SC State’s Leonard named to FCS Preseason All-America team

ORANGEBURG, S.C. (WOLO) — SC State linebacker Darius Leonard keeps racking up the honors.

Leonard was honored among his peers  as being one of the top defensive players in the nation being named to the 2017 STATS FCS Preseason All-America First Team.

Leonard was recently named the MEAC Preseasons Defensive Player of the Year for the second straight season and was one of five Bulldogs earning All-MEAC First Team honors. It was the third such honor for the Lake View native.

Leonard (6-3, 235), the 2016 MEAC Defensive Player of the Year lived up to expectations last season, finishing with a MEAC-leading and career-high 124 tackles, including 14.5 tackles for loss and four (4) forced fumbles. He collected a season-high 19 tackles in a loss against FBS National Champion Clemson last September.

Also last season, Leonard was named a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award, given to the top defensive player in the FCS and was well-recognized on the postseason awards circuit, earning All-American honors from STATS FCS, AFCA Coaches, Sheridan Broadcasting Network (SBN), Box-to-row, and HERO Sports.

In addition, Leonard was named the Mel Blount National Defensive Player of the Year as selected by SBN, Box-to-row National Defensive Player of the Year, and become the fourth straight Bulldog player to win the MEAC Defensive Player of the Year accolades.

During this year’s preseason, he was previously selected as the MEAC Defensive Player to Watch by Athlon Sports in May and had been named a finalist for this year’s Butkus Award, honoring the nation’s best linebacker. In addition to all of his accolades Leonard needs just three more tackles to become the All-Time Leading Tackler in school history.

2017 STATS FCS PRESEASON ALL-AMERICA TEAM

FIRST TEAM

OFFENSE

QB – Jeremiah Briscoe, senior, 6-3, 220, Sam Houston State

RB – Chase Edmonds, senior, 5-9, 210, Fordham

RB – Elijah Ibitokun-Hanks, junior, 5-9, 199, Albany

FB – Joe Protheroe, senior, 6-0, 225, Cal Poly

WR – Justin Watson, senior, 6-3, 210, Penn

WR – Jake Wieneke, senior, 6-4, 215, South Dakota State

TE – Dallas Goedert, senior, 6-5, 250, South Dakota State

OL – Justin Lea, senior, 6-4, 290, Jacksonville State

OL – Jacob Ohnesorge, senior, 6-3, 285, South Dakota State

OL – Brandon Parker, senior, 6-7, 299, North Carolina A&T

OL – Timon Parris, senior, 6-5, 310, Stony Brook

OL – Aaron Stinnie, senior, 6-5, 290, James Madison

DEFENSE

DL – Pat Afriyie, senior, 6-2, 235, Colgate

DL – Anthony Ellis, senior, 6-1, 245, Charleston Southern

DL – P.J. Hall, senior, 6-1, 280, Sam Houston State

DL – Darius Jackson, senior, 6-3, 237, Jacksonville State

LB – Nick DeLuca, senior, 6-3, 248, North Dakota State

LB – Darius Leonard, r-senior, 6-3, 235, South Carolina State

LB – Christian Rozeboom, sophomore, 6-2, 220, South Dakota State

LB – Brett Taylor, senior, 6-2, 230, Western Illinois

DB – Mike Basile, senior, 6-1, 200, Monmouth

DB – Marlon Bridges, sophomore, 6-1, 210, Jacksonville State

DB – Cole Reyes, senior, 6-2, 215, North Dakota

DB – Rob Rolle, senior, 6-0, 190, Villanova

SPECIAL TEAMS

PK – Lane Clark, senior, 5-11, 170, Tennessee State

P – Ian Berryman, junior, 6-0, 205, Western Carolina

LS – James Fisher, senior, 6-2, 216, North Dakota State

KR – John Santiago, junior, 5-9, 180, North Dakota

PR – Khris Gardin, senior, 5-7, 165, North Carolina A&T

AP – John Lovett, senior, 6-3, 225, Princeton

 

