WACO, TEXAS — The Northwest Missouri State University football team is represented by a pair of seniors in
Sam Roberts and
Tanner Owen on the 2021 AFCA Division II Coaches' All-America Teams announced today by the American Football Coaches Association.
The AFCA has selected an All-America team since 1945 and currently selects teams in all five of its divisions. What makes these teams so special is that they are the only ones chosen exclusively by the men who know the players the best — the coaches themselves.
Defensive lineman
Sam Roberts (Waynesville, Mo. / Waynesville HS) earned first-team AFCA All-America status in 2021. Roberts was selected as the D2CCA Super Region 3 and MIAA defensive player of the year. Roberts led a dominant Bearcat defense and recorded 18 tackles-for-loss and 6.5 sacks in 13 games this season. Roberts had at least a half-tackle for loss in 12 different games. He has helped guide Northwest Missouri State to a No. 2 national ranking in scoring defense (12.1 points allowed per game) and No. 4 in the country in total defense (223.6 yards allowed per game). Roberts was a first-team All-MIAA selection in 2021.
Offensive lineman
Tanner Owen (Kearney, Mo. / Kearney HS) tallied second-team status after being a first-team AFCA All-America pick in 2019. Owen started all 51 games of his collegiate career and was a three-time first-team all-MIAA selection on the offensive line. Owen was a part of the Bearcat offense in 2021 that ranked No. 13 in the nation in total offense (457.5 yards per game). Owen helped pave the way for Harlon Hill Trophy finalist running back
Al McKeller to lead the MIAA in rushing (1,601 yards. Owen helped keep pass rushers away from quarterback
Mike Hohensee, who ranks No. 1 in the nation in passing completion percentage (73.6%) and No. 1 in the nation in passing efficiency (187.3 rating). The Bearcat offense produced six games of 500 yards or more offense which was the most for Northwest since the 2013 season.
With Roberts and Owen being named AFCA All-America selections, Northwest owns the second-most AFCA All-America accolades among NCAA Division II programs. Northwest has produced 25 AFCA All-America honors in program history, trailing only Texas A&M-Kingsville's total of 34.
2021 AFCA Division II Coaches' All-America - First Team
Offense
Pos Name Ht. Wt. Cl. School Coach Hometown (High School)
QB Tyson Bagent 6-3 215 Jr. Shepherd (W.Va.) Ernie McCook Martinsburg, W.Va. (Martinsburg)
RB Cody Schrader 5-9 213 So. Truman St. (Mo.) Gregg Nesbitt St. Louis, Mo. (Lutheran South)
RB TJ Cole 6-0 185 Jr. Ouachita Baptist (Ark.) Todd Knight Texarkana, Tex. (Pleasant Grove)
WR Danny Kittner 5-10 187 Jr. UMary (N.D.) Craig Bagnell Gilbert, Ariz. (Higley)
WR L'liott Curry 6-0 206 R-Sr. Henderson St. (Ark.) Scott Maxfield Guthrie, Okla. (Guthrie)
TE Hunter Budke 6-2 240 Jr. Fort Hays St. (Kan.) Chris Brown Beloit, Kan. (Beloit)
OL *Andrew Strickland 6-4 267 Gr. Wingate (N.C.) Joe Reich Raleigh, N.C. (Millbrook)
OL Dylan Pasquali 6-5 305 Sr. Ferris St. (Mich.) Tony Annese Trenton, Mich. (Trenton)
C Hayden Huttula 6-2 272 Jr. Michigan Tech Steve Olson Hartland, Mich. (Hartland)
OL Josh Dauberman 6-5 315 Sr. Indiana (Pa.) Paul Tortorella Hughesville, Pa. (Hughesville)
OL Brent Laing 6-4 294 R-Sr. Minnesota-Duluth Curt Wiese Lakeville, Minn. (Lakeville North)
Defense
Pos Name Ht. Wt. Cl. School Coach Hometown (High School)
DL Carl Igweh 6-5 264 Sr. Frostburg St. (Md.) DeLane Fitzgerald Taneytown, Md. (Winters Mill)
DL
Sam Roberts 6-5 292 Sr. Northwest Missouri St.
