PHILADELPHIA, Pa. — Southeastern Louisiana University defensive back
Robert Alford picked up another postseason honor on Thursday when he was named the 2012 College Sports Journal FCS National Defensive Player of the Year in a release by the organization.
Alford, considered as the top FCS prospect in the upcoming NFL Draft and will compete in the Senior Bowl on Saturday, earned All-America honors for the third time as he was earlier named to the Sports Network and Associated Press All-America teams.
The Hammond native, who was a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award, totaled 39 tackles on the season for Southeastern and recorded four interceptions (which was tied for the Southland Conference lead), five tackles for loss and eight pass breakups. Alford averaged 14.1 yards in punt returns on the season with a touchdown and showed his versatility as a kick returner and part-time offensive threat.
Stony Brook running back Miguel Maysonet, who finished as the runner up for the Walter Payton Award, was chosen as the offensive player of the year on the 63-player CSJ All-America squad.
Maysonet finished third nationally in rushing with an average of 151 yards per game and ended up with 1,964 yards and 21 touchdowns on the ground.
The 5-foot-9, 205-pound rusher also had two more TDs, one receiving and another off of a 75-yard kickoff return, to finish fourth in scoring with 23 TDs and 138 points.
Maysonet had nine games of 100 yards rushing and four of 200 or more, including 233 yards on 26 carries with two scores in a 27-21 win against Coastal Carolina.
His average of 7.4 yards per carry was tops in FCS this season and Maysonet ended his career with 4,725 career rushing yards, 48 touchdowns on the ground and 53 total scores.
Walt Hameline was selected as the coach of the year after leading Wagner to their first FCS playoff berth and the Northeast Conference title.
With a nine-game winning streak, Wagner won the NEC title and captured the league's first-ever NCAA playoff victory. The Seahawks improved from 4-7 in 2011 to 9-4 in 2012.
The Seahawks came within a play of a season-opening win over Football Bowl Subdivision opponent Florida Atlantic, losing 7-3, and narrowly lost to No. 2 seeded Eastern Washington in the second round of the playoffs.
During his 32-year career at Wagner, Hameline is 213-127-2 and led the Seahawks to the 1987 NCAA Division III national championship. He won Division III national coach of the year honors in 1987.
Earl Watford was named lineman of the year after a dominating season as a tackle for a James Madison squad that averaged 209 yards rushing and finished 19th nationally.
The 6-4, 300-pound lineman has run sub-five-second times in the 40-yard dash and is a two-time All-American. He started 37 of his 43 career games at JMU.
Patrick Murray earned honors as the special teams player of the year after finishing first nationally in field goals, converting 25-of-30 field goals and 30-of-31 extra points for 105 points — a Patriot League record for kick scoring — and was second in punting with a 46.0 average.
Murray set school and Patriot League records with 25 field goals and was one field goal away from the national record of 26, set by Nevada's Tony Zendejas in 1982 and matched by Brian Mitchell in 1990.
He also connected on four 50-yard field goals this season, the most of any college kicker this season. Murray had a school-record 55-yarder against Cincinnati and a 52-yarder against Lock Haven.
His 38 field goals all-time was sixth best in Fordham history.
As a punter, the 5-7, 182-pound player set a new school record with his 46.0 average. A total of 18 punts traveled more than 50 yards, including a season-best 65 yards and 14 of his punts were downed inside the 20.
Murray averaged 42.9 yards per punt for his career, the second-best average in Ram history.
Marcus Williams, the North Dakota State junior cornerback who led the Bison to back-to-back NCAA Division I Football titles, was chosen as the FCS playoff most valuable player.
Williams tied for fifth nationally in interceptions with seven, including two in the 39-13 national championship victory over Sam Houston State.
Williams added value to the Bison with 17 kickoff returns for 475 yards and one touchdown and three punt returns for 78 yards. He had 39 tackles, including four tackles for loss and four pass breakups.
Three of his interceptions and 17 of those tackles came during North Dakota State's four-game championship run in the playoffs.
Wide receiver Sean Price of Appalachian State and quarterback John Robertson were named as the co-freshmen of the year on the exclusive CSJ All-Freshman team on Tuesday.
Price, a 6-foot-5, 210-pound redshirt freshman, broke nearly all of Appalachian State's freshman receiving records — many previously held by the school's all-time leading receiver and current St. Louis Rams player Brian Quick — as he caught 81 passes for 1,196 yards, a 14.8 average and eight touchdowns in 10 games.
The Southern Conference freshman of the year was sixth nationally in both receptions per game (8.1) and receiving yards per game (119.6) and was 10th in total receiving yards.
He shattered FCS records for freshman receptions (Cal State Northridge's Drew Amerson had 71 in 1999) and freshman receiving yards (Marshall's Randy Moss with 1,073 in 1996).
Robertson, the Jerry Rice Award winner (Price placed third), helped lead the biggest turnaround in FCS this season as Villanova improved from 2-9 to 8-4 and won the Colonial Athletic Association automatic playoff bid.
The multi-talented quarterback who rushed for 1,021 yards and 14 touchdowns and passed for 1,965 yards and threw for 14 more scores, while throwing just seven interceptions.
Robertson, who took over as Villanova's starting quarterback after a season-opening loss to Temple, went on to win CAA freshman of the year honors.
The Southern Conference led all leagues with 14 selections on the team, while the Big Sky Conference was second with 11.
Thirteen of the 14 FCS conferences were represented with players on the team, with the Pioneer Football League claiming three honorable mention selections.
