NINE Members Of Nation's #2 Ferris State Football Team Claim Preseason All-America Honors
Big Rapids, Mich. - The excitement is building for the 2015 fall campaign as nine members of the defending Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Champion Ferris State University football squad have been chosen as USA Football Preseason Division II All-Americans.
The official announcement of the USA Football preseason list was made recently and the Bulldogs are featured prominently with nine representatives, which ranks among the highest number of preseason All-Americans in the country.
FSU, which is ranked as the nation's #2 team in the Sporting News Preseason Poll, had five honorees on the offensive side of the football along with four from the defensive unit.
Returning Harlon Hill Trophy winning quarterback Jason Vander Laan (Frankfort, Ill./Chicago Christian) headlines the group of Bulldogs as a USA Football Preseason First Team All-American. He was joined on the first-team by two defensive selections in senior defensive lineman Justin Zimmer (Greenville) and senior cornerback Troy Smith (Indianapolis, Ind./Pike).
FSU's second-team honorees included sophomore tailback Jahaan Brown (East Grand Rapids) along with junior linebacker Anthony Darkangelo (Detroit/Catholic Central) and junior punter Trevor Bermingham (Addison, Ill.).
Finally, three returning starters on the Bulldogs' offensive line claimed preseason honorable mention All-America accolades in guard Adam Bennett (Romeo) and Cody Dingeldey (L'Anse) along with tackle Bryan Bell (Walled Lake/Central).
The 26th annual USA Football Preseason All-Americans are selected by members of football media organizations (Metropolitan New York Football Writers Association, New England Football Writers Association, Philadelphia Football Writers and the Football Writers of America Association), internet and media publications (Lindy's Sports Annuals, Athlone Sports, Phil Steele's, The Sports Network and USA Football News), college Head Coaches and Sports Information Directors plus professional coaches and scouts.
A total of less than four percent of more than 18,000 student-athletes from 168 Division II football-playing institutions were recognized. In addition to the preseason All-America team, USA College Football will also select and publish Division II players of the week and a postseason All-America squad this coming season.
Vander Laan, who became the first FSU player ever and only the third in GLIAC history to receive the coveted Harlon Hill Trophy, quarterbacked the Bulldogs to their first 11-0 season in the 106-year history of Ferris State football last fall. 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 last year (300) entering the NCAA Division II playoffs.
Last year, the three-year starter achieved recognition from numerous sources. He was voted both the Daktronics and 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 quarterback on the 2014 Associated Press Little All-America First Team, the 2014 American Football Coaches Association All-America First Team and the 2014 Daktronics All-America First Team.
Zimmer also earned multiple All-America nods last fall after leading the Bulldogs' defensive unit. He received Daktronics and D2Football.com All-America Second Team recognition along with Football Gazette Honorable Mention laurels. 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 and named to the 2014 Capital One Academic All-America First Team.
Smith claimed Beyond Sports Network All-Region recognition a year ago and was also a first team All-GLIAC honoree despite playing only seven games prior to a season-ending injury. The talented cornerback finished the 2014 campaign with a squad-best four interceptions for 96 yards and came up with 26 total tackles, including seven solo hits. He added three pass breakups and a tackle for loss in his first season in the Bulldog secondary.
Meanwhile, Brown was named to the 2014 USA College Football Freshman All-America squad in 2014 and also picked up All-GLIAC Second Team laurels at running back in his initial season on the field. He played in 10 games prior to an injury and ranked second among FSU's leading rushers with 786 yards on the ground and eight TD's. He averaged 9.8 yards per carry and also was one of the most dangerous return men in the country. Brown placed third on the squad in scoring with 54 total points.
Bermingham was the Bulldogs' top punter last fall and averaged 42.7 yards per punt on 24 attempts for 1,025 yards. He placed six inside the 20-yard line and also had a season-long 65-yard punt this year. The All-GLIAC and Daktronics Super Region Four Second Team punter served as FSU's top backup quarterback and completed four-of-eight passes for 49 yards and a score while running for 82 yards on five carries, including a 67-yard TD run in the season opener. He was also honored as a USA College Football Honorable Mention All-American last year.
Darkangelo started all 12 games at linebacker in 2014 for the Bulldogs and was an All-GLIAC Second Team honoree for his efforts in his sophomore campaign. He was second among the squad's leaders with 82 total tackles and also second with 11.5 tackles for loss. Darkangelo also tallied two interceptions and five pass breakups with a sack.
Finally, the combination of Bell, Dingeldey and Bennett up front helped spearhead a Bulldog offensive unit that led the nation in total offense, ranked second in scoring and fourth in rushing during the regular season. The trio's play enabled the Bulldogs to compile a school single-season record 559 points along with all-time bests of 3,866 rushing yards and 6,297 total yards last fall. All three received All-GLIAC Honorable Mention accolades in 2014 with Dingeldey claiming USA College Football Honorable Mention All-America kudos.
The Bulldogs will begin their 107th season of varsity competition this coming fall with their sights set on repeating as GLIAC Champions and making a return trip to the NCAA Division II Playoffs following a historic season in 2014 that saw the Bulldogs finish with their first conference title in 15 years and first trip to the postseason in 18 seasons. FSU posted the school's first 11-0 regular-season in the 106-year history of Ferris State football last fall.
In 2014, FSU head coach Tony Annese led the Bulldogs to an 11-1 overall record, which was the school's best in 19 seasons. A total of 10 FSU standouts earned some form of All-America honors, the Bulldogs had 16 all-conference honorees and Vander Laan was tabbed as the Harlon Hill Trophy Award winner given to the NCAA Division II Player of the Year, the best of more than 10,000 players at the level in the nation.
Annese, who was named the GLIAC and American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Regional Coach of the Year, recently inked yet another stellar recruiting class on National Signing Day in February with FSU adding upwards of 30 incoming prep recruits, including a GLIAC-best 26 from the state of Michigan.
More than 50 letterwinners are slated to return this coming fall for the Bulldogs with upwards of 20 players with significant starting experience eligible to be back for the 2015 campaign. Fall camp will begin in early August for Ferris State.