Four Ferris State Football Standouts Garner Preseason All-America Laurels
Big Rapids, Mich. - Four members of the Ferris State University football program, which is the nation's preseason #2 team, have earned various Preseason All-America honors heading into the 2017 gridiron campaign.
FSU senior center Jake Daugherty (Big Rapids), junior defensive end Zach Sieler (Pinckney) and senior cornerback Tavierre Thomas (Detroit/Allen) all garnered Preseason All-American First Team honors from Lindy's Sports. Meanwhile, senior quarterback Reggie Bell (Los Angeles, Calif./Dorsey) was chosen as a second-team Preseason All-America pick by the publication.
Along with the recognition from Lindy's, Seiler was also chosen to the 2017 Street & Smith's Preseason All-America First Team. Thomas garnered first-team laurels on the Tryant Scouting Preseason All-America squad with Seiler earning second-team status from the online source.
Last fall, the Bulldogs' Sieler, Daugherty and Thomas all received All-America accolades from multiple sources following FSU's historic campaign while Bell was a candidate for the 2016 Harlon Hill Trophy presented to Division II's top player and was the leading rushing QB in the country.
The Bulldogs will begin their 109th season of varsity competition this coming fall with their sights set on making a fourth consecutive trip to the NCAA Division II Playoffs. Ferris State has been ranked #2 nationally entering the year in the Lindy's Sports College Football National Preview Magazine.
This year marks the second time in the past three years the Bulldogs have been tabbed as the country's #2 team in at least one preseason ranking as FSU earned the same distinction from multiple sources in 2015.
Ferris State is coming off another historic campaign as the Bulldogs posted a 12-3 overall record in 2016 while advancing to the NCAA Division II National Semifinals for only the second time in school history. In 2016, the Bulldogs also posted a school-record tying 12 victories. Ferris State received the program's third-straight NCAA Football Playoff berth and captured the Super Region Four Championship by beating archrival Grand Valley State during a memorable postseason run. The 15-week campaign, which included three postseason playoff wins, was the school's longest in 108 years of Bulldog Football.
Over the last three seasons at Ferris State, the Bulldogs have compiled a 34-5 overall record and claimed two conference championships, posted two unbeaten regular-seasons, captured a regional title and reached the national semifinals. Ferris State has also accumulated two Harlon Hill National Player of the Year trophies, twice had a student-athlete tabbed as the nation's National Scholar-Athlete of the Year and won four postseason games.
In the five seasons under Annese, the Bulldogs have become a national power on the Division II level. FSU has posted a 49-12 overall mark in the last five years and the Bulldogs have also posted the best winning percentage of all 21 collegiate programs in the state of Michigan along with the GLIAC since his arrival.
Overall, Annese has won 83% of his games as a head coach on the collegiate and prep levels and owns 274 wins to date, which is the most of any current GLIAC member head coach at all levels.