Sixth-year center Spencer Blackburn has added yet another honor as he was honored Tuesday (July 30) by STATS as a second team Preseason NCAA Football Championship Subdivision All-America selection.
 
Blackburn has now earned a trio of preseason All-America accolades after earning a pair of A-A honors to conclude the 2018 season. In June, the 6-foot-2, 290-pound Blackburn was one of 28 players selected to the Athlon preseason squad after earning second team honors from Hero Sports.
 
Blackburn Southern Utah's Zach Larsen are the two best centers in the Big Sky Conference as evidenced by preseason honors and all-league teams. Larsen earned first team All-America honors from Hero Sports and STATS, and joined Blackburn on the Athlon squad.
 
Larsen has been the first team All-BSC center each of the last two seasons while Blackburn has earned second team accolades in each of the last three years. In 2016 when Blackburn was a sophomore and started his current string of 37-straight starts, Joey Kuperman from Cal Poly earned first team honors.
 
 
 
More on Blackburn . . .
 
Blackburn will be a sixth-year senior in 2019 after he received approval from the Big Sky Conference and the NCAA for their hardship waiver requests to receive a sixth year to complete four years of eligibility.
 
Blackburn is a 2014 graduate of Meridian High School in Bellingham, Wash. He redshirted in 2014, but couldn't play in 2015 because of a thumb injury. In 2018 he earned NCAA Football Championship Subdivision All-America honors by Associated Press (second team) and STATS (third team). He's earned second team All-Big Sky honors in each of the past three seasons.
 
Blackburn has started 37 of the 39 games he has played as an Eagle, including the last 37. In addition, Blackburn was a team co-captain in 2018 – and again in 2019 -- and was named in November to the Google Cloud Academic All-District 8 Football Team as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). He has also earned three Big Sky All-Academic honors, and has a 3.69 GPA in professional accounting. He was the 2017 recipient of the Larry Hattemer Offensive Lineman Scholarship.
 
Eastern finished as the only school to rank in the top 20 in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision in total offense, rushing and passing. The Eagles averaged 528.2 yards on offense to rank third in FCS, including 255.9 rushing (10th) and 272.3 passing (20th). Eastern was also ranked fourth in scoring (43.1). The Eagles as a team finished the 2018 season with a school-record 6.62 average per rush on the season to break the previous record of 6.41 set in 2001. The Eagles set team records for rushing yards (3,839) and rushing touchdowns (41).
 
 

More on the STATS Preseason All-America Team . . .
 
The STATS FCS Preseason All-America Team announced Tuesday (July 30) goes three squads deep and features 98 players from 60 schools with at least three selections from all 13 FCS conferences.
 
Included were 34 players who were named 2018 postseason All-Americans, led by nine returning first-team selections: Duquesne running back A.J. Hines, wide receivers Michael Bandy of San Diego and Josh Pearson of Jacksonville State, linebackers Zach Hall of Southeast Missouri and Dante Olson of Montana, Dartmouth cornerback Isiah Swann, Bucknell punter Alex Pechin, James Madison punt returner D'Angelo Amos and Bryant kickoff returner Jean Constant, who has since transferred to Stony Brook. In addition, Sam Houston State wide receiver Nathan Stewart was a first-team All-American in 2017, meaning all the talent makes for a perfect 10.
 
The Missouri Valley Football Conference gained the most All-America selections with 16, CAA Football was second with 14 and the Big Sky Conference third with 13. Among schools, South Dakota State had the most selections with five, while two-time defending FCS champion North Dakota State, Jacksonville State and James Madison followed with four each.
 
 
2019 STATS FCS PRESEASON ALL-AMERICA TEAM
 
FIRST TEAM
 
OFFENSE
QB - Jake Maier, senior, 6-0, 200, UC Davis
RB - A.J. Hines, senior, 5-11, 225, Duquesne
RB - James Robinson, senior, 5-10, 220, Illinois State
WR - Michael Bandy, senior, 5-11, 190, San Diego
WR - Josh Pearson, senior, 6-4, 205, Jacksonville State
WR - Nathan Stewart, senior, 6-0, 180, Sam Houston State
TE - Charlie Taumoepeau, senior, 6-3, 240, Portland State
OL - J'Von Brown, senior, 6-3, 350, Central Connecticut State
OL - Noah Johnson, senior, 6-4, 302, Idaho
OL - Zack Johnson, senior, 6-6, 317, North Dakota State
OL - Zach Larsen, senior, 6-1, 305, Southern Utah
OL - Kyle Murphy, senior, 6-4, 312, Rhode Island
 
DEFENSE
DL - Sully Laiche, senior, 6-2, 270, Nicholls
DL - Nasir Player, senior, 6-5, 271, ETSU
DL - Chris Terrell, senior, 6-3, 270, Central Arkansas
DL - Nick Wheeler, senior, 6-2, 255, Colgate
LB - Jabril Cox, junior, 6-3, 233, North Dakota State
LB - Cam Gill, senior, 6-3, 230, Wagner
LB - Zach Hall, senior, 6-0, 230, Southeast Missouri
LB - Dante Olson, senior, 6-3, 237, Montana
DB - Marlon Bridges, senior, 6-0, 200, Jacksonville State
DB - Manny Patterson, senior, 5-10, 180, Maine
DB - Rashad Robinson, senior, 5-11, 185, James Madison
DB - Isiah Swann, senior, 6-0, 190, Dartmouth
 
