Kupp, Cowser Lead Big Sky on CSN Preseason Fabulous Fifty List

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JP Flynn, Darnell Sankey, Kameron Canaday and Josh Cook also make list

Kent Schmidt, College Sporting News

(Chicago, IL USA, July 20, 2015) The best projected 50 student-athletes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision have been named to the College Sporting News 2015 Preseason Fabulous Fifty FCS All-America Team.

Unlike other All-American teams, the CSN honor’s squad is designed to be like a real team, capable of taking the field and competing in a game. It includes everything from quarterbacks, who can run or pass and often-overlooked fullbacks, to long snappers and other special team performers. The Fabulous Fifty also emphasizes players who have exhibited character and other team-oriented traits, not just lofty statistics, or talent.

After the national championship game on January 9th in Frisco, Texas, the year-end Fab 50 team will be announced including the three major awards for top coach, offensive and defensive players named in honor of the FCS legends Coach Roy Kidd, Adrian "AP" Peterson and James "Boomer" Grigsby respectively. Other major awards will also be announced for Offensive Lineman of the Year, Special Teams Player of the Year, Freshmen of the Year, and Playoff Most Valuable Player.

This year’s preseason honors have a number of returning honorees including quarterback John Robertson from Villanova, wide receiver/return specialist Ed Eagan from Northwestern State, wide receiver Jake Wieneke from South Dakota State, and offensive tackle Joe Haeg and quarterback Carson Wentz from North Dakota State.

The 2014 Adrian "AP" Peterson FCS Offensive Player of the Year Award last year went to Robertson. The now senior passed for 2,846 yards and 35 touchdowns, with three interceptions, and ran for 1,078 yards and 11 touchdowns last season. He led Villanova to a first-round bye in the FCS playoffs before the Wildcats fell 34-31 in the quarterfinals to Sam Houston State. He missed that final playoff game with a concussion.

Haeg, All-Missouri Valley Football Conference offensive tackle from national champion Bison was named as CSN’s 2014 Offensive Lineman of the Year a year ago after helping NDSU to their fourth straight national title. The now senior was the only returning starter from one of the best offensive line groups in school history from 2013 and moved to left tackle in 2014 replacing 2013 CSN Offensive Lineman of the Year Billy Turner.

Return specialist/wide receiver Eagan was last year’s CSN Special Teams Player of the Year. Eagan was second nationally in all-purpose yardage per game, producing an average of 180.8 yards on punt and kickoff returned along with as a prolific receiver for the Demons. The now senior broke five individual school records, tied another, and contributed to 24 other individual and team records set last season for Northwestern State.

Last year’s CSN Freshman of the Year honors went to All-Missouri Valley Conference now sophomore Wieneke. He averaged 19.7 yards every time he touched the ball during his redshirt freshman season in 2014, tallying 73 receptions for 1,404 yards and 16 touchdowns through the air while adding 52 rushing yards. His reception and receiving yard totals were the second most in a season in school history, while his 16 touchdowns set a new Jackrabbit single-season mark and tied the Missouri Valley Football Conference record.

Wentz garnered CSN’s Playoff Most Valuable Player nod for his astounding performances while leading NDSU to their historic fourth straight championship. The now senior twice led the Bison with come-from-behind game winning drives in the 2014 playoffs—second round over South Dakota State and the title game over Illinois State. In the playoffs, Wentz threw for 824 yards and ran for an additional 238 with nine total touchdowns in his four playoff games a year ago.

Big Sky Conference preseason Offensive Player of the Year Cooper Kupp (WR/Eastern Washington) and preseason Defensive Player of the Year James Cowser (DE/Southern Utah) were both named to the list.

Other Big Sky mentions include Josh Cook (TE/Idaho State), JP Flynn (G/Montana State), Darnell Sankey (LB/Sacramento State) and Kameron Canaday (LS/Portland State).

This year’s preseason team had 23 members named to 2014 CSN Fab 50 team in total including honorable mention performers.

In total, 39 teams and all 13 conferences are represented on the team. North Dakota State landed four players on the squad, while Liberty and South Carolina State each had three. Four other schools also had multiple selections — Illinois State, Northern Iowa, Sam Houston State, and Villanova.

The Missouri Valley Football Conference led the ‘Fab Fifty’ team with 12 members, while Colonial Athletic Association had seven and the Big Sky Conference had six student athletes named.

2015 Preseason CSN Fabulous Fifty

OFFENSE
QB Josh Robertson, Villanova, Sr.
QB Carson Wentz, North Dakota State, Sr.
QB Tre Roberson, Illinois State, Sr.
RB Marshaun Coprich, Illinois State, Sr.
RB Dy'shawn Mobley, Eastern Kentucky, Sr.
RB Chase Edmonds, Fordham, Soph.
RB Khairi Dickson, Saint Francis, Sr.
FB Andrew Bonnet, North Dakota State, Sr.
FB Seth Fisher, Richmond, Sr.
AP Johnta Hebert, Prairie View A&M, Sr.
AP Tarik Cohen, North Carolina A&T, Jr.
WR Cooper Kupp, Eastern Washington, Jr.
WR Darrin Peterson, Liberty, Sr.
WR Jake Wieneke, South Dakota State, Soph.
WR/KR Ed Eagan, Northwestern State, Sr.
WR Seth DeValve, Princeton, Sr.
TE Josh Cook, Idaho State, Jr.
TE Temarrick Hemingway, South Carolina State, Sr.
C Robert Booker, Missouri State, Sr.
G Jonathan Burgess, Liberty, Sr.
G JP Flynn, Montana State, Jr.
T Joe Haeg, North Dakota State, Sr.
T Donald Jackson III, Sam Houston State, Sr.
OL Garrett Clark, Southern Illinois, Sr.
OL Corey Levin, Chattanooga, Jr.
OL Bruce Johnson, Maine, Sr.
DEFENSE
DE James Cowser, Southern Utah, Sr.
DE Jonathan Woodard, Central Arkansas, Sr.
DT Javon Harvgrave, South Carolina State, Sr.
DT O.J. Mau, Gardner-Webb, Sr.
DL Devaunte Sigler, Jacksonville State, Sr.
DL Victor Ochi, Stony Brook, Sr.
LB Don Cherry, Villanova, Sr.
LB Luke Rhodes, William & Mary, Sr.
LB Connor Underwood, Indiana State, Sr.
LB Darnell Sankey, Sacramento State, Sr.
LB Kourtney Berry, Alabama State, Jr.
LB Cory Magwood, Furman, Sr.
CB Jermaine Hough, Jacksonville State, Sr.
CB Harlan Miller, Southeastern Louisiana, Sr.
S Case DeAdrade, New Hampshire, Jr.
S Donald Payne, Stetson, Jr.
DB Deiondre’ Hall, Northern Iowa, Sr.
DB Matt Smalley, Lafayette, Sr.
DB James Bradberry, Samford, Sr.
SPECIAL TEAMS
PK Michael Schmadeke, Northern Iowa, Sr.
KR Pokey Harris, Murray State, Sr.
PR Antonio Hamilton, South Carolina State, Sr.
P Ben LeCompte, North Dakota State, Sr.
LS Kameron Canaday, Portland State, Sr.

Founded in 2001, College Sporting News is the largest and oldest news service solely devoted to publishing original content and other information of the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision. CSN annually names national coach, offensive, and defensive honors, pre-season and post-season All-America teams, national weekly student-athletes honors, and maintains the Gridiron Power Index (GPI) ranking of teams which the NCAA Division I Football Championship Committee had used as a tool for the selection of teams since 2008.