Five Panthers Honored as Hero Sports Preseason All-Americans
5/28/2020 1:45:00 PM | Football
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – Hero Sports named five UNI Football players to the preseason All-American team released by the media outlet Thursday.
Defensive end Elerson G. Smith earned first-team honors after an outstanding junior season that landed him in the top 10 for the Buck Buchanan Award final voting.
Isaiah Weston and Jared Brinkman were named to the second team and Spencer Brown and Xavior Williams received third team honors.
Smith had a breakout season in 2019. He tallied 14.0 sacks, 21.5 tackles for loss, five forced fumbles and set the school record with 14 quarterback hurries in a season. He also blocked a pair of field goals, had four pass breakups and five forced fumbles. He closed the season out with 63 total tackles.
Brinkman earned second-team honors after recording 83 tackles, including 14.5 tackles for loss and 7.0 sacks. He had five quarterback hits and three forced fumbles. Outside of his stats, he was a force on the inside, eating up blockers.
Isaiah Weston returned from an injury redshirt season in 2018 and became the number-one receiver for quarterback Will McElvain. He led the FCS in yards per reception at 24.49, catching 43 passes for 1,053 yards. He scored 10 touchdowns, including a TD in seven consecutive games. He went over 100 yards receiving in a game five different times. He missed three games and parts of others after going down with injuries.
Williams made the move from corner to safety in 2019 and didn't take a step back. He tallied 50 tackles while also breaking up a team-high 13 passes. He had a fumble returned for a touchdown against Iowa State and tallied an interception against James Madison.
Spencer Brown started every game at right tackle and earned second-team MVC honors. The 6-9 senior anchors a Panther offensive line that returns four of five starters.
The timeline for the return of players to offseason workouts or practices has yet to be determined because of the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Defensive end Elerson G. Smith earned first-team honors after an outstanding junior season that landed him in the top 10 for the Buck Buchanan Award final voting.
Isaiah Weston and Jared Brinkman were named to the second team and Spencer Brown and Xavior Williams received third team honors.
Smith had a breakout season in 2019. He tallied 14.0 sacks, 21.5 tackles for loss, five forced fumbles and set the school record with 14 quarterback hurries in a season. He also blocked a pair of field goals, had four pass breakups and five forced fumbles. He closed the season out with 63 total tackles.
Brinkman earned second-team honors after recording 83 tackles, including 14.5 tackles for loss and 7.0 sacks. He had five quarterback hits and three forced fumbles. Outside of his stats, he was a force on the inside, eating up blockers.
Isaiah Weston returned from an injury redshirt season in 2018 and became the number-one receiver for quarterback Will McElvain. He led the FCS in yards per reception at 24.49, catching 43 passes for 1,053 yards. He scored 10 touchdowns, including a TD in seven consecutive games. He went over 100 yards receiving in a game five different times. He missed three games and parts of others after going down with injuries.
Williams made the move from corner to safety in 2019 and didn't take a step back. He tallied 50 tackles while also breaking up a team-high 13 passes. He had a fumble returned for a touchdown against Iowa State and tallied an interception against James Madison.
Spencer Brown started every game at right tackle and earned second-team MVC honors. The 6-9 senior anchors a Panther offensive line that returns four of five starters.
The timeline for the return of players to offseason workouts or practices has yet to be determined because of the COVID-19 Pandemic.
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