Rich Wright Waynesville, Mo. (Waynesville)
DL Deshawn McCarthy 6-4 265 Jr. East Stroudsburg (Pa.) Jimmy Terwilliger Philadelphia, Pa. (Northeast)
DL Chris Terrell 6-3 270 Gr. West Alabama Brett Gilliland Pensacola, Fla. (Tate)
LB *Drew Seers 6-1 225 Sr. Lindenwood (Mo.) Jed Stugart St. Louis, Mo. (Parkway West)
LB Marvin Terry 6-2 220 R-Sr. Delta St. (Miss.) Todd Cooley Dallas, Tex. (South Oak Cliff)
LB Carter Duxbury 6-2 240 Jr. Winona St. (Minn.) Tom Sawyer Chatfield, Minn. (Chatfield)
DB Kishawn Walker 6-2 205 Sr. Kentucky Wesleyan Craig Yeast Owensboro, Ky. (Owensboro)
DB D'Anthony Bell 6-2 205 R-Sr. West Florida Pete Shinnick Covington, Ga. (Alcovy)
DB *Tobias Harris 5-9 180 Jr. West Texas A&M Hunter Hughes Pflugerville, Tex. (Hendrickson)
DB Jermal Martin Jr. 5-11 170 Jr. California (Pa.) Gary Dunn South Philadelphia, Pa. (Academy Park)
Specialists
Pos Name Ht. Wt. Cl. School Coach Hometown (High School)
PK Jed Quackenbush 6-2 175 Gr. Ohio Dominican Kelly Cummings Newark, Ohio (Newark)
P Dean Krcic 6-2 225 Sr. Kutztown (Pa.) Jim Clements Saylorsburg, Pa. (Pleasant Valley)
AP Dominique Ramsey 5-9 180 R-Sr. Texas A&M-Commerce David Bailiff Converse, Tex. (Judson)
*-2019 AFCA All-American
2021 AFCA Division II Coaches' All-America - Second Team
Offense
Pos Name Ht. Wt. Cl. School Coach Hometown (High School)
QB TJ Davis 6-3 180 R-Jr. Nebraska-Kearney Josh Lynn Colorado Springs, Colo. (Widefield)
RB Michael Zeman 5-11 210 R-Sr. Colorado School of Mines Gregg Brandon Wheat Ridge, Colo. (Holy Family)
RB Toriano Clinton 5-9 194 Jr. Indianapolis (Ind.) Chris Keevers Chicago, Ill. (St. Laurence)
WR Henry Litwin 6-1 195 R-Sr. Slippery Rock (Pa.) Shawn Lutz Linesville, Pa. (Conneaut Area)
WR Senika McKie 6-2 185 R-So. Erskine (S.C.) Shap Boyd Columbia, S.C. (Ridge View)
TE Kyle Morlock 6-6 240 So. Shorter (Ga.) Zach Morrison Blairsville, Ga. (Union County)
OL *
Tanner Owen 6-5 292 Sr. Northwest Missouri St.
