GREENWOOD, Ind. — Eastern Washington football continues to show its dedication to success in the classroom. EWU has six student-athletes earning CoSida Academic All-American honors, announced today. The group includes Dylan Conner, Landon Cooper, Jaylon Jenkins, Landon Ogles, Trevor Thurman and Nolan Ulm.

CoSIDA Academic All-American honors are awarded to student-athletes who perform at an elite level in the classroom and in their chosen sport. Student-athletes who qualify have a GPA of 3.5 minimum and compete in 90 percent of scheduled games or start in 66 percent of games.

The improvement for the Eagle defense was clear this season and one of the key contributors to the effort was Jaylon Jenkins who earned Big Sky first team All-Conference honors. Jenkins had a break-out season, snagging five interceptions, which is currently tied for fourth in the FCS and second in the Big Sky. The Federal Way, Wash. native also amassed 13 passes defended during the season, adding eight pass breakups to his interception total. He ranked 30th in the FCS and seventh in the Big Sky for pass breakups. 

Cooper excelled as the starting tight end during his senior campaign, catching 22 passes for 239 yards and two touchdowns. Against Western Illinois, Cooper earned his first career touchdown, a 64-yard reception that was tied for the 12th longest reception in the conference this past season. The Sutter, Calif. native was named to the Big Sky All-Conference second team. 

Ogles was a difference maker his senior season, dropping 25 punts inside the opponents 20-yard line, while also posting 16 punts of 50 or more yards. Both stats led the Big Sky. Against Incarnate Word, Ogles booted a 72-yard punt, a career-long and the third-longest in Eagle history. He punted 78 times for 3167 yards, a 40.6 yards per punt average. Ogles departs Eastern with a career 41.0 yards per punt average, sixth on the all-time list. He earned an All-Conference honorable mention.

In his final season with the Eagles, Conner was the veteran on the offensive line. He started nine games at left tackles during the fall. Conner finished his Eastern career with 12 starts and 23 total games played in four years on the team. Following the season, Conner earned an All-Conference honorable mention. 

Ulm capped off his EWU career with 12 starts in the 2025 season. He finished with 27 receptions, 228 yards and one touchdown for his senior season. For his career, Ulm registered 117 receptions for 1330 yards and 11 scores. Ulm earned All-Big Sky fourth team honors from Phil Steele in the 2023 season. He also earned four Big Sky All-Academic awards. Off the field, Ulm was dedicated to community service, earning a selection to the AFCA Good Works Team and was a semifinalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy. 

Thurman also closed out his time in Cheney this past season, but made the most of his playing time. At defensive end, Thurman played in 12 games, making 10 starts for the Eagles. Thurman was tied for seventh on the team with 43 tackles, posting 14 solo. He had 1.5 sacks for six yards and 4.0 total tackles for loss (10 yards). Thurman matched his career-best with 7 tackles in games against Idaho, Sacramento State and Cal Poly, recording a solo sack against the Mustangs in the 2025 finale. 

Advancing to the next round, Jenkins and Cooper are eligible for Academic All-American honors and will be voted on by active CoSIDA members.

About CoSIDA Academic All-America
Established in 1952 and selected by College Sports Communicators, Academic All-America is the longest running and premier award for athletic and academic success across championship college sports at all NCAA levels, the NAIA, two-year colleges and Canadian institutions. Teams are announced year round and amplified by CSC member colleges, universities  and conferences on a wide local, regional, national, and even international scope.
 

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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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