By FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION
Fort Hays State tight end Hunter Budke added another postseason honor to his collection for the 2021 season when he was named to the D2Football.com Elite 100 team. The team was rebranded this year as the Elite 100, though in the past it was known as the D2Football.com All-America Team.
Budke was a first-team selection at tight end, which gives him four national first-team honors this season after receiving All-America First Team honors from the AFCA, D2CCA, and the Associated Press. The D2Football.com Elite 100 was selected by the staff of D2Football.com with input from coaches, scouts, media, and sports information directors from around the country.
Budke finished the 2021 season with 47 receptions for 620 yards and eight touchdowns. He twice had over 100 receiving yards in a game. He produced four or more receptions in seven of 11 contests and led the Tigers in receiving touchdowns for the season. Budke ranked eighth in the MIAA in receptions per game, all among a top 10 list that only included wide receivers aside from him. He was fourth in the MIAA in receiving touchdowns.
Below is the D2Football.com Elite 100 for 2021.
| 2021 D2Football.com Elite 100 | |||
| First Team | |||
| QB | Tyson Bagent | 6-3, 215, Jr. | Shepherd |
| RB | Toriano Clinton | 5-9, 194, Jr. | Indianapolis |
| RB | Cody Schrader | 5-9, 213, So. | Truman State |
| WR | L’liott Curry | 6-0, 206, Sr. | Henderson State |
| WR | Danny Kittner | 5-10, 187, Jr. | Mary |
| TE | Hunter Budke | 6-2, 240, Jr. | Fort Hays State |
| OL | Sebastian Gutierrez | 6-6, 295, Sr. | Minot State |
| OL | Brent Laing | 6-4, 294, Sr. | Minnesota Duluth |
| OL | Brandon Nicholson | 6-4, 305, Sr. | Notre Dame |
| OL | Tanner Owen | 6-5, 292, Sr. | Northwest Missouri State |
| OL | Dylan Pasquali | 6-5, 305, Sr. | Ferris State |
| DL | Carl Igweh | 6-5, 264, Sr. | Frostburg State |
| DL | Deshawn McCarthy | 6-4, 265, Jr. | East Stroudsburg |
| DL | Sam Roberts | 6-5, 292, Sr. | Northwest Missouri State |
| DL | Jonathan Ross | 6-3, 250, So. | Bowie State |
| LB | Guam Lee | 5-11, 213, Sr. | Notre Dame |
| LB | Drew Seers | 6-1, 225, Sr. | Lindenwood |
| LB | Marvin Terry | 6-2, 220, Sr. | Delta State |
| DB | D’Anthony Bell | 6-2, 205, Sr. | West Florida |
| DB | Anthony Blue | 5-11, 175, Sr. | Newberry |
| DB | Tobias Harris | 5-9, 180, Jr. | West Texas A&M |
| DB | Joshua Williams | 6-3, 197, Sr. | Fayetteville State |
| K | McLean Robertson | 6-0, 220, Sr. | Wingate |
| P | Jed Quackenbush | 6-2, 175, Sr. | Ohio Dominican |
| AP | Dominque Ramsey | 5-9, 180, Sr. | Texas A&M-Commerce |
| Second Team | |||
| QB | Austin Reed | 6-2, 220, So. | West Florida |
| RB | TJ Cole | 6-0, 185, Jr. | Ouachita Baptist |
| RB | Al McKeller | 5-9, 215, Sr. | Northwest Missouri State |
| WR | Tywan Pearce | 5-8, 160, Sr. | Concord |
| WR | Cameron Saunders | 6-2, 190, Sr. | Central Missouri |
| TE | Ian Fryday | 6-2, 235, Sr. | Adams State |
| OL | Josh Dauberman | 6-5, 315, Sr. | Indiana (Pa.) |
| OL | Mark Murphy | 6-4, 330, Jr. | Bowie State |
| OL | Zein Obeid | 6-5, 303, Jr. | Ferris State |
| OL | Willis Patrick | 6-4, 347, So. | Angelo State |
| OL | Andrew Strickland | 6-4, 267, Sr. | Wingate |
| DL | Caleb Murphy | 6-4, 245, So. | Ferris State |
| DL | Ikenna Onwuasoanya | 6-2, 297, Sr. | CSU-Pueblo |
| DL | Joshua Pryor | 6-4, 280, Jr. | Bowie State |