Rich Wright Kearney, Mo. (Kearney)
OL Justin Calderon 6-5 320 Sr. Chadron St. (Neb.) Jay Long Levittown, N.Y. (MacArthur)
C Jakob Pruitt 6-2 285 Sr. Western Oregon Arne Ferguson Beaverton, Ore. (Valley Catholic)
OL Joey Fisher 6-5 285 Jr. Shepherd (W.Va.) Ernie McCook Hagerstown, Md. (Clear Spring)
OL Sebastian Gutierrez 6-6 295 Sr. Minot St. (N.D.) Mike Aldrich Pasco, Wash. (Pasco)
Defense
Pos Name Ht. Wt. Cl. School Coach Hometown (High School)
DL Will Lydle 6-1 270 R-Sr. Western Colorado Jas Bains Cedar Park, Tex. (Cedar Park)
DL Logan Swanson 6-3 310 Gr. Augustana (S.D.) Jerry Olszewski Mankato, Minn. (East)
DL Joshua Pryor 6-4 280 R-Jr. Bowie St. (Md.) Damon Wilson Baltimore, Md. (Paul Laurence Dunbar)
DL Nate Chambers 6-3 283 Sr. Hillsdale (Mich.) Keith Otterbein Otsego, Mich. (Otsego)
LB Guam Lee 5-11 213 Sr. Notre Dame (Ohio) Mickey Mental Farmington Hills, Mich. (Harrison)
LB Coleton Smith 6-2 230 Sr. Southwest Baptist (Mo.) Robert Clardy Appleton City, Mo. (Appleton City)
LB Khyon Fitzpatrick 6-0 205 Jr. New Haven (Conn.) Chris Pincince Union, N.J. (Paramus Catholic)
DB Charles Crawford 6-0 170 Gr. Clark Atlanta Tim Bowens Prichard, Ala. (Vigor)
DB Damar'ren Mitchell 5-11 185 Jr. Colorado Mesa Tremaine Jackson Magnolia, Tex. (Magnolia West)
DB Ty'Shonan Brooks 5-11 170 Sr. Minnesota St. Todd Hoffner Brooklyn Park, Minn. (Park Center)
DB Chance Olson 5-9 185 Gr. Northern St. (S.D.) Mike Schmidt Langford, S.D. (Langford)
Specialists
Pos Name Ht. Wt. Cl. School Coach Hometown (High School)
PK Omar Cervantes 6-3 201 Jr. West Georgia David Dean Fort Valley, Ga. (Peach County)
P Achille Laudet 6-1 205 Fr. Lincoln (Pa.) Josh Dean Stillwater, Minn. (Stillwater)
AP James Letcher Jr. 5-8 165 Sr. Washburn (Kan.) Craig Schurig Kansas City, Kan. (Piper)
*-2019 AFCA All-American
Team Background: The five teams now chosen for each AFCA division evolved from a single 11-player squad in 1945. From 1945 until 1967, only one team was chosen. From 1967 through 1971, two teams – University Division and College Division – were selected. In 1972, the College Division was split into College I and College II. In 1979, the University Division was split into two teams — FBS and FCS. In 1996, the College I and College II teams were renamed Division II and Division III, respectively. In 2006, the AFCA started selecting an NAIA-only team.
From 1965-81, a 22-player (11 offensive, 11 defensive) team was chosen. In 1982, a punter and placekicker were added to the team. In 1997, a return specialist was added, giving us the current 25-player team. The return specialist position was replaced by an all-purpose player in 2006. In 2016, the AFCA added a second team All-America.
Selection Process: The AFCA's Division II All-America Selection Committee is made up of three head coaches from each of the AFCA's seven districts, one of whom serves as a district chairman, along with another head coach who serves as the chairman of the selection committee. The coaches in each district are responsible for ranking the top players in their respective districts prior to a conference call between the district chairmen and the committee chairman on which the teams are chosen.
The Award: Members of the AFCA Coaches' All-America First Team will receive a plaque commemorating their selection to the team, while members of the Second Team will receive a certificate.
Consecutive Years: Texas A&M-Kingsville had at least one player named to the AFCA Division II Coaches' All-America Team for 18 straight seasons, from 1986 to 2003, the longest streak by any team in Division II. Northwest Missouri State is second, having had 16 straight selections from 1996 to 2011. Pittsburg State has the third longest streak at nine straight selections from 1988 to 1996. Ferris State has the longest active streak with seven straight selections from 2014 to today.
Top Teams: Texas A&M-Kingsville has been represented a total of 34 times by 30 players on the AFCA Division II Coaches' All-America Team, to lead all schools. Trailing Texas A&M-Kingsville is Northwest Missouri State (25/19), Texas A&M-Commerce (24/21), Ferris State (24/20), Indiana (Pa.) (20/18), Pittsburg State (20/16), Carson-Newman (18/17), Ashland (17/16), Grand Valley State (16/15), Valdosta State (16/14), New Haven (15/15), Mississippi College (15/14), Colorado Mesa (15/13), American International (14/13), Frostburg State (14/13), Minnesota State (14/10), Indianapolis (13/13), Central Missouri (13/12), Angelo State (13/11), Slippery Rock (13/11), Catawba (13/10), Saginaw Valley State (12/12), West Chester (12/12), West Georgia (12/12), West Texas A&M (12/11), California (Pa.) (12/10), Delta State (12/10), Mars Hill (12/9), Chadron State (11/11), Central Washington (11/10), Sioux Falls (11/10), Eastern New Mexico (11/9), Glenville State (11/9), West Alabama (10/10), Western Colorado (10/10), Winston-Salem State (10/10), Hillsdale (10/9), St. Cloud State (10/9), Central State (10/8), Southern Arkansas (10/8) and Lindenwood (Mo.) (10/7).
