Four Bulldogs Claim Daktronics All-America Honors & Vander Laan Named National Player Of The Year
Posted: Dec 17, 2014

Four Bulldogs Claim Daktronics All-America Honors & Vander Laan Named National Player Of The Year

Click Here For Daktronics All-America Teams (PDF)

Big Rapids, Mich. - Four members of the 2014 Ferris State University football team have earned Daktronics All-America honors after a historic season for the Bulldogs this past fall.

Ferris State junior quarterback Jason Vander Laan (Frankfort, Ill./Chicago Christian) was not only named to the All-America First Team, but was also recognized as the 2014 Ron Lenz Datkronics National Player of the Year.

A total of three Bulldog standouts were chosen to the All-America First Team as FSU filled three of the 11 offensive positions on the squad. No other school in NCAA Division II had more than a single All-America pick on the offensive unit. A pair of Bulldog offensive linemen joined Vander Laan on the All-America First Team in senior tackle Jacob VanderKlok (Caledonia/Grand Rapids South Christian) and senior center Justin Glover (Grand Rapids Union).

Meanwhile, junior defensive end Justin Zimmer (Greenville) was chosen to the Daktronics All-America Second Team, becoming both an All-American this season on the field and in the classroom after previously earning 2014 Capital One Academic All-America First Team honors.

The Daktronics teams are voted on by the NCAA Division II members of the College Sports Information Directors of America (D2SIDA) and sponsored by Daktronics, Inc., an acknowledged world leader in scoring, timing and programmable displays systems for virtually every sport at every level of competition.  

Vander Laan was one of two individuals chosen to receive the Ron Lenz National Player of the Year honor as he claimed the offensive recognition and Colorado State Pueblo's Darius Allen earned the defensive nod. The Ron Lenz National Player of the Year award was named in 2008 for long time South Dakota State sports information director Ron Lenz, who was instrumental in the foundation of the Daktronics NCAA Division II All-America program. 

Vander Laan, one of two Harlon Hill finalists on the first team along with Lake Erie tailback Anthony Bilal, quarterbacked the Bulldogs to their first 11-0 season in the 106-year history of Ferris State football to earn top offensive honors. 

The 6-2, 241-pounder from Frankfort, Ill. rushed for 1,466 yards with 20 touchdowns while completing 183-of-275 passes for 2,381 yards and 30 more scores. He ranked as the nation's top rushing quarterback at all levels and was tops in the country in passing efficiency (177.8) along with points responsible for this year (300) entering the NCAA Division II playoffs.

Since the season concluded, the three-year starter has achieved recognition from numerous sources. He was voted the Beyond Sports Network National Offensive Player of the Year and the GLIAC Player of the Year along with earning regional Offensive Player of the Year recognition from Daktronics, Beyond Sports Network (BSN) and Don Hansen's Football Gazette among other sources. He was also the only one of the nine Harlon Hill finalists named to the 2014 American Football Coaches Association All-America First Team.

Both VanderKlok and Glover helped spearhead a Bulldog offensive unit that led the nation in total offense, ranked second in scoring and fourth in rushing entering the NCAA Division II Playoffs. The senior duo helped the Bulldogs compile a school single-season record 559 points along with all-time bests of 3,866 rushing yards and 6,297 total yards this campaign. VanderKlok was previously tabbed as a 2014 BSN All-American and the GLIAC's Offensive Lineman of the Year in addition to being a first-team all-region honoree by both Daktronics and BSN. Meanwhile, Glover was also a first-team Daktronics All-Region choice and both were first team All-GLIAC honorees this year as all five starters up front received all-conference laurels.

Finally, Zimmer claimed his first All-America nod after leading the Bulldogs' defensive unit. The two-time first team all-conference pick led the Bulldogs with 6.5 sacks and 13 tackles for loss in 2014 while turning in 76 total tackles, including 31 solo hits, to go with five pass breakups and three forced fumbles. A team captain, Zimmer was among the national finalists for both the Gene Upshaw Division II Lineman of the Year Award along with the Cliff Harris Small College Defensive Player of the Year Award. He was also picked as an all-region choice by Daktronics and BSN.

This year, the four All-America honorees helped lead the Bulldogs to the school's first GLIAC Championship in 15 years, first outright league crown in 18 years and first NCAA Division II Playoff appearance since 1996. FSU's 11-1 overall record under 2014 GLIAC and AFCA Regional Coach of the Year Tony Annese was the school's best in 19 seasons.