Cook, Day earn preseason All-American honors from STATS Perform
8/1/2023 6:00:00 PM | Football
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- UNI quarterback Theo Day and place kicker Matthew Cook have been named to the STATS Perform FCS Preseason All-America teams, presented by FedEx Ground.
The selection is the third national preseason honor for both athletes, Cook earns first team recognition ahead of the 2023 season, while Day picks up third team honors. Both earned HERO Sports FCS Preseason All-America recognition last month, with Day being named to the East-West Shrine Bowl 1000 list and Cook to The Bluebloods FCS Preseason Second Team All-America.
Cook, a Cedar Falls, Iowa product entering his final season at UNI, was named to three All-America teams in 2022 (AP Second Team, STATS Perform Third Team, HERO Sports First Team) after a record-setting season. Named to the MVFC's All-Conference Preseason First Team on Tuesday morning, he converted on 82% of his field goal attempts (14-of-17), Cook set both the UNI and Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) records for career field goals made (67), and also broke the Panther record with 124 consecutive made PAT kicks in his career.
A First Team All-MVFC quarterback a year ago, Day accounted for 3,121 passing yards and 26 touchdowns through the air, leading the MVFC in multiple categories, including passing efficiency, passing yard, total offense and yards per attempt. He threw a career-high six touchdowns last November in UNI's season finale at South Dakota, as well as five touchdown passes in the Panthers' one-point win at No. 20 Southern Illinois.
UNI kicks off the 2023 season on Sept. 2 at Iowa State. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. CST.
ABOUT STATS PERFORM
Founded in 1981, STATS Perform is a sports data and analytics company involved in the collection of sports data and predictive analysis for use across various sports sectors, including professional team performance, digital, media, broadcast and betting. The company has also been increasingly involved in artificial intelligence and machine learning. Its clients include media outlets, sports leagues and teams, fantasy sports and sports betting services. As of 2023, the company covers 500,000+ matches and 3,900 competitions annually from over 300 leagues.
