HAMMOND, La. –  A league-high seven student-athletes represented the Southeastern Louisiana University football program on the 2021 Southland Conference All-Academic Football Team, which was released by the league office on Tuesday.
 
Junior running back Taron Jones, senior offensive lineman Rendon Miles-Character, sophomore offensive lineman John Allen, sophomore kicker Mateo Rengifo, senior linebacker Alexis Ramos, sophomore defensive back Justin Dumas and senior defensive back Matt Wright represented the SLU All-Academic contingent.
 
SLU led the Southland with seven selections, followed by UIW with six honorees. McNeese and Northwestern State garnered four spots on the team, followed by HBU (three) and Nicholls (two).
 
Jones was named to the Southland All-Academic team for the third time in his career, while Miles-Character and Wright were both repeat selections.
 
Jones, who has a 3.29 grade point average as a finance major, earned second team All-Southland Conference this past fall. The Mandeville, Louisiana native finished the season with 387 rushing yards and six touchdowns, while also hauling in 44 passes for 401 yards and a pair of scores.
 
Right tackle Miles-Character and left guard Allen were key cogs in an offensive line that cleared the way for a SLU offense that led FCS in scoring offense (45.1 ppg), completion percentage (72.8) and first downs (376), while also ranking among the national top five in third-down conversion percentage (52.1, 2^nd), fourth-down conversion percentage (70.0, 5^th), passing offense (407.2 ypg, 2^nd), passing efficiency (173.35, 2^nd) and total offense (551.8 ypg, 2^nd).
 
Miles-Character, a general studies major from New Orleans with a 3.08 GPA, earned first team All-Southland honors, while Allen, who comes from Jackson, Mississippi and carries a 3.12 grade point average in general studies, was a second team All-Southland selection.
 
Rengifo, a general studies major with a 3.66 GPA, earned honorable mention All-Southland and first team CoSIDA Academic All-District 6 honors earlier this postseason. The Lawrenceville, Georgia native connected on 10-of-15 field goal attempts and finished with 102 points on the season.
 
Ramos, a criminal justice major who carries a 3.13 grade point average, was a first team All-Southland choice in his final season with the Lions. The Salinas, California product led the team in tackles (78) for the third straight season.
 
A pair of Southeastern secondary members round out the Southeastern All-Academic honorees. Dumas, a LaPlace, Louisiana native with a 3.44 GPA in kinesiology, was honored after picking off a pair of passes – including a 52-yard pick six in a 51-14 win at Northwestern State.
 
Wright, who had a 4.0 GPA as a business administration graduate student, was a first team CoSIDA Academic All-District 6 this fall. The Austin, Texas native finished his final season with 34 tackles.
 
Consensus All-American defensive end Isaiah Chambers of McNeese was named the league's Student-Athlete of the Year. To be eligible for inclusion on the Southland All-Academic team, student-athletes must have a 3.0 cumulative GPA or higher, have completed at least one full year at their nominating institution and be a key contributor appearing in 50 percent of the team's games. The All-Academic team was selected by the conference's head coaches, sports information directors and academic advisors.
 
SLU will open spring practice on March 8. The Lions will open the 2022 season at UL Lafayette on Sept. 3.
 
2021 Southland Conference Football All-Academic Team
Student-Athlete of the Year: Isaiah Chambers, McNeese
 
Pos. – Name – School – Hometown – Cl. – GPA – Major
QB – Cody Orgeron – McNeese – Mandeville, La. – Gr. – 4.00 – Health Promotion
RB – Taron Jones – Southeastenr – Mandeveille, La. – Jr. – 3.29 – Finance
RB – Tyrese Brown – UIW – Madisonville, Texas – Jr. – 3.34 – Business Administration
TE – David Fitzwater – Northwestern State – Shreveport, La. – Gr. – 3.85 – Biology
WR – Robert Ferrel – UIW – Sparks, Nev. – Gr. – 3.07 – Psychology
WR – Gavin Landry – Northwestern State – White Castle, La. – Gr. – 3.94 – Business Administration
WR – Tyson Thompson – HBU – Spring, Texas – So. – 3.15 – Finance
OL – John Allen – Southeastern – Jackson, Miss. – So. – 3.12 – General Studies
OL – Rendon Miles-Character – Southeastern – New Orleans, La. – Sr. – 3.08 – General Studies
OL – Calvin Barkat – McNeese – Sachse, Texas – Jr. – 3.50 – Pre-Chiropractic Medicine
OL – Reid Francis – UIW – College Station, Texas – Sr. – 4.00 – Engineering Management
OL – Nash Jones – UIW – Nacogdoches, Texas – Jr. – 3.47 – Liberal Studies
PK – Mateo Rengifo – Southeastern – Lawrenceville, Ga. – So. – 3.66 – General Studies
P – Keven Nguyen – UIW – Rohnert Park, Calif. – Gr. – 3.63 – Sociology
DL – Zack Bernard – Nicholls – Mandeville, La. – So. – 3.50 – Biology/Pre-Med
DL – Isaiah Chambers – McNeese – Houston, Texas – Gr. – 4.00 – Criminal Justice
DL – Perry Ganci – Nicholls – New Orleans, La. – Jr. – 3.29 – Business Administration
DL – Cameron Preston – UIW – Crowley, Texas – Gr. – 3.02 – Kinesiology
LB – Alexis Ramos – Southeastern – Salinas, Calif. – Sr. – 3.13 – Criminal Justice
LB – Kordell Williams – McNeese – Carencro, La. – Sr. – 3.00 – Criminal Justice
LB – Brennan Young – HBU – Spring, Texas – Sr. – 3.70 – Marketing
DB – Justin Dumas – Southeastern – LaPlace, La. – So. – 3.44 – Kinesiology
DB – Matt Wright – Southeastern – Austin, Texas – Sr. – 4.00 – Business Administration
DB – Shemar Bartholomew – Northwestern State – New Orleans, La. – Sr. – 3.03 – Health & Physical Science
DB – Donovan Duvernay – Northwestern State – Garland, Texas – Gr. – 3.67 – Higher Education
DB – Coi Miller – HBU – Fort Worth, Texas – Sr. – 3.38 – Business Administration
 
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