• Complete HERO Sports Preseason FCS All-American Team
Six Ohio Valley Conference football players have been named to the 2016 HERO Sports Preseason FCS All-American Team.
The selections included three first-team selections and three second-team selections. The first-team picks included Murray State senior quarterback
KD Humphries, Tennessee State senior offensive lineman
Jessamen Dunker and Jacksonville State senior center
Casey Dunn. The second-team picks were Jacksonville State senior defensive lineman
Darius Jackson, Southeast Missouri junior defensive back
Mike Ford and Eastern Kentucky junior punter
Keith Wrzuszczak.
Humphries is coming off an incredible junior season in which he led the nation in completions/game (30.0), passing yards/game (342.5) and total passing yards (3,778). His 3,778 passing yards were also a school single-season record and ranked third in OVC single-season history. Humphries also set a MSU record with 532 attempts in 2015. His 3,831 yards of total offense in 2015 were also third in OVC single-season history while his 330 completions were the fourth-best in OVC history. He enters his final season ranked fifth in OVC career history for completions (657), ninth in passing yards (7,342), 11th in passing touchdowns (50) and is just outside the top 10 for total offense (7,623 - 176 yards out of 10th place).
Dunker was a second-team All-OVC selction a season ago in starting nine of 10 games for the Tigers. He was a key part of an offensive line that saw TSU amass over 3,000 yards of total offense.
Dunn anchored an offensive line that set the stage for record-breaking production by the Gamecock offense in 2015. He helped Jacksonville State account for a school record 4,511 rushing yards a season ago, the first time in school history JSU had broken the 4,000-yard rushing plateau. Overall the Gamecocks gained 7,613 yards of total offense, also a new school record on the way to a 13-2 overall record, 8-0 OVC mark and No. 2 final ranking nationally.
Jackson had a breakout season for the OVC champion Gamecocks a season ago, finishing the year with 56 tackles (29 solo), 19.0 tackles-for-loss, 7.0 sacks, five quarterback hurries and a forced fumble in 14 games. He was part of a defensive unit that ranked 12th nationally in total defense (300.3 yards/game allowed) and 18th in scoring defense (19.9 points/game allowed). He was named Preseason OVC Defensive Player of the Year in a vote of league head coaches and sports information directors.
Ford earned second-team All-OVC honors in 2015 after registering 44 tackles (32 solo), 2.0 tackles-for-loss, five interceptions and seven pass breakups is his first season at cornerback. He returned an interception for a touchdown against SIU while his first interceptions on the season ranked eighth in a single-season at Southeast Missouri.
Last season Wrzuszczak broke the EKU school record for single season punting in averaging 43.7 yards/punt (breaking the old mark of 43.3 set in 2013 by current NFL punter Jordan Berry). He finished ninth in the FCS in punting while 20 of his 62 punts traveled 50 or more yards and 20 were pinned opponents inside the 20-yard line.