CHICAGO, Ill. — After leading Eastern Washington in tackles this season from the safety spot,
Derek Ganter Jr. was named to the FCS Football Central 2024 Freshman All-American Team. The award is Ganter Jr.'s second so far this offseason, following a
Big Sky All-Conference second team selection last month.
In the 2024 season, Ganter Jr. was the Eagles' top tackler, recording 95 total and 55 solo. The redshirt-freshman's total tackles ranked fifth in the conference and solo tackles ranked third. With 7.9 tackles per game, Ganter Jr. ranked 52nd in the FCS.
Additionally, Ganter Jr. recorded four pass breakups, third-most on EWU. The Pasadena, Calif. native recorded his first career sack and forced fumble against No. 6 UC Davis (10/19), along with tallying 11 tackles in the game.
Ganter Jr. had three, 10-plus tackle games during the season. He posted a career-best with 15 against No. 11 Idaho (10/26) and had 11 against No. 2 Montana State (11/2).
Earning a spot on the All-Freshman team is not the first recognition Ganter Jr. has received from the national media. He was also a finalist for the Jerry Rice Award, honoring the top freshman in the FCS. Ganter Jr. finished eighth in the award voting with 22 points total, receiving four third-place votes, four fourth-place votes and two fifth-place votes.
Ganter Jr. made nine starts this season and played in all 12 games for the Eagles during his second season in Cheney. He appeared in four games last season, making three starts. For his career, Ganter Jr. has 107 total tackles with six pass breakups.
The Big Sky Conference had nine total student-athletes, including Ganter Jr., earn spots on FCS Central's list. The group includes Sacramento State's Carson Conklin (QB) and Danny Scudero (WR), Montana State's Adam Jones (RB), Portland State's Delon Thompson (RB), Idaho's Mark Hamper (WR) and Zach Johnson (LB), Cal Poly's Brady Norton (OL) and Northern Colorado's Cam Chapa (DB).
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ABOUT EASTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS
Eastern Washington University Athletics sponsors 14 intercollegiate sports, six for men and eight for women, both as learning opportunities for its most athletically talented students and as an enhancement to student and community life. Eastern is affiliated with Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and is a member of the Big Sky Conference, an association of 10 regional schools with comparable enrollments and academic goals.
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