By FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION
Football College Football America Yearbook, a publication available through Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com, tabbed Fort Hays State at No. 14 in its Division II Preseason Top 30 for 2019. Also receiving special recognition from the publication is senior kicker Dante Brown, listed on the Division II Preseason Starting Lineup by the publication. College Football America Yearbook has been produced every year since 2011.
Fort Hays State and Northwest Missouri State, co-champions of the MIAA last year, both grace the preseason top 30. Northwest Missouri State received a ranking of No. 7. FHSU and NWMSU are the only schools listed in the top 30 from the MIAA.
Dante Brown, placekicker for Fort Hays State, and O’Shay Harris, defensive back from Central Oklahoma, are the only two players from the MIAA listed among the Division II Preseason Starting Lineup. Eleven players on both offense and defense were chosen, while Brown is among the five specialists named to the list. Brown led all NCAA divisions in field goals per game in 2018, averaging 2.33 per contest with 28 for the season. It set a new school and MIAA record for field goals in a season, while coming just two shy of the NCAA Division II single-season record. Brown recorded 123 points for the year, adding 39 successful PATs to his 28 field goals to rank 12th in Division II for points per game (10.3).
Below is the Preseason Top 30 and Preseason Startling Lineup by College Football America Yearbook.
2019 College Football America Division II Preseason Top 30
1. Valdosta State
2. Ferris State
3. Lenoir-Rhyne
4. Notre Dame (OH)
5. Minnesota State
6. Ouachita Baptist
7. Northwest Missouri State
8. Slippery Rock
9. Colorado Mines
10. Minnesota Duluth
11. Grand Valley State
12. Indianapolis
13. Tarleton State
14. Fort Hays State
15. Wingate
16. Hillsdale
17. CSU-Pueblo
18. Harding
19. West Georgia
20. Midwestern State
21. New Haven
22. Texas A&M-Commerce
23. Azusa Pacific
24. West Alabama
25. Bowie State
26. Indiana (PA)
27. Fairmont State
28. Florida Tech
29. Kutztown
30. Virginia Union
2019 College Football America Division II Starting Lineup
Offense
Pos. Name, School
QB JAYRU CAMPBELL, Ferris State
RB GABRIEL WATSON, Sioux Falls
RB JALEEL McLAUGHLIN, Notre Dame (Ohio)
WR CRAIG RUCKER, Mars Hill
WR SHANE ZYLSTRA, Minnesota State
TE ERIK HENNEMAN, Lindenwood
OL JASON POE, Lenoir-Rhyne
OL CRAIG McCORKLE, California (Pa.)
OL ADONIS SEALEY, Valdosta State
OL DONALD BOONE, Chowan
C GRANT STEWART, Colorado Mines
Defense
Pos. Name, School
DL CHRIS GARRETT, Concordia-St. Paul
DL SHA’HAUN WILLIAMS, Notre Dame (Ohio)
DL JACKSON WIBBELS, CSU-Pueblo
DL HEATH WILLIAMS, Saginaw Valley State
LB SAM HEYBOER, Ferris State
LB AUSTIN STEPHENS, Miles
LB DOMINIC CIZAUSKAS, Glenville State
DB LAMONT McPHATTER II, California (PA)
DB TRAVIONTAE BROWN, Benedict
DB O’SHAY HARRIS, Central Oklahoma
DB JAREY ELDER, West Chester
Specialists
Pos. Name, School
P JOSH CARLSON, Dixie State
PK DANTE BROWN, Fort Hays State
KR TORIANO CLINTON, Indianapolis
PR KYLE DUGGER, Lenoir-Rhyne
AP TABYUS TAYLOR, Virginia Union