Griz land five on preseason All-America list
5/28/2020 10:09:00 AM | Football
Montana landed a Big Sky-best five players on the HERO Sports preseason All-America list the organization announced Thursday, including three first-team selections – tied for the most in the FCS.
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Senior receiver Samori Toure, who broke the UM school record for receiving yards in a season with 1,495 and broke NFL Hall of Famer Randy Moss' FCS Playoff record with 303 receiving yards in a game, earned a place on the first team.
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Senior linebacker Jace Lewis was picked to the defensive first team after posting a Big Sky top-five 131 tackles as a junior. Safety Robby Hauck was also a first-team pick after racking up 129 tackles in his sophomore campaign.
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Defending champion North Dakota State was the only other FCS team to land three of its players on HERO's first-team All-America squad.
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Record-breaking running back Marcus Knight earned a place on the second team following a 25-touchdown sophomore season. The 6-1, 194-pound back was named the Big Sky Newcomer of the Year after breaking Chase Reynolds' 2009 school record of 24 total TDs and becoming the first Grizzly rusher to cross the 1,000-yard mark since 2014.
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Junior kick returner Malik Flowers rounds out Montana's preseason All-America picks from HERO Sports after posting a league-leading 879 kick return yards and returning two kickoffs for touchdowns as a sophomore – one of only two players nationwide to do so.
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Montana is scheduled to open the 2020 season on Sept. 5 at home against Central Washington. Season tickets are available now at GrizTix.com.
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Senior receiver Samori Toure, who broke the UM school record for receiving yards in a season with 1,495 and broke NFL Hall of Famer Randy Moss' FCS Playoff record with 303 receiving yards in a game, earned a place on the first team.
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Senior linebacker Jace Lewis was picked to the defensive first team after posting a Big Sky top-five 131 tackles as a junior. Safety Robby Hauck was also a first-team pick after racking up 129 tackles in his sophomore campaign.
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Defending champion North Dakota State was the only other FCS team to land three of its players on HERO's first-team All-America squad.
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Record-breaking running back Marcus Knight earned a place on the second team following a 25-touchdown sophomore season. The 6-1, 194-pound back was named the Big Sky Newcomer of the Year after breaking Chase Reynolds' 2009 school record of 24 total TDs and becoming the first Grizzly rusher to cross the 1,000-yard mark since 2014.
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Junior kick returner Malik Flowers rounds out Montana's preseason All-America picks from HERO Sports after posting a league-leading 879 kick return yards and returning two kickoffs for touchdowns as a sophomore – one of only two players nationwide to do so.
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Montana is scheduled to open the 2020 season on Sept. 5 at home against Central Washington. Season tickets are available now at GrizTix.com.
HERO Sports 2020 Preseason All-America Team
1ST TEAM OFFENSE
| POS | PLAYER | SCHOOL | YEAR |
| QB | Trey Lance | North Dakota State | Soph. |
| QB | Kevin Thomson | Sacramento State | Sr. |
| RB | Karl Mofor | Albany | Sr. |
| RB | Jah-Maine Martin | North Carolina A&T | Sr. |
| RB | Pierre Strong Jr. | South Dakota State | Jr. |
| OL | Drew Himmelman | Illinois State | Sr. |
| OL | Liam Fornadel | James Madison | Sr. |
| OL | PJ Burkhalter | Nicholls | Sr. |
| OL | Dillon Radunz | North Dakota State | Sr. |
| OL | Cordell Volson | North Dakota State | Sr. |
| WR | DeAngelo Wilson | Austin Peay | Sr. |
| WR | Samori Toure | Montana | Sr. |
| WR | Cade Johnson | South Dakota State | Sr. |
| TE | Dalton Kincaid | San Diego | Jr. |
| AP | Shane Simpson | Towson | Sr. |
| ATH | Brandon Rainey | The Citadel | Sr. |
1ST TEAM DEFENSE
| POS | PLAYER | SCHOOL | YEAR |
| DL | Romeo McKnight | Illinois State | Sr. |