SECOND TEAM

OFFENSE

QB – Gage Gubrud, junior, 6-2, 195, Eastern Washington

RB – Corey Avery, senior, 5-10, 190, Sam Houston State

RB – Detrez Newsome, senior, 5-10, 210, Western Carolina

FB – Anthony Manzo-Lewis, senior, 6-2, 245, Albany

WR – Emmanuel Butler, senior, 6-3, 210, Northern Arizona

WR – Kamron Lewis, junior, 6-4, 195, Saint Francis

WR – Troy Pelletier, senior, 6-3, 205, Lehigh

TE – Andrew Vollert, senior, 6-5, 245, Weber State

OL – Daniel Cooney, junior, 6-8, 315, San Diego

OL – Ben Huss, senior, 6-2, 307, Duquesne

OL – Jacob Judd, senior, 6-3, 300, Western Illinois

OL – Stockton Mallet, senior, 6-3, 307, Central Arkansas

OL – Skyler Phillips, senior, 6-2, 322, Idaho State

DEFENSE

DL – Andrew Ankrah, senior, 6-4, 234, James Madison

DL – Miles Brown, junior, 6-1, 310, Wofford

DL – Kurt Holuba, senior, 6-4, 270, Princeton

DL – Greg Menard, senior, 6-2, 239, North Dakota State

DL – Ebenezer Ogundeko, senior, 6-3, 255, Tennessee State

LB – Solomon Brown, junior, 6-1, 220, Charleston Southern

LB – Garrett Dolan, senior, 6-2, 240, Houston Baptist

LB – Jared Farley, senior, 5-11, 221, Northern Iowa

LB – Shaheed Salmon, senior, 6-1, 226, Samford

DB – Tre Dempsey, senior, 5-10, 179, North Dakota State

DB – Kahlid Hagens, senior, 6-3, 200, UT Martin

DB – Davontae Harris, senior, 6-0, 200, Illinois State

DB – Tremon Smith, senior, 6-0, 186, Central Arkansas

DB – Kailik Williams, senior, 5-11, 185, The Citadel

SPECIAL TEAMS

PK – Griffin Trau, junior, 5-8, 180, Richmond

P – Keith Wrzuszczak, senior, 5-11, 202, Eastern Kentucky

LS – Hunter Winstead, senior, 6-0, 240, Liberty

KR – Shane Simpson, sophomore, 5-9, 185, Towson

PR – Londell Lee, senior, 6-2, 210, UT Martin

AP – Harold Cooper, senior, 5-9, 183, Rhode Island

 

TTHIRD TEAM

OFFENSE

QB – Taryn Christion, junior, 6-2, 215, South Dakota State

QB – Devlin Hodges, junior, 6-1, 213, Samford

RB – Dom Bragalone, junior, 5-11, 215, Lehigh

RB – Anthony Philyaw, senior, 6-1, 205, Howard

RB – Deontez Thompson, sophomore, 6-0, 200, Richmond

FB – Kane Louscher, senior, 6-2, 245, South Dakota State

WR – Yedidiah Louis, senior, 5-8, 187, Sam Houston State

WR – Patrick Smith, senior, 6-0, 190, Tennessee State

TE – Jonathan Kloosterman, senior, 6-3, 245, James Madison

OL – Frank Cirone, senior, 6-3, 280, Charleston Southern

OL – Jamil Demby, senior, 6-5, 310, Maine

OL – Chris Durant, senior, 6-4, 310, William & Mary

OL – Justin Spencer, senior, 6-5, 305, Youngstown State

OL – Tyler Tezeno, senior, 6-4, 317, Sam Houston State

DEFENSE

DL – Abdullah Anderson, senior, 6-4, 295, Bucknell

DL – Keontre Anderson, senior, 6-3, 240, Jackson State

DL – Jonathan Petersen, senior, 6-1, 230, San Diego

DL – Jay-Tee Tiuli, senior, 6-4, 315, Eastern Washington

DL – Juwan Wells, junior, 6-2, 255, Liberty

LB – Mac Bignell, senior, 6-1, 205, Montana State

LB – George Odum, senior, 6-2, 190, Central Arkansas

LB – Chad Meredith, senior, 6-4, 244, Southeast Missouri

LB – Dale Warren, junior, 6-0, 215, Chattanooga

DB – Raven Greene, senior, 6-0, 200, James Madison

DB – Robbie Grimsley, junior, 6-0, 183, North Dakota State

DB – Danny Johnson, senior, 5-10, 195, Southern

DB – Taron Johnson, senior, 6-0, 180, Weber State

DB – Omari Williams, senior, 6-1, 190, Samford

SPECIAL TEAMS

PK – Alex Probert, sophomore, 5-9, 170, Liberty

P – Jacob DeMaio, senior, 6-5, 205, Weber State

LS – Danny Garza, senior, 6-0, 230, Houston Baptist

KR – Deion Holliman, senior, 5-9, 188, Missouri State

PR – Terry Wallen, senior, 5-11, 182, Drake

AP – Justice Shelton-Mosley, junior, 5-10, 195, Harvard

 

SC State athletics contributed to this article.