Back-to-Back: Wingate offensive lineman Andrew Strickland, Lindenwood linebacker Drew Seers, West Texas A&M defensive back Tobias Harris and Northwest Missouri State offensive lineman
Tanner Owen are the four players who earned AFCA Division II Coaches' All-America honors for the second consecutive season in 2021.
Three-peat: Catawba linebacker Kyle Kitchens became the fourth player in Division II history to be named to three straight AFCA All-America Teams. Kitchens was a first-team selection in 2015 and 2017, and a second-team selection in 2016. He joins Brandon Williams, a defensive lineman from Missouri Southern State (2010-12), running back Jonas Randolph from Mars Hill (2009-11) and Tywan Mitchell, a wide receiver from Minnesota State (1996-98).
Yearly Leader: Texas A&M-Commerce (2017-OL Jared Machorro, QB Luis Perez and DB Yusef Sterling-Lowe) became the first school to have more than two players named to the AFCA Division II Coaches' All-America Team in one year.
Repeat After Me: Texas A&M-Kingsville's Johnny Bailey is the only Division II player to earn AFCA All-America honors in four consecutive years. Bailey was a four-year pick at running back in 1986-87-88-89.
Two Players, Two Schools: Punter Mark Bounds and placekicker Greg Zuerlein are the only players to earn AFCA All-America honors at two different schools. Bounds was named to the AFCA College Division I team in 1990 while playing for West Texas A&M. He transferred to Texas Tech after West Texas dropped football and earned I-A All-America honors as a Red Raider in 1991. Zuerlein was named to the Division II Coaches' All-America Team in 2009 while playing for Nebraska-Omaha. He transferred to Missouri Western State after Nebraska-Omaha dropped its football program and earned Division II honors in 2011 as a Griffon.
Class Distinction: This year's Division II Coaches' All-America Team is made up of 24 seniors, 16 juniors, three sophomores, one freshman and six graduate students.
It's Been A While: Defensive back Chance Olson from Northern State has earned AFCA Coaches' All-America Team honors for his school for the first time since 1976 when Larry Kolbo was named as a defensive lineman. Not to be outdone, defensive back Charles Crawford from Clark Atlanta earned his school's first AFCA All-American honor since 1979 when Curtis Smith was named as an offensive lineman.
First Time's A Charm: Kentucky Wesleyan defensive back Kishawn Walker, West Florida defensive back D'Anthony Bell, Erskine wide receiver Senika McKie and Southwest Baptist linebacker Coleton Smith earned honors for their schools for the first time in AFCA Division II Coaches' All-America Team history.
For more information on the AFCA and its programs, visit www.afca.com and follow us on Twitter @WeAreAFCA.
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Northwest's All-Time AFCA All-America Selections
1989 – Jason Agee, DB
1996 – Matt Uhde, DL
1997 – Chris Greisen, QB
1998 – Chris Greisen, QB
1999 – Tony Miles, KR
2000 – Tony Miles, WR
2001 – Seth Wand, OL
2002 – Seth Wand, OL
2003 – Jamaica Rector, WR
2004 – Jamaica Rector, WR
2005 – Dave Tollefson, DL
2006 – Mike Peterson, TE
2007 – Xavier Omon, RB
2008 – Jeremy Davis, OL
2009 – Myles Burnsides, DB
2010 – Ryan Jones, DB
2011 – Chad Kilgore, LB
2013 – Matt Longacre, DL
2014 – Matt Longacre, DL
2016 – Collin Blevins, DL
2017 – Marcus Jones, DB
2018 – Austen Eskew, LB
2019 –
Tanner Owen, OL
2021 –
Tanner Owen, OL
2021 –
Sam Roberts, DL
