By Alex Boggis, UT Martin Assistant Sports Information Director
MARTIN, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee at Martin football program had four standouts earn underclassmen All-American honors by Hero Sports as the publication released its Freshman and Sophomore All-American teams. Tight end DJ Nelson and offensive guard Jarod Russell were named to the HERO Sports FCS Freshman All-American team while running back Zak Wallace and defensive end Daylan Dotson were tabbed to the FCS Sophomore All-American team.
Nelson burst onto the scene in his first full season as a Skyhawk contributor to earn All-American honors after claiming All-OVC first team and All-Newcomer selections. The York, Ala. native led all tight ends in the OVC with 21 receptions, 267 yards and six touchdowns. His six touchdowns ranked tied fourth in the OVC. The best game of his young career came against Tennessee Tech when he recorded career-highs in yards (95) and touchdowns (two).
A native of Murfreesboro, Tenn., Russell started in 10 games for the Skyhawks at left guard. While playing 702 snaps, he graded out at 83 percent or better throughout the season while tallying 68 knockdowns. The played a big part in an offensive line which ranked sixth nationally in sacks allowed while sitting 19th in passing offense (269.4 ypg) and 20th in scoring offense (34.7).
Wallace earn his second straight All-American selection from Hero Sports after finding himself on the Freshman All-American team last season. The running back is a two-time All-OVC honoree after ranking as one of the nation’s best running backs. He tallied 169 carries for 1,012 yards and 16 rushing touchdowns. The Bentonville, Ark. native ranked amongst the nation’s leaders in rushing touchdowns (16, fifth), total touchdowns (16, eighth), scoring (8.7 ppg, 16th), rush yards per carry (5.9, 23rd) and rushing yards (1,011, 23rd). His personal accomplishments include becoming just the eighth individual in program history to eclipse 1,000 rushing yards on the season while tallying five games with at 100 yards on the ground. His best game came against Lindenwood when he had 204 yards on 11 carries while scoring a pair of touchdowns. He scored multiple touchdowns in five contest – including a four-touchdown performance against Houston Christian.
Dotson earned All-American honors after a breakout season en route which saw him rank as one of the nation’s top pass rushers. The All-OVC first team selection tallied 48 tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks. He also notched 15 quarterback hurries, five forced fumbles and a pair of fumble recoveries. The Savannah, Ga. native ranked ninth nationally in sacks (9.5) and 14th in tackles for loss (14.5). He was named FCS National Defensive Player of the Week after tallying 2.0 TFL, 2.0 sacks, two force fumbles and a pair of fumble recoveries in a road win at Houston Christian. The defensive end also recorded a career-high 14 tackles against Kennesaw State while notching another standout performance with a career-best 3.0 tackles for loss against Eastern Illinois in the season finale.
Graphic courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information