2015 FCS AFCA All-America Team

[smallcollegefbfan]

2015 AFCA Football Championship Subdivision Coaches’ All-America Team
Offense
Pos Name Ht. Wt. Cl. School Coach Hometown (High School)
WR *Cooper Kupp 6-2 205 Jr. Eastern Washington Beau Baldwin Yakima, Wash. (Davis)
WR Jake Wieneke 6-4 210 So. South Dakota State John Stiegelmeier Maple Grove, Minn. (Maple Grove)
TE Ben Braunecker 6-4 240 Sr. Harvard Tim Murphy Ferdinand, Ind. (Forest Park)
OL Casey Dunn 6-3 285 Jr. Jacksonville State John Grass Trussville, Ala. (Hewitt-Trussville)
OL Donald Jackson III 6-2 290 Sr. Sam Houston State K.C. Keeler Kilgore, Texas (Kilgore)
OL Corey Levin 6-5 305 Jr. Tennessee-Chattanooga Russ Huesman Dacula, Ga. (Dacula)
OL Nick Ritcher 6-6 304 RSr. Richmond Danny Rocco Raleigh, N.C. (Ravenscroft)
OL Sean Meehan 6-5 300 Sr. North Dakota Bubba Schweigert Trevor, Wis. (Wilmot)
QB Alex Ross 6-1 205 Sr. Coastal Carolina Joe Moglia Alpharetta, Ga. (Buford)
RB Marshaun Coprich 5-9 190 So. Illinois State Brock Spack Victorville, Calif. (Oak Hills)
RB Kade Harrington 5-9 190 Jr. Lamar Ray Woodard Kingwood, Texas (Kingwood)

Defense
Pos Name Ht. Wt. Cl. School Coach Hometown (High School)
DL Keionta Davis 6-4 260 Jr. Tennessee-Chattanooga Russ Huesman Chattanooga, Tenn. (Red Bank)
DL Dino Fanti 6-1 265 RSr. Eastern Illinois Kim Dameron Venice, Fla. (Venice)
DL Javon Hargrave 6-2 295 Sr. South Carolina State Buddy Pough Salisbury, N.C. (North Rowan)
DL Tyrone Holmes 6-4 250 Sr. Montana Bob Stitt Eagle Point, Ore. (Eagle Point)
LB Deon King 6-1 235 Sr. Norfolk State Latrell Scott Reston, Va. (South Lakes)
LB Darnell Sankey 6-2 250 Sr. Sacramento State Jody Sears San Jose, Calif. (Branham)
LB Myke Tavarres 6-2 220 Sr. Incarnate Word Larry Kennan Lake Oswego, Ore. (Lake Ridge)
DB Deiondre’ Hall 6-2 190 Sr. Northern Iowa Mark Farley Blue Springs, Mo. (Blue Springs)
DB DeAndre Houston-Carson 6-2 195 Sr. William & Mary Jimmye Laycock Woodford, Va. (Massaponax)
DB Donald Payne 6-1 217 Jr. Stetson Roger Hughes Fayetteville, Ga. (Landmark Christian)
DB Wallace Scott 6-1 211 Sr. McNeese State Matt Viator Weyanoke, La. (West Feliciana)

Specialists
Pos Name Ht. Wt. Cl. School Coach Hometown (High School)
P Ryan Hawkins 5-11 185 Sr. Northern Arizona Jerome Souers Peoria, Ariz. (Sunrise Mountain)
PK Lance Geesey 5-10 180 RJr. Saint Francis (Pa.) Chris Villarrial Harrisburg, Pa. (Cumberland Valley)
AP Willie Quinn 5-5 145 Sr. Southern Dawson Odums Miami, Fla. (Jackson)
*-2013-2014 All-American

[BisonTru]

Wow, no Haeg? xeyebrowx

[BisonFan02]

LOL What a joke.

[smallcollegefbfan]

Wow, no Haeg? xeyebrowx

Haeg is an interesting one because I know some NFL scouts who have him as a 4th-5th round pick and some who say free agent. There are some who don't think he is mean enough so I wonder if coaches held that against him as well.

I'll probably have Haeg, LeDuca, Bonnett, and LeCompte on my 1st team from NDSU.

[gotts]

Haeg is an interesting one because I know some NFL scouts who have him as a 4th-5th round pick and some who say free agent. There are some who don't think he is mean enough so I wonder if coaches held that against him as well.

I'll probably have Haeg, LeDuca, Bonnett, and LeCompte on my 1st team from NDSU.

*cough cough* :)

[achrist70]

The All-MVFC team is a better representation of the actual All-American team than this is. I mean come on, no one from NDSU? Only 3 from the conference?

[Professor Chaos]

*cough cough* :)
He was a hell of a catcher for quite a few years.

http://a.espncdn.com/photo/2009/1228/la_g_loduca_576.jpg

[Bisonator]

Beyond pathetic. xsmhx

[Schism55]

I needed a good laugh as I sip this delicious protein shake.

