Knight, Hauck, and Flowers named Sophomore All-Americans
12/17/2019 12:56:00 PM | Football
The Montana Grizzlies returned yet another overall young team in 2019, with a total of 23 freshmen or sophomores appearing on last week's depth chart. The Griz youngsters showed out, too, helping lead UM back to the FCS quarterfinals for the first time since 2009.
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Among them, three sophomores were recognized for their exceptional seasons on Tuesday, with running back Marcus Knight, safety Robby Hauck, and kick returner Malik Flowers, each earning a place on the HERO Sports FCS Sophomore All-America first team.
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It's the second All-America recognition in as many days for Knight and Hauck, with Hauck earning second-team overall All-America honors, and Knight being named third-team overall All-American by HERO Sports on Monday.
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In his first year as a Grizzly, Knight became Montana's first 1,000-yard rusher since 2014 and broke three school records with 25 total touchdowns for a personal haul of 150 points, both totals the most in FCS football this season. In fact, the only player in all of D-I football (FCS or FBS) that scored more touchdowns was Heisman Trophy Candidate Jonathan Taylor of Wisconsin.
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Knight broke school records for rushing touchdowns, overall touchdowns, and scoring set by Chase Reynolds in 2008 and 2009.
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Hauck, who earned a Freshman All-American nod from HERO Sports in 2018, posted his second-straight season as one of the top-ten tacklers in the Big Sky. He finished the year as UM's third-leading tackler with 129 stops, now tied with Colt Anderson and his uncle Tim Hauck for the fifth most stops in a single season in UM history.
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In just two seasons at UM, Hauck is already one of the top-40 tacklers in program history with 224 tackles in 25 games, an average of nearly nine per-game.
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Flowers also broke school records in the kick return game, running back two kickoffs for touchdowns, including the longest in modern Griz history – a full 100-yards for a score against North Alabama. He ran his second kick back for a touchdown of the season in the second round of the FCS playoffs against Southeastern Louisiana.
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With the two returns, the Fontana, Calif., native set a new school record for most kick return yards in a season at 879, passing Jabin Sambrano's 2011 total of 836 yards.
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COMPLETE HERO SPORTS FCS SOPHOMORE ALL-AMERICAN LIST
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Among them, three sophomores were recognized for their exceptional seasons on Tuesday, with running back Marcus Knight, safety Robby Hauck, and kick returner Malik Flowers, each earning a place on the HERO Sports FCS Sophomore All-America first team.
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It's the second All-America recognition in as many days for Knight and Hauck, with Hauck earning second-team overall All-America honors, and Knight being named third-team overall All-American by HERO Sports on Monday.
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In his first year as a Grizzly, Knight became Montana's first 1,000-yard rusher since 2014 and broke three school records with 25 total touchdowns for a personal haul of 150 points, both totals the most in FCS football this season. In fact, the only player in all of D-I football (FCS or FBS) that scored more touchdowns was Heisman Trophy Candidate Jonathan Taylor of Wisconsin.
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Knight broke school records for rushing touchdowns, overall touchdowns, and scoring set by Chase Reynolds in 2008 and 2009.
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Hauck, who earned a Freshman All-American nod from HERO Sports in 2018, posted his second-straight season as one of the top-ten tacklers in the Big Sky. He finished the year as UM's third-leading tackler with 129 stops, now tied with Colt Anderson and his uncle Tim Hauck for the fifth most stops in a single season in UM history.
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In just two seasons at UM, Hauck is already one of the top-40 tacklers in program history with 224 tackles in 25 games, an average of nearly nine per-game.
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Flowers also broke school records in the kick return game, running back two kickoffs for touchdowns, including the longest in modern Griz history – a full 100-yards for a score against North Alabama. He ran his second kick back for a touchdown of the season in the second round of the FCS playoffs against Southeastern Louisiana.
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With the two returns, the Fontana, Calif., native set a new school record for most kick return yards in a season at 879, passing Jabin Sambrano's 2011 total of 836 yards.
