SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Southern Conference placed 11 student-athletes on the STATS FCS Preseason All-America team, announced Monday. The Citadel’s Tyler Renew (FB) and Dee Delaney (DB) were tabbed first-team selections, joining Chattanooga’s Corey Levin (OL) and Keionta Davis (DL).
Wofford offensive lineman Anton Wahrby and Furman defensive back Trey Robinson garnered second-team honors. Five more SoCon players were named to the third team with Chattanooga’s Derrick Craine (RB) and Nakevion Leslie (LB) joining Samford’s Jamerson Blount (DB) and Armando Bonheur (OL) and Wofford’s Lorenzo Long (FB).
Levin (6-5, 305) returns to the offensive line, where he was also a first-team pick at the end of last year. Davis (6-4, 270) is the Preseason Southern Conference Defensive Player of the Year and one of the top NFL prospects at the FCS level.
The Citadel is one of four programs in the nation with two first-team preseason All-Americans, along with five-time defending FCS champion North Dakota State, 2015 FCS runner-up Jacksonville State and 2015 Southern Conference co-champion Chattanooga. Delaney and Renew, who were both selected preseason All-Southern Conference by the conference’s coaches last week, were also named preseason All-Americans by Athlon Sports earlier this summer.
In 2015, Delaney was named a Walter Camp All-American, first-team STATS All-American and a second-team All-American by the Associated Press and College Sports Madness. He also earned the College Football Performance Awards Elite Defensive Back Award and was a first-team All-Southern Conference selection.
Delaney started all 13 games at cornerback and registered 46 tackles, including 1.0 for loss, five interceptions, eight pass breakups, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and one blocked kick. His interception total led the SoCon, tied for eighth in FCS and tied for sixth on The Citadel’s single-season list. His 13 passes defended also tied for sixth on the program’s single-season list. He led the Southern Conference in total passes defended and in passes defended in conference play with nine. Delaney has seven interceptions in his career and is tied for ninth on The Citadel’s all-time list.
Renew was a first-team STATS All-American in 2015 after he appeared in all 13 games with nine starts and compiled 839 yards and five touchdowns on 162 carries. He ranked seventh in the Southern Conference in rushing yards, and his 5.18 yards-per-carry average was eighth. The Columbia, South Carolina, native had his best game in his hometown, rushing for a career-high 174 yards and a career-high two touchdowns in the Bulldogs’ 23-22 win at South Carolina to earn SoCon Offensive Player of the Week honors.
Wahrby, a senior from Karlskrona, Sweden, started all 11 games in 2015 at right tackle. He is a two-time All-Southern Conference first-team selection and led the Terriers in knockdown blocks last season. He was also named to the Southern Conference Preseason All-Conference first team.
Robinson, a 6-foot-1, 212-pound senior, was a second-team honoree. As a junior, he earned consensus All-Southern Conference honors, collecting first-team accolades in balloting by league media and second-team laurels on the coaches' ballot. He was named to the coaches' 2016 preseason all-conference squad, which was announced last Wednesday at SoCon Football Media Day.
A Spartanburg, S.C., native and former standout at Dorman High School, he recorded 68 tackles and a team-leading four interceptions in 10 starts for the Paladins a year ago. Among his top outings was a 10-tackle, two-interception performance in Furman's 16-15 win over UCF.
Bonheur has been a key member of the offensive line all three years he has been at Samford. Last season, he started all 11 games, and he earned first-team All-SoCon accolades following the season. For the 2016 season, Bonheur was named first-team preseason All-SoCon
Blount started all 11 games last season, tallying 75 total tackles and a team-high three interceptions. He also had eight pass break-ups, the second-highest total on the team. He was named first-team All-SoCon at the end of last season and preseason first-team All-SoCon earlier this summer.
Long, a senior from Pensacola, Florida, was named second-team All-Southern Conference last season. He led the team in rushing with 969 yards, which was fourth in the league. For his career, he has 2,055 rushing yards and 25 touchdowns. Long earned a spot on the Preseason All-SoCon second team, which was released last week.
Craine (5-10, 205) set the Mocs' single-season rushing record with 1,251 yards in 2015. Leslie (5-11, 225) was second in the SoCon last season with 14.0 TFLs from the linebacker position.
Chattanooga is one of just four in the FCS with four on the STATS squad, including defending champion North Dakota State, national runner-up Jacksonville State and Charleston Southern.
The preseason squad is 99 players deep, spread across three teams. All 13 conferences and 63 schools had selections. Among FCS conferences, the Missouri Valley had the most All-America selections with 16. CAA Football (13) and the Southern Conference (11) also reached double figures.