Dudek Gets Freshman of Year

 

College Sports Madness named Zane Dudek its Football Championship Subdivision Freshman of the Year. The first-year Yale running back also earned on spot on CSM's All-America third team, while senior linebacker Matthew Oplinger was a second-team All-America pick. In addition, both Bulldogs were on the third unit of the Phil Steele FCS All-America Team.

 

Dudek, the first Eli to be CSM Freshman of the Year, was a finalist for the Jerry Rice Award for FCS Rookie of Year. However, he did win Ivy League Rookie of the Year honors while garnering a spot on the First All-Ivy League Team.

 

Dudek, who received the New Haven Gridiron Club's Harry Jacunski Award, led the league in every rushing and scoring category including yards (1,133, 9th at Yale), yards per game (113.3), rushing TDs (15, 5th at Yale), yards per carry (7.1, 2nd in Ivy history, ties Yale record set in 1956), overall TDs (16), points (96, 2nd in FCS) and all-purpose yards (134.5)

 

Oplinger was a Buck Buchanan Award Finalist for FCS Defensive Player of Year and the winner of the Ivy League's Bushnell Cup as defensive MVP. He was a First-Team All-Ivy League and All-New England selection who was tabbed for the New Haven Gridiron Club's James DeAngelis Iron Man Award.

 

Oplinger led the league in sacks with 11.5 and was second in the FCS with average of 1.15 per game. His sack total is the second most for a Yale player, while he also had a team-high 14.5 tackles for lost yards.

 

 

Madness 2017 FCS Football All-American Teams

		Coach of the Year		Freshman of the Year
		Will Healy, Austin Peay		Zane Dudek, Yale
		Offensive Player of the Year		Defensive Player of the Year
		Chris Streveler, South Dakota		Andrew Ankrah, James Madison
	First Team
	Offense			Defense
	QB	Chris Streveler, South Dakota		DL	Darius Jackson, Jacksonville State
	RB	Dominick Bragalone, Lehigh		DL	Andrew Ankrah, James Madison
	RB	Josh Mack, Maine		DL	Ahmad Gooden, Samford
	WR	Keelan Doss, UC Davis		DL	Jonathan Petersen, San Diego
	WR	Neil O'Connor, New Hampshire		LB	Nick DeLuca, North Dakota State
	WR	Davion Davis, Sam Houston State		LB	Brett Taylor, Western Illinois
	TE	Dallas Goedert, South Dakota State		LB	Warren Messer, Elon
	OL	Aaron Stinnie, James Madison		LB	Darius Leonard, South Carolina State
	OL	Jacob Ohnesorge, South Dakota State		DB	George Odum, Central Arkansas
	OL	Timon Parris, Stony Brook		DB	Tremon Smith, Central Arkansas
	OL	Brandon Parker, North Carolina A&T		DB	Mike Basille, Monmouth
	OL	Justin Lea, Jacksonville State		DB	Taron Johnson, Weber State
	K	Trey Tuttle, Weber State		P	Joe Zema, Incarnate Word
	KR	Rashid Shaheed, Weber State		PR	Davion Davis, Sam Houston State
	Second Team
	Offense			Defense
	QB	Jeremiah Briscoe, Sam Houston State		DL	Anthony Ellis, Charleston Southern
	RB	Roc Thomas, Jacksonville State		DL	P.J. Hall, Sam Houston State
	RB	Detrez Newsome, Western Carolina		DL	Jaison Williams, Austin Peay
	WR	Nathan Stewart, Sam Houston State		DL	Chris Terrell, Central Arkansas
	WR	Troy Pelletier, Lehigh		LB	Brandon Bryant, Lafayette
	WR	Jaelon Acklin, Western Illinois		LB	Sione Teuhema, SE Louisiana
	TE	Andrew Vollert, Weber State		LB	Matthew Oplinger, Yale
	OL	John Cook, Central Arkansas		LB	Jared Farley, Northern Iowa
	OL	Iosua Opeta, Weber State		DB	Rashad Robinson, James Madison
	OL	Austin Kuhnert, North Dakota State		DB	Elijah Campbell, Northern Iowa
	OL	Tyler Davis, The Citadel		DB	Marlon Bridges, Jacksonville State
	OL	Matthew Schmidt, Furman		DB	Davontae Harris, Illinois State
	K	Lorran Fonseca, Nicholls		P	Ian Berryman, Western Carolina
	KR	Desmond Hite, Incarnate Word		PR	Justice Shelton-Mosley, Harvard
	Third Team
	Offense			Defense
	QB	Taryn Christion, South Dakota State		DL	Darin Greenfield, South Dakota
	RB	Zane Dudek, Yale		DL	Abdullah Anderson, Bucknell
	RB	Cory Avery, Sam Houston State		DL	Adam Reth, Northern Iowa
	WR	Kelvin McKnight, Samford		DL	Andrew Clyde, Richmond
	WR	Justin Watson, Penn		LB	Christian Rozeboom, South Dakota St
	WR	Jesper Horsted, Princeton		LB	Garrett Dolan, Houston Baptist
	TE	Andy Schumpert, Furman		LB	Mario Jenkins, Idaho State
	OL	Zach Mitchler, Kennesaw State		LB	John Buss, Montana
	OL	Ben Huss, Duquesne		DB	Phillip Parham, Lafayette
	OL	Justin Spencer, Youngstown State		DB	Tre Dempsey, North Dakota State
	OL	David Reese, Montana		DB	Malik Duncan, St. Francis
	OL	Stetson Dagel, South Dakota		DB	Robbie Grimsley, North Dakota State
	K	Sean Slattery, Illinois State		P	Austin Barnard, Samford
	KR	Juwan Petit-Frere, SE Louisiana		PR	Khris Gardin, North Carolina A&T

 

 

PHIL STEELE 2017 FCS ALL-AMERICA TEAMS

 

 

FIRST TEAM OFFENSE

WR Keelan Doss, UC Davis, Jr.