SPECIAL TEAMS
PK - Aidan O'Neill, senior, 6-1, 199, Towson
P - Alex Pechin, graduate, 6-0, 210, Bucknell
LS - Bradey Sorenson, junior, 6-2, 225, South Dakota State
KR - Jean Constant, senior, 5-9, 180, Stony Brook
PR - D'Angelo Amos, junior, 6-1, 186, James Madison
ATH - Shane Simpson, senior, 5-9, 200, Towson
ATH - Troy Andersen, junior, 6-3, 215, Montana State
 
 
SECOND TEAM
 
OFFENSE
QB - Tom Flacco, senior, 6-1, 208, Towson
RB - Josh Davis, sophomore, 5-9, 195, Weber State
RB - Pierre Strong Jr., sophomore, 5-11, 200, South Dakota State
RB - De'Shawn Waller, senior, 5-11, 210, Alcorn State
WR - Cade Johnson, junior, 5-10, 175, South Dakota State
WR - Bryce Nunnelly, junior, 6-2, 190, Chattanooga
WR - Aaron Parker, senior, 6-3, 191, Rhode Island
TE - Briley Moore, senior, 6-3, 242, Northern Iowa
OL - Justus Basinger, senior, 6-4, 305, Wofford
OL - Spencer Blackburn, senior, 6-2, 290, Eastern Washington
OL - Liam Fornadel, junior, 6-4, 307, James Madison
OL - Drew Himmelmann, junior, 6-10, 315, Illinois State
OL - Marcus Pettiford, senior, 6-4, 293, North Carolina A&T
 
DEFENSE
DL - Darin Greenfield, senior, 6-3, 240, South Dakota
DL - Aaron Patrick, senior, 6-4, 245, Eastern Kentucky
DL - Derrek Tuszka, senior, 6-5, 243, North Dakota State
DL - Kayon Whitaker, senior, 6-2, 255, Maine
LB - Bryson Armstrong, junior, 5-11, 212, Kennesaw State
LB - Jeremiah Chambers, senior, 6-1, 220, Abilene Christian
LB - Jonas Griffith, senior, 6-4, 240, Indiana State
LB - Adrian Hope, sophomore, 6-1, 210, Furman
LB - Christian Rozeboom, senior, 6-2, 225, South Dakota State
DB - Abu Daramy-Swaray, senior, 5-10, 190, Colgate
DB - Franklin "Mac" McCain III, junior, 5-11, 173, North Carolina A&T
DB - Tyree Robinson, junior, 5-11, 184, ETSU
DB - Dorian Walker, senior, 6-0, 181, Kennesaw State
 
SPECIAL TEAMS
PK - Grayson Atkins, junior, 5-10, 187, Furman
P - Cade Coffey, junior, 6-1, 198, Idaho
LS - Josh Brady, senior, 6-3, 238, Jacksonville State
KR - Rashid Shaheed, junior, 6-0, 175, Weber Stat
PR - Nick Rinella, senior, 5-10, 200, Saint Francis
ATH - Kentel Williams, senior, 6-0, 190, Austin Peay
 
 
THIRD TEAM
 
OFFENSE
QB - Tyrie Adams, senior, 6-2, 180, Western Carolina
RB - Juwon Farri, sophomore, 5-10, 185, Monmouth
RB - Quay Holmes, sophomore, 6-1, 216, ETSU
RB - Jordan Meachum, senior, 5-10, 200, Sacred Heart
WR - Jequez Ezzard, senior, 5-9, 190, Howard
WR - Reed Klubnik, senior, 6-3, 200, Yale
WR - Kristian Wilkerson, senior, 6-1, 210, Southeast Missouri
TE - Adam Trautman, senior, 6-6, 253, Dayton
OL - Darius Anderson, junior, 6-3, 305, Jacksonville State
OL - Jack Badovinac, junior 6-2, 290, Colgate
OL - Mitch Brott, senior, 6-6, 290, Montana State
OL - Reily Radosevich, senior, 6-3, 265, Princeton
OL - Ty Whitworth, junior, 6-4, 295, Weber State
 
DEFENSE
DL - Ron'Dell Carter, senior, 6-3, 273, James Madison
DL - Maurice Jackson, senior, 6-2, 265, Richmond
DL - Bryce Sterk, senior, 6-5, 250, Montana State
DL - Khristian Tate, senior, 6-0, 280, Georgetown
LB - Glenn Cunningham, junior, 6-2, 226, Fordham
LB - Da'Jon Lee, senior, 6-2, 235, Saint Francis
LB - Solomon Muhammad, senior, 6-1, 235, Alcorn State
LB - DeShawn Stevens, junior, 6-1, 250, Maine
LB - Evan Veron, senior, 6-0, 215, Nicholls
DB - Tymere Berry, junior, 6-1, 175, Monmouth
DB - Jeremy Chinn, senior, 6-2, 211, Southern Illinois
DB - Zyon McCollum, junior, 6-4, 190, Sam Houston State
DB - Ju'Anthony Parker, senior, 5-11, 165, Prairie View A&M
DB - Will Warner, senior, 6-3, 201, Drake
 
SPECIAL TEAMS
PK - Chase Vinatieri, senior, 6-1, 225, South Dakota State
P - Chris Faddoul, junior, 6-1, 182, Florida A&M
P - Garret Wegner, junior, 6-0, 193, North Dakota State
LS - Chandler Collins, senior, 6-4, 242, Missouri State
KR - Jimmie Robinson, senior, 5-8, 162, Bethune-Cookman
KR - Juwan Petit-Frere, senior, 5-9, 180, Southeastern Louisiana
PR - Chris Rowland, senior, 5-8, 170, Tennessee State
ATH - Caylin Newton, junior, 6-0, 195, Howard