More Major Preseason Honors for Montana Grizzly Football Players

More lofty preseason honors have poured in for outstanding Montana Grizzly players that you won't get to see perform this fall.

Our thanks to UM Sports Information Director for letting us know about this announcement that was made today (Wednesday). Eric informs us that the 2020 STATS Perform FCS Preseason All-America Team features five Grizzlies earning a spot on one of three teams, tied for the most picks in the Big Sky Conference.

Record-breaking wide receiver Samori Toure added to his preseason haul, as did Big Sky Preseason Defensive MVP Jace Lewis – each earning a place on the STATS first team. Stalwart long snapper Matthew O'Donoghue was also named first-team on special teams, giving UM a league-high three first-team picks.

Junior safety Robby Hauck earned a place on the second-team All-America list, set to enter the year with 224 tackles already to his name. Junior kick returner Malik Flowers rounds out Montana's selections with a place on the STATS special teams second team as well.

Toure has now landed seven preseason honors, been named to the 2021 Reese's Senior Bowl Top-250, and earned Montana's nomination for the 2020 National Football Foundation William V. Campbell Trophy, known as the "Academic Heisman." The senior from Portland was one of the top-10 receivers in all of college football last year, became Montana's all-time leader in single-season receiving yards, and broke NFL Hall of Famer Randy Moss' FCS playoff record with 303 receiving yards in a single game.

Lewis has now collected eight preseason honors, including being named the Big Sky Preseason Defensive MVP – the third-straight year a Montana linebacker has earned the honor. The senior from Townsend enters the year with 209 career tackles – already one of the top-40 tacklers in UM history.

O'Donoghue was a STATS first-team All-American in 2019 and was recognized as one of the top-20 long snappers in FCS or FBS football with a place on the Special Teams-U All-America Watch List earlier this year.

Hauck averaged nine tackles per game in two seasons as a starter and has now landed on six different preseason watch lists. The junior is coming off a 129-tackle season – the fourth-most in the FCS by any sophomore.

Flowers now has eight preseason accolades to his name after setting a school record with 882 kick return yards as a sophomore, landing him on two separate All-America lists.

The Big Sky Conference posted the most preseason All-America selections of any league with 22 out of 101 total picks from 56 schools and all 13 FCS conferences. The team also includes 30 2019 postseason selections, led by 11 first-team returnees.

2020 STATS PERFORM FCS PRESEASON ALL-AMERICA TEAM
*-2019 first-team All-American
**-2019 second-team All-American
***-2019 third-team All-American

FIRST TEAM 
OFFENSE
QB – *Trey Lance, sophomore, 6-4, 226, North Dakota State
RB – Josh Davis, junior, 5-9, 195, Weber State
RB – **Jah-Maine Martin, senior, 5-10, 214, North Carolina A&T
RB – **Alex Ramsey, senior, 6-0, 225, The Citadel
WR – *Samori Toure, senior, 6-3, 190, Montana
WR – **DeAngelo Wilson, senior, 5-9, 170, Austin Peay
TE – Colton Dowell, junior, 6-3, 215, UT Martin
OL – *P.J. Burkhalter, senior, 6-3, 330, Nicholls
OL – *Liam Fornadel, senior, 6-4, 308, James Madison
OL – *Drew Himmelman, senior, 6-10, 315, Illinois State
OL – *Dillon Radunz, senior, 6-6, 299, North Dakota State
OL – Ty Whitworth, senior, 6-4, 300, Weber State
DEFENSE
DL – Mike Greene, senior, 6-3, 285, James Madison
DL – Malik Hamm, junior, 6-3, 260, Lafayette
DL – Trace Mascorro, senior, 6-1, 275, Sam Houston State
DL – ***Elerson G. Smith, senior, 6-7, 245, Northern Iowa
LB – ***Bryson Armstrong, senior, 5-11, 212, Kennesaw State
LB – **Willie Eubanks III, senior, 6-2, 230, The Citadel
LB – Jace Lewis, senior, 6-1, 230, Montana
LB – Forrest Rhyne, senior, 6-1, 225, Villanova
DB – *Anthony Adams, junior, 6-0, 180, Portland State
DB – **Brandon Easterling, senior, 6-0, 203, Dayton
DB – *Kordell Jackson, senior, 5-9, 185, Austin Peay
DB – ***Ferlando Jordan, junior, 6-0, 180, Southeastern Louisiana

SPECIAL TEAMS
PK – *Luis Aguilar, senior, 6-1, 190, Northern Arizona
P – **Matt McRobert, senior, 6-2, 195, Sam Houston State
LS – *Matthew O'Donoghue, senior, 6-1, 250, Montana
KR – Bronson Yoder, sophomore, 5-11, 190, William & Mary
PR – *Montrell Washington, senior, 5-10, 170, Samford
AP – Quay Holmes, junior, 6-1, 216, ETSU
AP – **Javon Williams Jr., sophomore, 6-1, 239, Southern Illinois

SECOND TEAM 
OFFENSE
QB – Daniel Smith, senior, 6-0, 205, Villanova
RB – ***Julius Chestnut, junior, 6-1, 215, Sacred Heart
RB – ***Ulonzo Gilliam, junior, 5-9, 185, UC Davis
RB – Pierre Strong Jr., junior, 5-11, 200, South Dakota State
WR – Xavier Smith, junior, 5-10, 165, Florida A&M
WR – Isaiah Weston, junior, 6-4, 208, Northern Iowa
WR – Lujuan Winningham, junior, 6-3, 190, Central Arkansas
TE – Trae Barry, senior, 6-7, 245, Jacksonville State
TE – Chris James, senior, 6-3, 220, Chattanooga
OL – Spencer Brown, senior, 6-8, 321, Northern Iowa
OL – ***Liam Dobson, senior, 6-3, 340, Maine
OL – ***A.J. Farris, senior, 6-2, 285, Monmouth
OL – Kyle Nunez, junior, 6-2, 340, Stony Brook
OL – Cordell Volson, senior, 6-7, 313, North Dakota State
DEFENSE
DL – Jared Brinkman, senior, 6-2, 290, Northern Iowa
DL – Jermaine McDaniel, junior, 6-3, 235, North Carolina A&T
DL – Nick Salley, senior, 5-10, 225, Charleston Southern
DL – Jared Schiess, senior, 6-3, 300, Weber State
LB – Christian Elliss, senior, 6-3, 233, Idaho
LB – Ryan Greenhagen, junior, 6-1, 235, Fordham
LB – Jackson Hankey, junior, 6-1, 218, North Dakota State
LB – Jeremiah Tyler, senior, 6-2, 225, Princeton
LB – Tre Walker, junior, 6-1, 235, Idaho
DB – Omar Brown, sophomore, 6-1, 195, Northern Iowa
DB – Robby Hauck, junior, 5-10, 185, Montana
DB – Bryan Mills, senior, 6-2, 170, North Carolina Central
DB – ***Robert Rochell, senior, 6-2, 195, Central Arkansas
SPECIAL TEAMS
PK – Trey Tuttle, senior, 5-9, 190, Weber State
P – ***D.J. Arnson, senior, 6-0, 185, Northern Arizona
P – ***Chris Faddoul, senior, 5-11, 210, Florida A&M
LS – ***Ethan Ray, senior, 6-0, 220, Charleston Southern
KR – Malik Flowers, senior, 6-2, 195, Montana
PR – ***Mike Roussos, junior, 6-0, 195, Columbia
AP – Elijah Dotson, senior, 6-0, 185, Sacramento State
AP – E.J. Perry, senior, 6-2, 210, Brown