| DL | Chris Terrell | 6-3, 270, Sr. | West Alabama |
| LB | Carter Duxbury | 6-2, 240, Jr. | Winona State |
| LB | Nick Moss | 5-11, 225, Sr. | Valdosta State |
| LB | Coleton Smith | 6-2, 230, Sr. | Southwest Baptist |
| DB | Dallis Flowers | 6-2, 190, Sr. | Pittsburg State |
| DB | Gregory Junior | 6-0, 190, Sr. | Ouachita Baptist |
| DB | Tristan Rankin | 6-1, 210, So. | Mars Hill |
| DB | KiShawn Walker | 6-2, 205, Sr. | Kentucky Wesleyan |
| K | Anthony Beitko | 6-0, 180, Fr. | California (Pa.) |
| P | Justin Dwinell | 6-4, 199, So. | CSU-Pueblo |
| AP | James Letcher Jr. | 5-8, 185, Sr. | Washburn |
| Squad | |||
| QB | Jared Bernhardt | 6-1, 195, Sr. | Ferris State |
| QB | Cooper Callis | 6-3, 210, Jr. | Southwest Baptist |
| QB | TJ Davis | 6-3, 180, Jr. | Nebraska-Kearney |
| QB | Ivory Durham | 5-10, 200, Jr. | Valdosta State |
| QB | John Matocha | 5-11, 180, Jr. | Colorado School of Mines |
| QB | Logan Nelson | 6-5, 226, Sr. | Mary |
| QB | Bryce Witt | 6-4, 235, Sr. | Chowan |
| RB | Cole Chancey | 5-11, 195, Sr. | Harding |
| RB | Tyreik McAllister | 5-11, 180, Sr. | Charleston |
| RB | Dwayne McGee | 5-7, 170, Fr. | Lenoir-Rhyne |
| RB | Michael Zeman | 5-11, 220, Sr. | Colorado School of Mines |
| WR | Brendan Beaulieu | 6-3, 210, Jr. | Bemidji State |
| WR | Lio’undre Gallimore | 5-10, 171, Sr. | Valdosta State |
| WR | Luke Little | 6-4, 222, Sr. | Mary |
| WR | Henry Litwin | 6-1, 195, Sr. | Slippery Rock |
| WR | Tyriq Martin | 6-3, 183, Sr. | West Alabama |
| WR | Senika McKie | 6-2, 185, So. | Erskine |
| TE | Isaiah Johnson-Mack | 6-3, 230, Sr. | Saginaw Valley State |
| TE | Ty Snelson | 6-2, 250, Sr. | Mars Hill |
| OL | Matt Armendariz | 6-2, 295, Sr. | Colorado School of Mines |
| OL | Jake Boonstra | 6-5, 300, Sr. | Ferris State |
| OL | Justin Calderon | 6-5, 320, Sr. | Chadron State |
| OL | Mike Dilla | 6-5, 310, Sr. | West Florida |
| OL | Joey Fisher | 6-5, 285, Jr. | Shepherd |
| OL | Hayden Huttula | 6-2, 272, Jr. | Michigan Tech |
| OL | Jakob Pruitt | 6-2, 285, Sr. | Western Oregon |
| OL | Elijah Reed | 6-6, 302, Jr. | CSU-Pueblo |
| OL | Amon Simon | 6-5, 275, Sr. | Texas A&M-Commerce |
| OL | Ralph Singleton | 6-4, 270, Sr. | Valdosta State |
| DL | Nate Chambers | 6-3, 283, Sr. | Hillsdale |
| DL | Erik Hansen | 6-3, 260, Sr. | Upper Iowa |
| DL | Keyshawn James | 6-3, 280, Sr. | Fayetteville State |
| DL | Chad Kuhn | 6-3, 240, Sr. | Slippery Rock |
| DL | Will Lydle | 6-1, 270, Sr. | Western Colorado |
| DL | Logan Swanson | 6-3, 310, Sr. | Augustana |
| LB | Dauson Dales | 6-0, 230, Sr. | Ohio Dominican |
| LB | Khyon Fitzpatrick | 6-0, 205, Jr. | New Haven |
| LB | Maalik Hall | 6-2, 235, Jr. | Southeastern Oklahoma State |
| LB | Donte Hamilton | 6-3, 215, Sr. | Central Washington |
| LB | Hunter Kyle | 6-3, 230, Sr. | Angelo State |
| LB | Stephan Pierre | 6-2, 200, Jr. | Albany State |
| LB | Ben Straatmann | 6-1, 209, Jr. | Missouri S&T |
| LB | Abe Swanson | 6-1, 220, So. | Grand Valley State |
| LB | Jackson Taylor | 6-1, 240, So. | West Chester |
| DB | Charles Crawford | 6-0, 170, Sr. | Clark Atlanta |
| DB | Jermal Martin Jr. | 5-11, 170, Jr. | California (Pa) |
| DB | Damar’ren Mitchell | 5-11, 185, Jr. | Colorado Mesa |
| DB | Nick Whiteside | 6-1, 200, So. | Saginaw Valley State |
| P | Clayton Crile | 6-2, 195, So. | Catawba |
| AP | Imeek Watkins | 5-10, 190, Sr. | Chowan |