Craig Rucker named AFCA First Team All-American for second straight year
Senior wide receiver Craig Rucker was named AFCA First Team All-American for the second straight season, as announced by the Association Tuesday morning.
WACO, TEXAS — Notre Dame (Ohio) running back Jaleel McLaughlin and West Texas A&M all-purpose player Tobias Harris headline the 2019 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.
McLaughlin earned his second straight AFCA First-Team All-America honor as a sophomore by leading the nation in rushing yards, rushing touchdowns and scoring. He has 2,190 yards, 28 rushing touchdowns and 13.8 points per game on the year and has helped lead Notre Dame (Ohio) into the quarterfinals of the Division II playoffs. McLaughlin broke his own Mountain East Conference record with his 28 rushing touchdowns in 2019. Harris led the nation in punt return yards with 436 and finished second in combined kick return yards with 1,007. He broke the school record for single-season and career punt return yards. As a defensive back, Harris led West Texas A&M with four interceptions and recorded a career-high 68 tackles.
2019 AFCA Division II Coaches' All-America - First Team
Offense
Pos Name Ht. Wt. Cl. School Coach Hometown (High School)
QB Rogan Wells 6-3 210 R-Jr. Valdosta St. (Ga.) Gary Goff Fort Mill, S.C. (Fort Mill)
RB *Jaleel McLaughlin 5-9 175 So. Notre Dame (Ohio) Mike Jacobs Marshville, N.C. (Forest Hills)
RB Nate Gunn 6-2 220 Sr. Minnesota St. Todd Hoffner Minooka, Ill. (Minooka)
WR *Craig Rucker 5-7 175 Sr. Mars Hill (N.C.) Tim Clifton Orlando, Fla. (Edgewater)
WR Zimari Manning 6-2 200 Sr. Tarleton St. (Texas) Todd Whitten Long Beach, Calif. (LB Wilson)
TE Zach Davidson 6-7 245 R-Jr. Central Missouri Jim Svoboda Webb City, Mo. (Webb City)
OL Tanner Owen 6-5 290 Jr. Northwest Missouri St. Rich Wright Kearney, Mo. (Kearney)
OL Grant Stewart 6-2 305 R-Sr. Colorado School of Mines Gregg Brandon Southlake, Texas (Southlake Carroll)
OL Jake Lacina 6-4 300 Sr. Augustana (S.D.) Jerry Olszewski St. Paul, Minn. (Cretin-Derham Hall)
OL Quentin Hall 6-6 300 Sr. Assumption (Mass.) Andy McKenzie Plymouth, Mass. (Thayer/Milford Academy)
OL Phillip McDowell 6-5 315 Sr. Carson-Newman (Tenn.) Mike Turner Inman, S.C. (Boiling Springs)
Defense
Pos Name Ht. Wt. Cl. School Coach Hometown (High School)
DL Jackson Wibbels 6-1 243 Sr. Colorado St.-Pueblo John Wristen Colorado Springs, Colo. (Pine Creek)
DL Ch'aim Smith 6-4 255 Gr. West Chester (Pa.) Bill Zwaan York, Pa. (York Suburban)
DL Demetrice Lofton 6-4 245 So. Morehouse (Ga.) Rich Freeman Fairburn, Ga. (Creekside)
DL Austin Edwards 6-5 280 Sr. Ferris St. (Mich.) Tony Annese Lansing, Mich. (Waverly)
LB Drew Seers 6-1 227 Jr. Lindenwood (Mo.) Jed Stugart St. Louis, Mo. (Parkway West)
LB Vada King 6-1 225 Sr. Delta St. (Miss.) Todd Cooley Smith, Ala. (Smith Station)
LB CJ Miller 6-1 215 Sr. St. Anselm (N.H.) Joe Adam Clinton, Md. (Gwynn Park)
DB Demetri Morsell 5-11 170 So. Bowie St. (Md.) Damon Wilson Upper Marlboro, Md. (Wise)
DB Brandon Anderson 6-1 200 R-Sr. Edinboro (Pa.) Wayne Bradford Willingboro, N.J. (Holy Cross)
DB Nick Ciccio 6-0 190 R-So. Colorado Mesa Russ Martin Castle Pines, Colo. (Lutheran)
DB Michael Junker 5-10 180 Sr. Bemidji St. (Minn.) Brent Bolte Hastings, Minn. (Hastings)
Specialists
Pos Name Ht. Wt. Cl. School Coach Hometown (High School)
PK Jordan Walters 6-2 200 Sr. East Stroudsburg (Pa.) Jimmy Terwilliger Sciota, Pa. (Pleasant Valley)
P JoseLuis Moreno 6-0 180 Sr. Minot St. (N.D.) Mike Aldrich San Lorenzo, Calif. (Bishop O'Dowd)
AP Tobias Harris 5-9 180 So. West Texas A&M Hunter Hughes Pflugerville, Texas (Hendrickson)
*-2018 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.