[BisonTru]

Haeg is an interesting one because I know some NFL scouts who have him as a 4th-5th round pick and some who say free agent. There are some who don't think he is mean enough so I wonder if coaches held that against him as well.

I'll probably have Haeg, LeDuca, Bonnett, and LeCompte on my 1st team from NDSU.

I don't know how he stacks up against the rest of the FBS, but I couldn't put him behind any of the five they selected. It's kinda disappointing hearing his ceiling may be the 4th and the floor is UDFA considering there was mumbling about him being a potential top 100 pick. Could have been more from uninformed sources, which as I have followed the draft I've learned there are quite a few very vocal draft prognosticator that have no idea what they're talking about.

Curious, what have you been hearing from NFL teams regarding Wentz?

[Sycamore62]

Maybe they left out NDSU players because they didnt know who to vote for without names on the back of their jerseys.

[Professor Chaos]

I don't know how he stacks up against the rest of the FBS, but I couldn't put him behind any of the five they selected. It's kinda disappointing hearing his ceiling may be the 4th and the floor is UDFA considering there was mumbling about him being a potential top 100 pick. Could have been more from uninformed sources, which as I have followed the draft I've learned there are quite a few very vocal draft prognosticator that have no idea what they're talking about.

Curious, what have you been hearing from NFL teams regarding Wentz?
Meh, scouts and draft experts are good but by no means perfect. The book on Marcus Williams when he graduated from NDSU was that he was too slow so no one drafted him and now he's tied for 4th in the NFL with 6 INTs despite being a part-time player. It's more about what you do when you get to the NFL than it is about what you do to impress the draftniks.

[smallcollegefbfan]

I don't know how he stacks up against the rest of the FBS, but I couldn't put him behind any of the five they selected. It's kinda disappointing hearing his ceiling may be the 4th and the floor is UDFA considering there was mumbling about him being a potential top 100 pick. Could have been more from uninformed sources, which as I have followed the draft I've learned there are quite a few very vocal draft prognosticator that have no idea what they're talking about.

Curious, what have you been hearing from NFL teams regarding Wentz?

There are some who really like Haeg and have him as a 3rd but I don't think many do. I can't tell you what everyone thinks but I have heard mostly 5th round type grades on Haeg.

Wentz is interesting because I think veteran scouts have him higher than the younger scouts do. I know Wentz is a 5th-6th round pick based solely on value by the NFL's scouting services but directors and executive scouts have him a lot higher. I've heard 2nd round with a floor of 3rd round unless he gets hurt again at the Senior Bowl and doesn't do well at the combine. I think he would have to screw up big time to fall out of the 3rd round and most likely is a 2nd round pick by most.

Yes many draft websites are very uninformed. There are always going to be some surprises like the Cardinals taking that Del St DL in the 4th round but these two players are no surprise or sleeper. They have been heavily on the NFL radar since last year.

[BisonTru]

There are some who really like Haeg and have him as a 3rd but I don't think many do. I can't tell you what everyone thinks but I have heard mostly 5th round type grades on Haeg.

Wentz is interesting because I think veteran scouts have him higher than the younger scouts do. I know Wentz is a 5th-6th round pick based solely on value by the NFL's scouting services but directors and executive scouts have him a lot higher. I've heard 2nd round with a floor of 3rd round unless he gets hurt again at the Senior Bowl and doesn't do well at the combine. I think he would have to screw up big time to fall out of the 3rd round and most likely is a 2nd round pick by most.

Yes many draft websites are very uninformed. There are always going to be some surprises like the Cardinals taking that Del St DL in the 4th round but these two players are no surprise or sleeper. They have been heavily on the NFL radar since last year.

Why are the NFL scouting services so low on him? How does that work? Do they have a group of scouts and vote or something?

[smallcollegefbfan]

Meh, scouts and draft experts are good but by no means perfect. The book on Marcus Williams when he graduated from NDSU was that he was too slow so no one drafted him and now he's tied for 4th in the NFL with 6 INTs despite being a part-time player. It's more about what you do when you get to the NFL than it is about what you do to impress the draftniks.

Williams was a solid player but I kept telling folks he would not get drafted and he did not. His postseason was not that great. He started off slow and not really playing to now being a solid role player. One thing you can't hold against real NFL scouts is what a player does 5 years later. Very few players taken in rounds 6-7 and undrafted do much of anything as a rookie. They draft based on what they are now for the most part and push only the players who have a huge upside up the board a little more. That's why you see Williams go undrafted and show he was a 7th-PFA type early but he worked hard and now he is playing like he was more of a 2-3 guy. Some players need that chip on their shoulder. Did he perhaps work harder? I don't know. I do know he got BURNED bad a lot in the playoffs his senior year. His best year was his junior and sophomore years. I wondered if agents and draftniks got in his ear and messed him up. Perhaps we are seeing what happens when you stop listening to the wrong people and do what got you All-America status to begin with.

[smallcollegefbfan]

Why are the NFL scouting services so low on him? How does that work? Do they have a group of scouts and vote or something?

