Four HBCU football players were named to Stats Perform FCS All-America Team Monday.
Southern defensive lineman and Buck Buchanan Award finalist Jordan Lewis was selected to the first team.
The 6-foot-3, 195-pound junior from Ocala, Fla. led the Jaguars with 10.5 sacks, 15 tackles for loss and won SWAC Defensive Player of the Week twice during Southern’s six-game regular season.
Tennessee State kicker Antonio Zita was also a first-team pick for special teams.
Also read: Kicker Antonio Zita went from Tennessee State transfer to ESPN highlight in one historic boot
Zita, a junior, connected on 14 field goals this season, leading the Ohio Valley Conference. He also hit eight field goals from 40 or more yards, including five from 50-plus. The highlight of his season was Zita converting a 62-yard kick against Eastern Illinois.
Among second-team selections were Prairie View linebacker Storey Jackson and Arkansas-Pine Bluff punt returner specialist Tyrin Ralph.
Jackson was finished the 2021 spring regular season as the nation’s leader in tackles per game at 16.7. Jackson also ranked second nationally in tackles for loss per game and led the Panthers with 50 total tackles and 8.5 tackles for loss.
Ralph, the UAPB speedster, lead the SWAC and was third in the FCS in all-purpose yards with 727 yards, second in combined kick returns (461 yards), and led the SWAC in punt return yards.
