NEW YORK, N.Y. - A total of 17 SCAC football student-athletes were recognized by USA College Football on Thursday afternoon. Eleven were named to the USA College Football All-America team while the remaining six earned spots on the Division III Freshman All-Stars squad.
Marquis Barrolle and Tyler Brandenburg of Texas Lutheran as well as Conner Cox and Connor Yorloff from Trinity were named First Team All-Americans.
Kyle Crawford and Chris Tanner of Austin College, Kendall Wilkerson of Texas Lutheran, and Matthew Kennemer of Trinity earned spots on the second team while Bradley Oh of Austin College and Frankie Arndt of Trinity all earned third team honors. Payton Kisor of Trinity earned a spot on the honorable mention team.
The Southwestern trio of Bryan Hicks, DeeJay Johnson, and Nik Kelly were selected to the DIII Freshman All-Stars squad while Texas Lutheran's Conner Baird and Trinity's Brandon Donnermeyer and Alejandro Anzaldua also earned a spot on the team.
Barrolle, a sophomore from Ingleside, Texas, finished his 11-game 2014 season with a school-record 1,792 yards on a school-record 297 carries and still currently holds the nation's lead in total rushing yards with three total games remaining in Division III. His 1,792 yards were the second most in SCAC history. The Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Offensive Player-of-the-Year, Barrolle scored 14 touchdowns to lead the conference while racking up 2,068 all-purpose yards.
Brandenburg, a senior from Spring, Texas, made 17-of-25 field goals (68%) during the regular season, including a 51-yarder on Nov. 8 at Austin College – the fifth-longest field goal in SCAC history. His 17 field goals set a new SCAC single-season and he was tied for third in the nation in field goals made per game (1.5) at the conclusion of the regular season. Brandenburg was named SCAC Special Teams Player of the Year for the second year in a row.
Cox was named to the Preseason All-American Teams in both 2013 and 2014. He also is a four-time All-Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) honoree. Yorloff, also a Pre-Season All-American, was recently picked for the D3football.com All-South Region Team, and to the All-SCAC Team (second straight year). He was second in conference tackles with 100 (38 solo), and second among Trinity defenders with 3.5 QB sacks.
Wilkerson, a senior from Highlands, Texas, led a TLU offensive line that propelled the Bulldogs to the 11th-ranked total offense in all of NCAA Division III. Named First Team All-SCAC, the Bulldogs average 502.6 yards of total offense per game behind their stud linemen. The Bulldogs also rank 12th in scoring (42.6), 17th in rushing offense (257.2), and 23rd in sacks allowed (1.0 per game). Wilkerson and Hochstrasser were key to Barrolle's success on the ground all season long.
Crawford, a senior tight end from Rockwall, was selected as a second team All-American after having recently been named All-Region by D3Football.comand first team All-SCAC. Crawford had SCAC highs of 42 catches, 699 yards, and 16.6 yards-per-catch and was third in the league with four touchdown receptions.
Tanner, a senior tackle from Rowlett, was also a first team All-SCAC selection after anchoring an offensive line that paved the way for the 'Roos to have the second most first downs in the league to go along with the second best red zone scoring percentage, putting points on the board 79% of the time the offense got inside the 20.
Kennemer earned Preseason All-America kudos for two consecutive years. A three-year All-SCAC recipient, Kennemer led the conference in kick returns this season, taking back 21 returns for 517 yards (24.6 yards per return). He also snagged 22 passes for 226 yards (25.1 yards per game) and one touchdown. The versatile Kennemer punted the ball 11 times for 442 yards (40.2 yards per punt) as well, and is a two-time SCAC Special Teams Player of the Year (2012, 2013).
Oh, a graduate student guard from Irving, was a third team All-America selection after having been named first team All-SCAC, after helping the 'Roos put together the second most prolific offensive in the conference, averaging 363 yards-per-game for the season. The 'Roos were second in the league with 1,818 rushing yards on the year.
Kelly was named the SCAC Newcomer of the Year and First Team All-SCAC after an outstanding season defensively where he led the SCAC in passes defended and interceptions despite some games where he faced zero pass attempts. He was second in pass break-ups and added in 42 tackles with 24 solo tackles. Kelly was nominated for the 2014 Cliff Harris Award after ending the season third in the nation in passes defended.
Hicks and Johnson were Honorable Mention All-SCAC picks this season. Hicks, a 6-0, 180-pound first-year quarterback from Humble, Texas, was third in the SCAC in touchdowns with 11 and fourth in nearly every other category in his first season with the Pirates, despite missing five games this season. He had a season-high 334 yards in the November 1st game against Austin College and posted four touchdowns against Sul Ross State.
Baird, a freshman from Kyle, Texas, hauled in eight passed for 163 yards receving and two touchdowns in the potent TLU offense. He was also a key blocking contributor to a TLU offense that racked up over 500 yards a game with over 250 coming on the ground.
Arndt is also a two-time All-SCAC performer for the Tigers, while Donnermeyer and Kisor both earned All-SCAC Honorable Mention this season. Anzaldua was third on the team with 10.0 tackles for loss, and led all first-year players with 36 total stops.
Selections are contributed by NCAA Division III Conferences, Head Coaches, Sports Information Directors, National, Regional and Local Broadcast & Print Media, American Football Coaches Association, Lindy's Sports, Regional Football Writers' Associations, Professional Football Franchise Scouts and Certified Players' Agents as well as the staff of USA Football Network, Inc. All seniors, with no remaining football eligibility, are candidates to participate in the 21st Annual USA Football Bowl in Jackson, MS from January 16 to January 20, 2015.