NFL teams typically subscribe to one of two services, only a few are independent. When they pay that service they then typically provide one of their own scouts to help with it. They put the younger scouts in there to help teach them. Agents and media typically try to get their hands on those grades, which I laugh at because people like Mel Kiper who have been doing this for 35 years then move players based on what a 2nd year scout with the 49ers or Texans or Colts or Panthers may say about a player. These scouts typically grade players based on measurables and what they seem them as right now, or where they think they will go in the draft. Typically they are lower than where the player goes in the fall but sometimes will have a player 3rd round and they end up in the 5th or 6th. Nobody is perfect. All it takes is one team to throw off the draft board.

As for why they are lower. I think with Wentz it is because he has never been a dominant player. He has the tools to be a great pro but has never been allowed to fully show what he can do. NDSU does not ask him to do what JMU has with Vad Lee.

As for Haeg. I think his lack of a mean streak is why. Hopefully the right people get in his ear and he improves on this and shows it in the NFL. Both are going to get drafted and Wentz is definitely going to be the higher pick. I expect both to get combine invites later this week.

[chattownmocs]

Is Corey Levin an nfl prospect. It's interesting because everyone is projecting him as a T but the last 2 years we moved him to G and the Oline was elevated tremendously.

[smallcollegefbfan]

Is Corey Levin an nfl prospect. It's interesting because everyone is projecting him as a T but the last 2 years we moved him to G and the Oline was elevated tremendously.

NFL teams are going to start evaluating him in the spring but from what I have seen he will be one. Websites who have ranked him basically did so because he was winning awards and was a tackle at first. They will move him once NFL people say he is a guard or once they actually look at a UTC depth chart in the spring or summer.

[BisonFan02]

Williams was a solid player but I kept telling folks he would not get drafted and he did not. His postseason was not that great. He started off slow and not really playing to now being a solid role player. One thing you can't hold against real NFL scouts is what a player does 5 years later. Very few players taken in rounds 6-7 and undrafted do much of anything as a rookie. They draft based on what they are now for the most part and push only the players who have a huge upside up the board a little more. That's why you see Williams go undrafted and show he was a 7th-PFA type early but he worked hard and now he is playing like he was more of a 2-3 guy. Some players need that chip on their shoulder. Did he perhaps work harder? I don't know. I do know he got BURNED bad a lot in the playoffs his senior year. His best year was his junior and sophomore years. I wondered if agents and draftniks got in his ear and messed him up. Perhaps we are seeing what happens when you stop listening to the wrong people and do what got you All-America status to begin with.

Williams also spent a good chunk of his senior year with nagging injuries...including games off towards the end of the reg season.

[BisonFan02]

NFL teams typically subscribe to one of two services, only a few are independent. When they pay that service they then typically provide one of their own scouts to help with it. They put the younger scouts in there to help teach them. Agents and media typically try to get their hands on those grades, which I laugh at because people like Mel Kiper who have been doing this for 35 years then move players based on what a 2nd year scout with the 49ers or Texans or Colts or Panthers may say about a player. These scouts typically grade players based on measurables and what they seem them as right now, or where they think they will go in the draft. Typically they are lower than where the player goes in the fall but sometimes will have a player 3rd round and they end up in the 5th or 6th. Nobody is perfect. All it takes is one team to throw off the draft board.

As for why they are lower. I think with Wentz it is because he has never been a dominant player. He has the tools to be a great pro but has never been allowed to fully show what he can do. NDSU does not ask him to do what JMU has with Vad Lee.

As for Haeg. I think his lack of a mean streak is why. Hopefully the right people get in his ear and he improves on this and shows it in the NFL. Both are going to get drafted and Wentz is definitely going to be the higher pick. I expect both to get combine invites later this week.

Also for Haeg...if he does fall that far to either late round or UDFA...my Raiders better take him. He would be a bargain at that point. Out of the gate, I think he is already a better tackle than Turner. Turner had the ability to move to guard that Haeg may not have, but I would take him at RT all day.

[smallcollegefbfan]

Williams also spent a good chunk of his senior year with nagging injuries...including games off towards the end of the reg season.

Players should not play hurt. All scouts can see is the film and nobody says anything during the year but we find out at the combine and during pro days everyone was hurt. Not saying that is not true in his case but I bet 80% of the ones who say it aren't really hurt. Usually people can tell when you are hurt though if it's serious. I had wondered that fall why I had to drop him from a 5th-6th round grade to a PFA. Small school players usually don't fall and he did.

[smallcollegefbfan]

Also for Haeg...if he does fall that far to either late round or UDFA...my Raiders better take him. He would be a bargain at that point. Out of the gate, I think he is already a better tackle than Turner. Turner had the ability to move to guard that Haeg may not have, but I would take him at RT all day.

Turner had to move into guard. I thought he was out of position. I agree Haeg is more of a tackle. I would have taken Turner in the 4th-5th. I have Haeg in the 4th on my board but I know many teams have him lower. There are a few who really like him like I do. Just not a ton of them.