Williams Repeat Selection, Turner First-Time on 2012 Walter Camp FCS All-America Team

NEW HAVEN, CT – Three-time selection Matt Evans (New Hampshire) headlines the Walter Camp Football Foundation 2012 Football Championship Subdivision All-America team.  The team was selected by the head coaches and sports information directors of the Football Championship Subdivision schools and certified by the accounting and auditing firm, Marcum LLP. North Dakota State placed cornerback Marcus Williams and offensive tackle Billy Turner on the select squad.

A senior linebacker, Evans is just the fourth player – and the third from New Hampshire – to be a three-time Walter Camp All-America selection.  Evans joins former Wildcat standouts, wide receiver David Ball (2004-2006) and quarterback David Santos (2005-2007), along with Appalachian State defensive back Mark Legree (2008-2010).

Evans, junior Williams (North Dakota State) and 2012 Buck Buchanan Award recipient Caleb Schreibeis (Montana State) headline the defensive unit.

Williams, a 5-11, 194-pound junior from Minneapolis, MN (Hopkins H.S.), is the most electrifying player on a North Dakota State squad that is seeking its second straight FCS national championship. Teams shy away from passing toward the shutdown cornerback, but he has five interceptions for 125 return yards, four pass breakups and 33 tackles. He also has two touchdowns and 643 total return yards, including on special teams.

Evans had 126 tackles on the season for the 8-4 Wildcats.  A senior defensive end, Schreibeis recorded 51 tackles and 12.5 quarterback sacks for the Big Sky champion Bobcats.

Turner, a 6-foot-6, 300-pound junior from Shoreview, Minn. (Mounds View H.S.), has started all 14 games at left tackle for NDSU. He helped the transition of a pair of redshirt freshmen and one true freshman upfront, and is a main reason North Dakota State led the conference in scoring (31.4 avg/g) and rushing offense (178.0 avg/g). Nationally, the Bison lead the nation in time of possession (34:39) and are fifth in third-down conversions (51.52).

Leading the offensive unit is sophomore quarterback Taylor Heinicke (Old Dominion), the 2012 recipient of the Walter Payton Award as the most outstanding FCS player.  Heinicke passed for 4,158 yards and 35 touchdowns as the Monarchs finished 10-1.

Joining Heinicke in the offensive backfield are Payton Award nominees Miguel Maysonet (Stony Brook) and Zach Zenner (South Dakota State).  Maysonet has rushed for 1,964 yards and 21 touchdowns for the Big South champion Seawolves, while Zenner totaled 2,044 yards and 13 touchdowns for the Jackrabbits.

Wide receiver Aaron Mellette (Elon) is a repeat Walter Camp All-American after catching 97 passes for 1,398 yards and 18 touchdowns for the Phoenix.

In all, players from nine different conferences and 24 institutions were represented on the 2012 Walter Camp FCS All-America team.   The Southern Conference and Colonial Athletic Association had the most selections with six honorees each, while the Missouri Valley Conference had four.   Two schools – North Dakota State and James Madison (2) - had multiple players selected.

Walter Camp, “The Father of American Football,” first selected an All-America team in 1889. Camp – a former Yale University athlete and football coach – is also credited with developing play from scrimmage, set plays, the numerical assessment of goals and tries and the restriction of play to eleven men per side. The Walter Camp Football Foundation – a New Haven based all-volunteer group – was founded in 1967 to perpetuate the ideals of Camp and to continue the tradition of selecting All-America teams for the Football Bowl and Championship subdivisions.

2012 Walter Camp Football Championship Subdivision All-America Team

OFFENSE

Pos.       Name, School                                                  Hgt         Wgt       Class      Hometown

WR   Erik Lora, Eastern Illinois                                    5-10       181        Jr.           Miami, FL

WR         Aaron Melette, Elon        @                                        6-2         220        Sr.          Sanford, NC

TE           A.C. Leonard, Tennessee State                    6-4         245        Soph.     Jacksonville, FL

OL          Earl Watford, James Madison                     6-4         295        Sr.          Philadelphia, PA

OL          Mike Sellers, The Citadel                               6-0         290        Jr.           Summerville, SC

OL          Billy Turner, North Dakota State                 6-6         300        Jr.           Shoreview, MN

OL          Chris Howley, Maine                                      6-3         295        Sr.          Runnemede, NJ

C             Corey Howard, Central Arkansas                6-1         290        Sr.          Wichita Falls, TX

QB          Taylor Heinicke, Old Dominion                    6-1         295        Soph.     Atlanta, GA

RB          Miguel Maysonet, Stony Brook                   5-10       205        Sr.          Riverhead, NY

RB          Zach Zenner, South Dakota State                6-0         215        Soph.     Eagan, MN

PK           Patrick Murray, Fordham                                             5-7         182        Sr.          Mahwah, NJ

DEFENSE

Pos.       Name, School                                                  Hgt         Wgt       Class      Hometown

DL          Caleb Schreibeis, Montana State                6-3         252        Sr.          Billings, MT

DL          Colton Underwood, Illinois State                6-4         255        Jr.           Washington, IL

DL          Brandon Thurmond, Arkansas Pine Bluff   6-2         260        Sr.          Augusta, GA

DL          Davis Tull, UT-Chattanooga                         6-3         230        Soph.     Knoxville, TN

DL          Joseph LeBeau, Jackson State                     6-1         245        Sr.          New Orleans, LA

LB           Jeremy Kimbrough, Appalachian State      5-11       240        Sr.          Decatur, GA

LB           Matt Evans, New Hampshire #                    6-0         228        Sr.          Hanover, MA

LB           Stephon Robertson, James Madison          5-11       225        Jr.           Alexandria, VA

DB          Marcus Williams, North Dakota State @  5-11       194        Jr.           Minneapolis, MN

DB          Darnell Taylor, Sam Houston State                            6-0         195        Sr.          Mesquite, TX

DB          Cooper Taylor, Richmond                                            6-5         235        Sr.          Atlanta, GA

DB          Jaquiski Tartt, Samford                                 6-1         220        Soph.     Mobile, AL

P             Andy Wilder, Northern Arizona                   6-3         205        Jr.           Scottsdale, AZ

KR          Jerodis Williams, Furman                                             5-11       208        Sr.          Prattville, AL