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COMPLETE HERO SPORTS FCS SOPHOMORE ALL-AMERICAN LIST
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| SCHOOL | POS | PLAYER | AA TEAM |
| Abilene Christian | DB | Ryan Stapp | HM FRESH |
| Alabama A&M | WR | Abdul-Fatai Ibrahim | 1ST TEAM FRESH |
| Alabama A&M | DL | Marcus Cushine | HM SOPH |
| Albany | QB | Jeff Undercuffler | 1ST TEAM FRESH |
| Alcorn State | AP | Niko Duffey | 1ST TEAM FRESH |
| Austin Peay | OL | Bucky Williams | 1ST TEAM FRESH |
| Austin Peay | LB | Jack McDonald | HM SOPH |
| Bucknell | DB | Gavin Pringle | HM FRESH |
| Cal Poly | FB | Duy Tran-Sampson | 1ST TEAM SOPH |
| Cal Poly | P | Mitch Souza | HM SOPH |
| Campbell | ATH | Hajj-Malik Campbell | 1ST TEAM FRESH |
| Campbell | LB | Justice Galloway-Velazquez | HM SOPH |
| Central Arkansas | OL | Parker Ray | 1ST TEAM FRESH |
| Central Arkansas | WR | Tyler Hudson | 1ST TEAM FRESH |
| Central Arkansas | QB | Breylin Smith | 1ST TEAM SOPH |
| Central Arkansas | OL | Jaylin Hendrix | HM SOPH |
| Central Connecticut | DB | Dexter Lawson | 1ST TEAM SOPH |
| Charleston Southern | DB | Cody Cline | 1ST TEAM FRESH |
| Charleston Southern | DL | Shaundre Mims | 1ST TEAM SOPH |
| Charleston Southern | PK | Alex Usry | 1ST TEAM SOPH |
| Chattanooga | RB | Ailym Ford | 1ST TEAM FRESH |
| Chattanooga | DL | Devonnsha Maxwell | HM SOPH |
| Columbia | PR | Mike Roussos | 1ST TEAM SOPH |
| Davidson | DL | Harrison Hill | 1ST TEAM FRESH |
| Dayton | AP | Jake Chisholm | 1ST TEAM SOPH |
| Delaware | RB | Will Knight | 1ST TEAM FRESH |
| Delaware | LB | Kedrick Whitehead | HM SOPH |
| Eastern Kentucky | OL | Tucker Schroeder | HM SOPH |
| Eastern Washington | DBÂ | Tre Weed | HM FRESH |
| Eastern Washington | PK | Seth Harrison | HM FRESH |
| ETSU | AP | Quay Holmes | HM SOPH |
| Florida A&M | WR | Xavier Smith | 1ST TEAM SOPH |
| Florida A&M | DB | Markquese Bell | HM SOPH |
| Fordham | OL | Lucas Portes | HM FRESH |
| Fordham | LB | Ryan Greenhagen | 1ST TEAM SOPH |
| Fordham | QB | Tim DeMorat | HM SOPH |
| Fordham | OL | Phil Saleh | HM SOPH |
| Furman | RB | Devin Abrams | HM FRESH |
| Furman | OL | Evan Jumper | HM FRESH |
| Furman | LB | Braden Gilby | HM FRESH |
| Furman | DL | Adrian Hope | 1ST TEAM SOPH |
| Gardner-Webb | AP | Devron Harper | 1ST TEAM FRESH |
| Gardner-Webb | WR | Izaiah Gathings | HM SOPH |
| Hampton | WR | Jadakis Bonds | HM SOPH |
| Harvard | RB | Aidan Bouguet | HM FRESH |
| Harvard | STÂ | James Herring | 1ST TEAM SOPH |
| Holy Cross | LB | Jacob Dobbs | 1ST TEAM FRESH |
| Holy Cross | WR | Deir Asante | HM FRESH |
| Houston Baptist | DB | Tra Fluellen | 1ST TEAM FRESH |
| Houston Baptist | LB | Brennan Young | HM SOPH |
| Idaho | KR | Nick Romano | HM FRESH |
| Idaho | LB | Tre Walker | 1ST TEAM SOPH |
| Illinois State | DB | Clayton Isbell | HM FRESH |
| Illinois State | DB | Charles Woods | HM SOPH |
| Incarnate Word | QB | Jon Copeland | HM SOPH |
| Incarnate Word | DB | Jaylon Jimmerson | HM FRESH |
| Jackson State | LB | Keonte Hampton | 1ST TEAM SOPH |
| Lafayette | QB | Keegan Shoemaker | HM FRESH |
| Lafayette | LB | Marco Olivas | HM FRESH |
| Lafayette | FB | Zadok Scott | HM SOPH |
| Lafayette | DL | Malik Hamm | HM SOPH |
| Lamar | LS | Luke Wallis | 1ST TEAM FRESH |
| Lehigh | DL | Mikhari Sibblis | HM FRESH |
| Long Island U. | LB | Liam McIntyre | HM FRESH |
| Monmouth | OL | Justin Szuba | 1ST TEAM SOPH |
| Monmouth | WR | Terrance Greene Jr. | HM SOPH |
| Montana | RB | Marcus Knight | 1ST TEAM SOPH |
| Montana | DB | Robby Hauck | 1ST TEAM SOPH |
| Montana | KR | Malik Flowers | 1ST TEAM SOPH |
| Montana State | RB | Isaiah Ifanse | HM SOPH |
| New Hampshire | AP | Dylan Laube | HM FRESH |
| Nicholls | OL | Jeremiah James | HM FRESH |
| Nicholls | DB | Jarius Monroe | HM FRESH |
| Nicholls | RB | Julien Gums | HM SOPH |
| Norfolk State | AP | Kevin Johnson | HM FRESH |