WR Justin Watson, Penn, Sr.

WR Neil O'Connor, New Hampshire, Jr.

TE Dallas Goedert, South Dakota State, Sr.

OL Brandon Parker, North Carolina A&T, Sr.

OL Timon Parris, Stony Brook, Sr. 

OL Jamil Demby, Maine, Sr.

OL Austin Kuhnert, North Dakota State, Sr.

OL Skyler Phillips, Idaho State, Sr.

QB Chris Streveler, South Dakota, Sr.

RB Josh Mack, Maine, Soph.

RB Roc Thomas, Jacksonville State, Sr.

FB Cal Daniels, Stony Brook, Jr.

 

FIRST TEAM DEFENSE

DL Darius Jackson, Jacksonville State, Sr.

DL Jonathan Petersen, San Diego, Sr.

DL Ahmad Gooden, Samford, Jr.

DL Dalton Keene, Illinois State, Sr.

LB Darius Leonard, South Carolina State, Sr.

LB Brett Taylor, Western Illinois, Sr.

LB Nick DeLuca, North Dakota State, Sr.

LB Sione Teuhema, Southeastern Louisiana, Sr.

DB Davontae Harris, Illinois State, Sr.

DB D'Montre Wade, Murray State, Sr.

DB Taron Johnson, Weber State, Sr.

DB Mike Basile, Monmouth, Sr.

 

FIRST TEAM SPECIALISTS

K Lorran Fonseca, Nicholls, Jr.

P Joe Zema, Incarnate Word, Sr.

KR Juwan Petit-Frere, Southeastern Louisiana, Soph.

PR Justice Shelton-Mosley, Harvard, Jr.

AP John Santiago, North Dakota, Jr.

 

 

SECOND TEAM OFFENSE

WR Elijah Marks, Northern Arizona, Sr.

WR Nathan Stewart, Sam Houston State, Soph.

WR Davion Davis, Sam Houston State, Jr.

TE Andrew Vollert, Weber State, Sr.

OL Justin Lea, Jacksonville State, Sr.

OL Jacob Ohnesorge, South Dakota State, Sr.

OL Aaron Stinnie, James Madison, Sr.

OL Alex Thompson, Monmouth, Sr.

OL Zach Larsen, Southern Utah, Soph.

QB Kyle Lauletta, Richmond, Sr.

RB Detrez Newsome, Western Carolina, Sr.

RB Dominick Bragalone, Lehigh, Jr.

FB Connor Wentz, North Dakota State, Sr.

 

SECOND TEAM DEFENSE

DL P.J. Hall, Sam Houston State, Sr.

DL Andrew Ankrah, James Madison, Sr.

DL Anthony Ellis, Charleston Southern, Sr.

DL Richard Jarvis, Brown, Sr.

LB Jared Farley, Northern Iowa, Sr.

LB Warren Messer, Elon, Jr.

LB Garrett Dolan, Houston Baptist, Sr.

LB Christian Rozeboom, South Dakota State, Soph.

DB Tremon Smith, Central Arkansas, Sr.

DB Elijah Campbell, Northern Iowa, Sr.

DB Danny Johnson, Southern, Sr.

DB Marlon Bridges, Jacksonville State, Soph.

 

SECOND TEAM SPECIALISTS

K Lane Clark, Tennessee State, Sr.

P Ian Berryman, Western Carolina, Jr.

KR Darius Floyd, Prairie View A&M, Jr.

PR Davion Davis, Sam Houston State, Jr.

AP Detrez Newsome, Western Carolina, Sr.

 

 

THIRD TEAM OFFENSE

WR Jaelon Acklin, Western Illinois, Sr.

WR Troy Pelletier, Lehigh, Sr.

WR Jake Wieneke, South Dakota State, Sr.

TE Andy Schumpert, Furman, Sr.

OL Alex Light, Richmond, Sr.

OL Jacob Judd, Western Illinois, Sr.

OL Mitchell Sweigart, Princeton, Sr.

OL John Cook, Central Arkansas, Jr.

OL Matthew Schmidt, Furman, Sr.

QB Hayden Hildebrand, Central Arkansas, Sr.

RB De'Lance Turner, Alcorn State, Sr.

RB Zane Dudek, Yale, Fr.

FB Andre Stoddard, Wofford, Jr.

 

THIRD TEAM DEFENSE

DL Abdullah Anderson, Bucknell, Sr.

DL Khalen Saunders, Western Illinois, Jr.

DL Bilal Nichols, Delaware, Sr.

DL Eric Jackson, Central Arkansas, Sr.

LB Nick McBeath, Holy Cross, Sr.

LB Brandon Bryant, Lafayette, Sr.

LB Josh Buss, Montana, Jr.

LB Matthew Oplinger, Yale, Sr.

DB Tre Dempsey, North Dakota State, Sr.

DB Rashad Robinson, James Madison, Jr.

DB George Odum, Central Arkansas, Sr.

DB Jordan Brown, James Madison, Sr.

 

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: QB Chris Streveler, South Dakota, Sr.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: LB Brett Taylor, Western Illinois, Sr.

OFFENSIVE LINEMAN OF THE YEAR: OT Brandon Parker, North Carolina A&T, Sr.

FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: LB Bryson Armstrong, Kennesaw State

 

 

By Steve Conn, Yale Associate AD/Sports Publicity Director – steven.conn@yale.edu