramento State … Recorded both tackles for loss and also his only sack in the Miss. Valley State game... Awarded the William (Robi) Robertson Memorial Athletic Scholarship at the annual Lindsay Awards Banquet.
Â
2015: Defensive Scout Team Player of the Year … Was a redshirt freshman
Â
HIGH SCHOOL: Olson was a four-year letterman in football at Cascade Christian HS, where his team won four conference championships (10-3 in 2011; 13-1 in 2012; 12-2 in 2013, and 8-3 in 2014) in a row... Three-year team captain and defensive player of the year.... Also led his team in tackles for three seasons...Voted defensive MVP of his conference and the state two times... His senior year he had 135 tackles, 5 sacks, and 4 forced fumbles; rushed for 583 yards and 8 TDs... named to the state's All-Star Football Game... A three-time all-state selection at linebacker and tight end (as a senior) ... His prep coach was Jon Gettman.... Also lettered in basketball and tennis.
Â
PERSONAL: Olson carries a 3.87 GPA .... A Management major … His parents are Linda and Jeff Olson of Medford … His dad Jeff was the former head football coach at Southern Oregon University … Serves as a pen-pal mentor to a class of underprivileged kids in Northern California
Â
Players Mentioned
WR
/ Football
S
/ Football
LB
/ Football
LB
/ Football
LB
/ FootballGriz Football Spring Practice - 3/2/26
Monday, March 30
Griz Football Spring Preview Press Conference
Monday, March 30
Griz Football Winter Condo - 2/20/26
Monday, March 30
Griz Football Winter Condo - 2/17/26
Monday, March 30
