BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Nine players from the Southwestern Athletic Conference were named to the 2012 Boxtorow All-America team. The Boxtorow All-America team is selected by members of the media across the nation that cover HBCU football.
Spotlighting the SWAC representation, Arkansas-Pine Bluff defensive end, Brandon Thurmond, was named Boxtorow Defensive Player of the Year. He becomes the fifth player from the SWAC to receive the defensive honor since the media outlet began recognizing All-Americans in 2007.
The list also includes: Christopher Wilson (OL – Arkansas-Pine Bluff), Bill Ross (LB – Arkansas-Pine Bluff), Rico Richardson (WR – Jackson State), Joseph LeBeau (DE – Jackson State), Qua Cox (DB – Jackson State), Terren Jones (OT – Alabama State), Kejuan Riley (DB – Alabama State), and Bobby Wenzig (P – Alabama State).
ASU, UAPB and JSU, had three players named to the team, only falling short to Winston-Salem State who placed four on this year’s squad.The SWAC’s nine representatives on this years All-American team was the most among the HBCU ranks.
Thurmond, Wilson, and Ross helped lead UAPB to its first SWAC Football Championship game title and second league crown since 1966. Thurmond led the FCS in sacks with 17.5 averaging nearly two per game. He was also named the SWAC and AFCA Defensive Player of the Year.
From the center position, Wilson highlighted an offensive line that paved the way for the SWAC’s top rushing offense with 205 yards per game. Ross finished with a league best 127 (70 solo) tackles while scoring three defensive touchdowns.
Richardson, the SWAC Offensive Player of the Year, led the SWAC in receiving yards (1,153) and receiving yards per game (96.1). He caught 60 passes, averaged 19.2 yards per receptions and had 11 receiving touchdowns.
LeBeau, a 2011 Boxtorow All-American, ranks third in the nation in tackles for loss with 23.5 and finished second in the conference with 10.5 sacks. Cox led JSU’s secondary with a league best – five interceptions. He also recorded eight pass breakups and ranked second in the SWAC in passes defended with 13.
Jones was the spotlight of an ASU offense that led the conference in scoring (32.0 ppg) and red zone offense (92 percent). Riley concluded his career with four interceptions, including 21 for his career, to become ASU’s all-time leader. Wenzig finished fourth in the FCS in punting with 45.6 yards per punt while posting 20 punts of 50 yards or more, a longest of 67 yards, and 24 inside the 20-yard line.
In addition to the nine players named to the All-American team, seven players received honorable mention. The list includes: Isaiah Crowell (RB – Alabama State), Jamal Johnson-Webb (OL – Alabama A&M), Dezmond Beverly (TE – Arkansas-Pine Bluff), Jimmy Daniels (DL – Alabama State), Robert Simpson (DL – Mississippi Valley State), Ryan Shaw (DB – Arakansas-Pine Bluff), and Tyler Strickland (PK – Arkansas-Pine Bluff).
FROM THE PRESS BOX TO PRESS ROW (Boxtorow) is a national sports talk radio show which places major emphasis on HBCU Sports. The show airs on radio stations around the country as well as Fridays from 1-2 p.m. ET on SiriusXM Channel 141. Boxtorow is celebrating seven years on the air.
2012 Boxtorow HBCU All-American Team
OFFENSE
QB: Kameron Smith – Winston-Salem State
RB: Trabis Ward – Tennessee State
RB: Derrick Washington – Tuskegee
OL: Rogers Gaines – Tennessee State
OL: Terrance Hackney – Bethune-Cookman
OL: Terren Jones – Alabama State
OL: Markus Lawrence – Winston-Salem State
OL: Christopher Wilson – Arkansas-Pine Bluff
TE: A.C. Leonard – Tennessee State
WR: Rico Richardson – Jackson State
*WR: Jahuann Butler – Winston-Salem State
*WR: Christopher Slaughter – Fort Valley State
DEFENSE
DL: Brad Davis – Elizabeth City State
DL: Joseph LeBeau – Jackson State $
DL: LeBrandon Richardson – Bethune-Cookman
DL: Brandon Thurmond – Arkansas-Pine Bluff
LB: Carlos Fields II – Winston-Salem State
LB: Keith Pough – Howard $
LB: Bill Ross – Arkansas-Pine Bluff
DB: Qua Cox – Jackson State
DB: Kejuan Riley – Alabama State $
DB: Dexter Moody – Albany State
*DB: D’Vonte Graham – North Carolina A&T
*DB: Dejuan Williams – Fort Valley State
SPECIALIST
PK: Chase Varnadore – Florida A&M
P: Bobby Wenzig – Alabama State
RS: Tyron Laughinghouse – Saint Augustine’s $
Honorable Mention
RB: Isaiah Crowell, Alabama State; Isidore Jackson, Bethune-Cookman; Daront’e McNeill, Elizabeth City State
OL: Kadeem Edwards, Tennessee State; Jamal Johnson-Webb, Alabama A&M; Joshua Matthews, Howard; Christopher Tolbert, Tuskegee
TE: Dezmond Beverly, Arkansas-Pine Bluff
WR: Travis Tarpley, Delaware State
DL: T.J. Batchelor, Chowan; Jimmy Daniels, Alabama State; Javarous Faulk, Saint Augustine’s; Vauchard Goodridge, Clark-Atlanta; Damon Gresham Chisholm, Howard; Robert Simpson, Mississippi Valley State; Stephen Young, NC Central
LB: Jarkevis Fields, Bethune-Cookman; Leon Furr, Fort Valley State; Darius Wilson, Central State
DB: William Buford, Tuskegee; Julien David, Howard; Steven Godbolt, III, Tennessee State; Davon Moore, Delaware State; Ryan Shaw, Arkansas-Pine Bluff
PK: Tyler Strickland, Arkansas-Pine Bluff
P: Justin Rosenbaum, Fort Valley State
RS: Arthur Goforth, NC Central
Offensive Players of the Year
2012 Kameron Smith, Winston-Salem State
Defensive Players of the Year
2012 Brandon Thurmond, Arkansas-Pine Bluff
Coaches of the Year
2012 Connell Maynor, Winston-Salem State
Rookie/Newcomer of the Year
2012 Damon Gresham Chisholm, Howard
– Courtesy: SWAC.org