| Norfolk State | OL | Justin Redd | HM SOPH |
| North Carolina A&T | LB | Jacob Roberts | 1ST TEAM FRESH |
| North Carolina A&T | OL | Dacquari Wilson | HM SOPH |
| North Dakota State | QB | Trey Lance | 1ST TEAM FRESH |
| North Dakota State | OL | Nash Jensen | 1ST TEAM SOPH |
| North Dakota State | WR | Christian Watson | HM SOPH |
| North Dakota State | DL | Spencer Waege | HM SOPH |
| North Dakota State | DB | Michael Tutsie | HM SOPH |
| Northern Arizona | WR | Hendricks Johnson | HM FRESH |
| Northern Arizona | WR | Brandon Porter | 1ST TEAM SOPH |
| Northern Iowa | DB | Omar Brown | 1ST TEAM FRESH |
| Northern Iowa | PK | Matthew Cook | 1ST TEAM FRESH |
| Northern Iowa | QB | Will McElvain | HM FRESH |
| Northern Iowa | WR | Isaiah Weston | 1ST TEAM SOPH |
| Northern Iowa | LB | Bryce Flater | 1ST TEAM SOPH |
| Northwestern State | DB | Shemar Bartholomew | HM SOPH |
| Portland State | DB | Anthony Adams | 1ST TEAM SOPH |
| Richmond | LB | Tristan Wheeler | 1ST TEAM FRESH |
| Richmond | KR | Aaron Dykes | 1ST TEAM FRESH |
| Richmond | DL | Kobie Turner | 1ST TEAM SOPH |
| Robert Morris | LB | Aniello Buzzacco | HM SOPH |
| Sacramento State | TE | Marshel Martin | 1ST TEAM FRESH |
| Sacred Heart | WR | Tyrese Chambers | HM FRESH |
| Sacred Heart | DB | Terrell Smith | HM FRESH |
| Sacred Heart | RB | Julius Chestnut | HM SOPH |
| Saint Francis | QB | Jason Brown | HM SOPH |
| Saint Francis | DB | Dorian Jackson | HM SOPH |
| Sam Houston State | DL | Jevon Leon | 1ST TEAM FRESH |
| Samford | RB | Jay Stanton | HM FRESH |
| San Diego | OL | DJ Wright | 1ST TEAM SOPH |
| San Diego | TE | Dalton Kincaid | 1ST TEAM SOPH |
| South Dakota | OL | Isaac Erbes | 1ST TEAM FRESH |
| South Dakota | OL | Kian Rexroat-Potts | HM FRESH |
| South Dakota | LB | Jakari Starling | HM FRESH |
| South Dakota State | PR | Jaxon Janke | 1ST TEAM FRESH |
| South Dakota State | DL | Quinton Hicks | HM FRESH |
| South Dakota State | RB | Pierre Strong Jr. | 1ST TEAM SOPH |
| Southeastern Louisiana | DL | Josh Carr | 1ST TEAM SOPH |
| Southeastern Louisiana | DB | Ferlando Jordan | 1ST TEAM SOPH |
| Southern Illinois | RB | Javon Williams Jr. | 1ST TEAM FRESH |
| Southern Illinois | OL | Beau Branyan | 1ST TEAM FRESH |
| Southern Utah | OL | Braxton Jones | 1ST TEAM SOPH |
| Stephen F. Austin | WR | Xavier Gipson | 1ST TEAM FRESH |
| Stetson | RS | Jaylon Johnson | HM FRESH |
| Stony Brook | OL | James Tunstall | 1ST TEAM SOPH |
| Tennessee State | PK | Antonio Zita | HM SOPH |
| Tennessee Tech | ATH | Bailey Fisher | 1ST TEAM SOPH |
| The Citadel | OL | Johnathan Toole | 1ST TEAM FRESH |
| The Citadel | P | Matt Campbell | 1ST TEAM SOPH |
| UC Davis | LB | Nick Eaton | 1ST TEAM FRESH |
| UC Davis | RB | Ulonzo Gilliam | HM SOPH |
| UC Davis | DB | Devon King | HM SOPH |
| UT Martin | QB | John Bachus III | HM FRESH |
| UT Martin | DL | Jamarius Landers | HM FRESH |
| UT Martin | TE | Colton Dowell | HM SOPH |
| Villanova | RB | DeeWil Barlee | HM FRESH |
| Villanova | WR | Jaaron Hayek | HM FRESH |
| VMI | WR | Leroy Thomas | HM FRESH |
| VMI | LS | Robert Solderholm | 1ST TEAM SOPH |
| VMI | WR | Jakob Herres | HM SOPH |
| Weber State | DB | Eddie Heckard | 1ST TEAM FRESH |
| Weber State | RB | Josh Davis | 1ST TEAM SOPH |
| Weber State | DL | George Tarlas | HM SOPH |
| Western Carolina | OL | Tyler Smith | HM FRESH |
| Western Carolina | LB | Jayden Pauling | HM SOPH |
| William & Mary | P | George Eberle | 1ST TEAM FRESH |
| William & Mary | KR | Bronson Yoder | HM FRESH |
| Wofford | DL | Michael Mason | 1ST TEAM FRESH |
| Youngstown State | DL | DeMarko Craig | 1ST TEAM FRESH |
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Players Mentioned
Griz vs Indiana State Highlights
Tuesday, September 23
Griz football weekly press conference 9/15/25
Monday, September 22
Montana vs Indiana St. Highlights
Sunday, September 21
UM vs ISU postgame press conference
Saturday, September 20
