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Four Grizzlies named to HERO Sports Preseason All-America team

MTN Sports

By: Montana Sports

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(Editor's note: University of Montana release)

The Montana Grizzlies landed four players on one of three HERO Sports FCS Preseason All-America teams, the online sports news outlet announced Wednesday.

UM's four picks are tied for the most selections in the Big Sky Conference.

Linebacker Jace Lewis, who was named to the Buck Buchanan Award Watch List last week, was named to the first team defense. Receiver Samuel Akem, who also earned preseason player of the year accolades on the Walter Payton Award Watch List last week, was named second team offense.

Junior safety Robby Hauck was named to the defensive second team after earning a spot on the All-Big Sky preseason team. Malik Flowers picked up his second preseason All-America honor as a return specialist, landing on HERO Sports' third team.

Lewis, the 2020 Big Sky Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, was also a repeat preseason all-league pick in 2021. The senior from Townsend enters the 2021 season as one of the top-40 all-time tacklers in Montana history with 219 stops to his name. As a junior in 2019, he was one of the top five tacklers in the Big Sky and a top-25 tackler in FCS football with 131 stops that year. He was recently announced as the next Grizzly to carry on the #37 jersey tradition as well.

Akem, a preseason All-Big Sky pick, is set to enter his senior season as one of the top-20 receivers in Montana history with 2,022 career yards to date. He also enters the season among UM's top-20 in career receptions (142) and will serve as an anchor on one of the premiere receiving corps in FCS football. The senior from Oklahoma was a 2020 preseason all-league pick as well as a HERO Sports Preseason All-American in 2019 when he finished the season with second-team all-conference honors.

Hauck has started every game of his career at Montana. His 236 career tackles currently place him at No. 31 on UM's all-time leading tackler list. Ahead of the 2020-21 season, Hauck earned preseason All-Big Sky honors from the conference and preseason All-America and all-league selections from HERO Sports and Phil Steele Magazine. With 12 stops, he was UM's top overall tackler during the two-game 2021 season.

Flowers continues his junior season after two years as one of the most dominant kick returners in FCS football. With two electric returns for 70 yards in the spring season, he enters the fall of 2021 with 1,556 career kick return yards and three touchdowns, needing just over 500 more yards to break the school record. He earned multiple All-America honors as a junior in 2019 and was a preseason All-Big Sky pick in 2020. He was also named a 2020 preseason All-American by Phil Steele magazine, Athlon Sports and HERO Sports, while being named to the College Football America FCS Starting Lineup.

The HERO Sports Preseason All-America Team was compiled by its senior FCS analyst Sam Herder.

Montana enters the 2021 fall season coming off a 2-0 spring campaign that saw the Grizzlies dismantle Central Washington and Portland State by a combined score of 107-10. In its last full season, Montana returned to the 2019 FCS Quarterfinals with a 10-4 record.

UM opens the season on Sept. 4 against the University of Washington in Seattle, with the home opener against Western Illinois set for Sept. 11 in Missoula. Season tickets as well as home and away single-game tickets are on sale now at GrizTix.com [griztix.evenue.net].

HERO Sports 2021 FCS Preseason All-America Team

First Team Offense

QB Eric Schmid, Sam Houston

QB Eric Barriere, Eastern Washington

RB Julius Chestnut, Sacred Heart

RB Pierre Strong Jr., South Dakota State

RB Otis Weah, North Dakota

WR Jequez Ezzard, Sam Houston

WR Tyler Hudson, Central Arkansas

WR Jakob Herres, VMI

TE McCallan Castles, UC Davis

FB Hunter Luepke, North Dakota State

OL Cordell Volson, North Dakota State

OL Liam Fornadel, James Madison

OL Mason McCormick, South Dakota State

OL Trevor Penning, Northern Iowa

OL Braxton Jones, Southern Utah

First Team Defense

DL Jordan Lewis, Southern

DL Isaiah Chambers, McNeese

DL Jared Brinkman, Northern Iowa

DL Mike Greene, James Madison

DL Joseph Wallace, Sam Houston

LB Tre Walker, Idaho

LB Willie Eubanks III, The Citadel

LB Jace Lewis [gogriz.com], Montana

LB Logan Backhaus, South Dakota State

LB Ryan Greenhagen, Fordham

DB Kedrick Whitehead, Delaware

DB Zyon McCollum, Sam Houston

DB Markquese Bell, Florida A&M

DB Anthony Adams, Portland State

DB Kordell Jackson, Austin Peay

First Team Special Teams

K Ethan Ratke, James Madison

P Daniel Whelan, UC Davis

LS Bradey Sorenson, South Dakota State

RS Jequez Ezzard, Sam Houston

Second Team Offense

QB Cole Kelley, Southeastern Louisiana University

QB Jeff Undercuffler, UAlbany

RB Jah-Maine Martin, North Carolina A&T

RB Elijah Dotson, Sacramento State

RB Percy Agyei-Obese, James Madison

WR Samuel Akem, Montana

WR Avante Cox, Southern Illinois

WR Xavier Smith, Florida A&M

TE Noah Gindorff, North Dakota State

FB Clay Moss, Weber State

OL PJ Burkhalter, Nicholls

OL Garret Greenfield, South Dakota State

OL Matt Waletzko, North Dakota

OL David Kroll, Delaware

OL Ty Whitworth, Weber State

Second Team Defense

DL Jahari Kay, Sam Houston

DL Jermaine McDaniel, North Carolina A&T

DL Shaundre Mims, Charleston Southern

DL Amandre Williams, Montana State

DL Kobie Turner, Richmond

LB Troy Andersen, Montana State

LB Forrest Rhyne, Villanova

LB Stone Snyder, VMI

LB Keonte Hampton, Jackson State

LB Conner Mortensen, Weber State

DB Nicario Harper, Jacksonville State

DB Brandon Easterling, Dayton

DB Robby Hauck, Montana

DB Qua Brown, Southern Illinois

DB Jordan Perryman, UC Davis

Second Team Special Teams

K Luis Aguilar, Northern Arizona

P Chris Faddoul, Florida A&M

LS Robert Soderholm, VMI

RS Christian Watson, North Dakota State

Third Team Offense

QB Felix Harper, Alcorn State

QB EJ Perry, Brown

RB Isaiah Ifanse, Montana State

RB Karl Mofor, UAlbany

RB Juwon Farri, Monmouth

WR Lonnie Moore IV, Monmouth

WR Christian Watson, North Dakota State

WR Dai'Jean Dixon, Nicholls

TE Marshel Martin, Sacramento State

FB Nathan Walker, Wofford

OL Colby Thomas, Sam Houston

OL J'Von Brown, Central Connecticut State

OL Lewis Kidd, Montana State

OL AJ Farris, Monmouth

OL Keenan Forbes, Florida A&M

Third Team Defense

DL Jevon Leon, Sam Houston

DL Jared Schiess, Weber State

DL Devonnsha Maxwell, Chattanooga

DL Malik Hamm, Lafayette

DL DJ Coleman, Jacksonville State

LB Bryce Flater, Northern Iowa

LB Isaac Dowling, Mercer

LB Tristan Wheeler, Richmond

LB Adrian Hope, Furman

LB Jack Cochrane, South Dakota

DB Dexter Lawson Jr., Central Connecticut State

DB Tyree Robinson, ETSU

DB Chris Edmonds, Samford

DB Michael Tutsie, North Dakota State

DB Ferlando Jordan, Southeastern Louisiana University

Third Team Special Teams

K Seth Harrison, Eastern Washington

P Brady Schutt, South Dakota

LS Dalton Godfrey, South Dakota

RS Malik Flowers, Montana