| DL | Elerson Smith | Northern Iowa | Sr. |
| DL | Jermaine McDaniel | North Carolina A&T | Jr. |
| DL | Kobie Turner | Richmond | Jr. |
| LB | Bryson Armstrong | Kennesaw State | Sr. |
| LB | Jace Lewis | Montana | Sr. |
| LB | Forrest Rhyne | Villanova | Sr. |
| LB | Ryan Greenhagen | Fordham | Jr. |
| DB | Kordell Jackson | Austin Peay | Sr. |
| DB | Brandon Easterling | Dayton | Sr. |
| DB | Robby Hauck | Montana | Jr. |
| DB | Anthony Adams | Portland State | Jr. |
| DB | Ferlando Jordan | Southeastern Louisiana | Jr. |
| ATH | Troy Andersen | Montana State | Sr. |
1ST TEAM SPECIAL TEAMS
| POS | PLAYER | SCHOOL | YEAR |
| P | Chris Faddoul | Florida A&M | Sr. |
| PK | Luis Aguilar | Northern Arizona | Sr. |
| LS | Colton Menges | Alcorn State | Sr. |
| PR | Montrell Washington | Samford | Sr. |
| KR | Lonnie Moore IV | Monmouth | Sr. |
| ST | D'Angelo Amos | James Madison | Sr. |
2ND TEAM OFFENSE
| POS | PLAYER | SCHOOL | YEAR |
| QB | Jeff Undercuffler | Albany | Soph. |
| QB | Eric Barriere | Eastern Washington | Sr. |
| QB | Bailey Zappe | Houston Baptist | Sr. |
| RB | Percy Agyei-Obese | James Madison | Sr. |
| RB | Marcus Knight | Montana | Jr. |
| RB | Josh Davis | Weber State | Jr. |
| OL | J'Von Brown | Central Connecticut | Sr. |
| OL | Paul Grattan | Villanova | Sr. |
| OL | Ty Whitworth | Weber State | Sr. |
| OL | Nash Jensen | North Dakota State | Jr. |
| OL | Kyle Nunez | Stony Brook | Jr. |
| WR | Changa Hodge | Villanova | Sr. |
| WR | Xavier Smith | Florida A&M | Jr. |
| WR | Isaiah Weston | Northern Iowa | Jr. |
| TE | Colton Dowell | UT Martin | Jr. |
| AP | Elijah Dotson | Sacramento State | Sr. |
| ATH | Daniel Smith | Villanova | Sr. |
2NDÂ TEAM DEFENSE
| POS | PLAYER | SCHOOL | YEAR |
| DL | Mike Greene | James Madison | Sr. |
| DL | Jared Brinkman | Northern Iowa | Sr. |
| DL | Trace Mascorro | Sam Houston State | Sr. |
| DL | Roderick Perry | South Carolina State | Sr. |
| LB | Levi Metheny | Albany | Sr. |
| LB | Deshawn Stevens | Maine | Sr. |
| LB | Colby Campbell | Presbyterian | Sr. |
| LB | Adrian Hope | Furman | Jr. |
| DB | Robert Rochell | Central Arkansas | Sr. |
| DB | Devin Taylor | Illinois State | Sr. |
| DB | Michael Tutsie | North Dakota State | Jr. |
| DB | Kedrick Whitehead | Delaware | Jr. |
2ND TEAM SPECIAL TEAMS
| POS | PLAYER | SCHOOL | YEAR |
| P | DJ Arnson | Northern Arizona | Sr. |
| PK | Trey Tuttle | Weber State | Sr. |
| LS | Bradey Sorenson | South Dakota State | Sr. |
| PR | Mike Roussos | Columbia | Jr. |
| KR | Quay Holmes | ETSU | Jr. |
| ST | Elijah Solomon | Villanova | Soph. |
3RD TEAM OFFENSE
| POS | PLAYER | SCHOOL | YEAR |
| QB | Felix Harper | Alcorn State | Sr. |
| QB | Breylin Smith | Central Arkansas | Jr. |
| FB | Clint Ratkovich | Western Illinois | Sr. |
| RB | Wesley Dugger | Davidson | Sr. |
| RB | Devin Wynn | Furman | Sr. |
| RB | Julius Chestnut | Sacred Heart | Jr. |
| OL | Blake Mitchell | Austin Peay | Sr. |
| OL | Keenan Forbes | Florida A&M | Sr. |
| OL | Liam Dobson | Maine | Sr. |
| OL | Spencer Brown | Northern Iowa | Sr. |
| OL | Colby Thomas | Sam Houston State | Sr. |
| OL | Lewis Kidd | Montana State | Sr. |
| WR | Lujuan Winningham | Central Arkansas | Jr. |
| WR | Izaiah Gathings | Gardner-Webb | Jr. |
| WR | Brandon Porter | Northern Arizona | Jr. |
| WR | Pierre Williams | Sacramento State | Jr. |
| TE | Chris James | Chattanooga | Sr. |
| AP | Alex Ramsey | The Citadel | Sr. |
| ATH | EJ Perry | Brown | Sr. |
3RDÂ TEAM DEFENSE
| POS | PLAYER | SCHOOL | YEAR |
| DL | Josephus Smith | Austin Peay | Sr. |
| DL | Amandre Williams | Montana State | Sr. |
| DL | Shaundre Mims | Charleston Southern | Jr. |
| DL | DJ Coleman | Jacksonville State | Jr. |
| DL | Malik Hamm | Lafayette | Jr. |
| LB | Chris Ojoh | Eastern Washington | Sr. |
| LB | Glenn Cunningham | Fordham | Sr. |
| LB | Willie Eubanks III | The Citadel | Sr. |
| LB | Keonte Hampton | Jackson State | Jr. |
| DB | Shawn Steele | Arkansas-Pine Bluff | Sr. |
| DB | Christian Uphoff | Illinois State | Sr. |
| DB | Darion Dunn | McNeese | Sr. |
| DB | Xavior Williams | Northern Iowa | Sr. |
| DB | Jaquan Amos | Villanova | Sr. |
3RD TEAM SPECIAL TEAMS
| POS | PLAYER | SCHOOL | YEAR |
| P | Brady Schutt | South Dakota | Sr. |
| PK | Ethan Ratke | James Madison | Sr. |
| LS | Robert Soderholm | VMI | Jr. |
| KR | Malik Flowers | Montana | Jr. |
| ST | Bronson Yoder | William & Mary | Soph. |
Players Mentioned
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