Georgia Southern led all teams with four All-American selections, quarterback Jerick McKinnon, defensive tackle Brent Russell, fullback Dominique Swope and safety J.J. Wilcox.
Appalachian State, Illinois State, Montana State, Tennessee State placed three athlete each on the squad, while Central Arkansas, Eastern Washington, Fordham, Indiana State, Montana, North Dakota State, Old Dominion, Princeton, Stony Brook and Wofford managed two selections.
In all, 41 teams landed players on the 63-man team.
The 63 players on the CSJ All-America squad represent 63 scholarships at the FCS level and the team is put together in such a way as to be a fully-functioning squad, with all positions on offense, defense and special teams.
2012 College Sports Journal All-America Team
Offensive Player of the Year: Miguel Maysonet, Senior, Running Back, Stony Brook,
Defensive Player of the Year: Robert Alford, Southeastern Louisiana, Senior
Coach of the Year: Walt Hameline, Wagner
Lineman of the Year: Earl Watford, Senior, Tackle, James Madison
Special Teams Player of the Year: Patrick Murray, Senior, Kicker-Punter, Fordham
FCS Playoff Most Valuable Player: Marcus Williams, Junior, Cornerback, North Dakota State
Co-Freshmen of the Year: Sean Price, Redshirt Freshman, Wide Receiver, Appalachian State; John Robertson, Redshirt Freshman, Quarterback, Villanova
OFFENSE
Quarterback Taylor Heinicke, Old Dominion, Sophomore
Quarterback John Robertson, Villanova, Freshman
Quarterback Brad Sorensen, Southern Utah, Senior
Quarterback/All-Purpose Back Jerick McKinnon, Georgia Southern, Junior
Running Back Shakir Bell, Indiana State, Junior
Running Back Miguel Maysonet, Stony Brook, Senior
Running Back Deonte Williams, Cal Poly, Senior
Running Back Dominique Williams, Wagner, Junior
Running Back Zach Zenner, South Dakota State, Sophomore
Fullback Eric Breitenstein, Wofford, Senior
Fullback Dominique Swope, Georgia Southern, Sophomore
All-Purpose Back Carlton Koonce, Fordham, Senior
Wide Receiver Brandon Kaufman, Eastern Washington, Junior
Wide Receiver Erik Lora, Eastern Illinois, Junior
Wide Receiver Aaron Mellette, Elon, Senior
Wide Receiver Kevin Norrell, Stony Brook, Senior
Wide Receiver Sean Price, Appalachian State, Freshman
Wide Receiver Tyrone Walker, Illinois State, Senior
Tight End Kyle Juszczyk, Harvard, Senior
Tight End J.C. Leonard, Tennessee State, Sophomore
Tackle Rogers Gaines, Tennessee State, Senior
Tackle Danny Kistler, Montana, Junior
Tackle J.C. Tretter, Cornell, Senior
Tackle Billy Turner, North Dakota State, Junior
Guard Sean Davies, UC Davis, Senior
Guard Chris Elkins, Youngstown State, Junior
Guard Earl Watford, James Madison, Senior
Center Mike Sellars, The Citadel, Junior
Center Corey Howard, Central Arkansas, Senior
DEFENSE
Defensive End Mike Catapano, Princeton, Senior
Defensive End Zach Minter, Montana State, Senior
Defensive End Caleb Schreibeis, Montana State, Senior
Defensive End Brandon Thurmond, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Senior
Defensive End Davis Tull, Chattanooga, Sophomore
Defensive End Colton Underwood, Illinois State, Junior
Defensive Tackle Montori Hughes, Tennessee-Martin, Senior
Defensive Tackle Caraun Reid, Princeton, Senior
Defensive Tackle Brent Russell, Georgia Southern, Senior
Defensive Tackle Jared Smith, New Hampshire, Senior
Inside Linebacker Aaron Archie, Indiana State, Senior
Inside Linebacker Jeremy Kimbrough, Appalachian State, Senior
Inside Linebacker Robert McCabe, Georgetown, Senior
Inside Linebacker Jody Owens, Montana State, Senior
Inside Linebacker Stephon Robertson, James Madison, Junior
Outside Linebacker Keith Pough, Howard, Senior
Outside Linebacker Alvin Scioneaux, Wofford, Junior
Outside Linebacker Jordan Tripp, Montana, Junior
Cornerback Robert Alford, Southeastern Louisiana, Senior
Cornerback Steven Godbolt, Tennessee State, Sophomore
Cornerback B.W. Webb, William & Mary, Senior
Cornerback Marcus Williams, North Dakota State, Junior
Strong Safety Darnell Taylor, Sam Houston State, Senior
Strong Safety J.J. Wilcox, Georgia Southern, Senior
Free Safety Ben Ericksen, Illinois State, Senior
Free Safety Jaquiski Tartt, Samford, Sophomore
SPECIAL TEAMS
Kickoff Returner Jerodis Williams, Furman, Senior
Punt Returner Austin Shanks, Northern Arizona, Senior
Return Specialist Jesse Grandy, Central Arkansas, Senior
Kicker Jimmy Pavel, Eastern Washington, Senior
Kicker-Punter Sam Martin, Appalachian State, Senior
Kicker-Punter Patrick Murray, Fordham, Senior
Punter Jonathan Plisco, Old Dominion, Senior
Long Snapper Brandon Gabbard, Southeast Missouri State, Senior
