SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Three Southern Conference football student-athletes earned spots on the Athlon Sports 2021 Spring FCS All-America Team, Athlon Sports announced Tuesday.
 
VMI wide receiver Jakob Herres and linebacker Stone Snyder and Samford defensive back Chris Edmonds were among the 29 players honored on the All-America team, on which 19 schools and 10 conferences were represented. VMI was one of just eight programs with multiple selections.
 
Herres has also earned first-team All-America honors from the AFCA, the FCS Athletics Directors Association, the Associated Press and Stats Perform. Snyder and Edmonds have also earned first-team honors from the AP And Stats Perform.
 
Herres finished fourth in the voting for the Stats Perform Walter Payton Award and was named the offensive end Player of the Year for Division I colleges and universities in the commonwealth of Virginia by the Touchdown Club of Richmond. The Easton, Pennsylvania, native was named the SoCon Offensive Player of the Year both the league’s coaches and media and was also the SoCon Offensive Player of the Month for April. Herres led the Keydets in receiving during the season with 80 catches for 978 yards and eight touchdowns, averaging 12.2 yards per grab and 122.2 yards per game, all of which led the Southern Conference. His total receiving yards and receiving yards per game led the FCS.
 
Snyder, who finished third in balloting for the Stats Perform Buck Buchanan Award, was named the SoCon Defensive Player of the Year by both the media and coaches after leading the league in tackles per game (11.0) – 76 in seven regular season games, including a career-high 21 versus The Citadel. In helping VMI capture its first SoCon title since 1977 and first-ever FCS playoffs bid, he had 9.5 tackles for loss (64 yards), eight sacks and four QB hurries. He also had 12 tackles in the first round of the playoffs against No. 1 James Madison on April 24.
 
Edmonds led the SoCon with four interceptions, tied for second-most in the FCS this season. He also led the league and ranked 13th in the nation in interceptions per game, averaging 0.6 picks per contest. Edmonds ranked third on the team in total tackles with 40, including 24 solo stops. He also had 2.5 tackles for loss, and he had one pass break-up for the season. Edmonds tallied one forced fumble and one fumble recovery, as well. He was involved in forcing six turnovers in Samford's first four games of the seven-game spring season. Edmonds was named the SoCon Defensive Player of the Week twice (March 8 and March 15), and he was tabbed as the league's Defensive Player of the Month for March. He was named first-team All-SoCon and was a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award, finishing 16^th in the balloting.
 
For the full Athlon Sports release, click here.
 
FCS ALL-AMERICA TEAM
OFFENSE
QB – Cole Kelley (6-7/260/Sr.) Southeastern Louisiana
RB – Julius Chestnut (6-1/215/Jr.) Sacred Heart
RB – Otis Weah (5-9/195/So.) North Dakota
WR – Avante Cox (5-10/170/Jr.) Southern Illinois
WR – Jakob Herres (6-4/211/Jr.) VMI
TE – Trae Barry (6-7/245/Sr.) Jacksonville State
OL – P.J. Burkhalter (6-3/330/Sr.) Nicholls
OL – Garret Greenfield (6-6/295/So.) South Dakota State
OL – David Kroll (6-7/315/Sr.) Delaware
OL – Cordell Volson (6-7/310/Sr.) North Dakota State
OL – Ty Whitworth (6-4/300/Sr.) Weber State
 
DEFENSE
DL – Jared Brinkman (6-2/290/Sr.) Northern Iowa
DL – Mike Greene (6-3/285/Sr.) James Madison
DL – Jahari Kay (6-2/255/Sr.) Sam Houston
DL – Jordan Lewis (6-3/195/Jr.) Southern
LB – Logan Backhaus (6-4/205/Sr.) South Dakota State
LB – Colby Campbell (6-0/230/Sr.) Presbyterian
LB – Conner Mortensen (6-0/215/Sr.) Weber State
LB – Stone Snyder (6-3/225/So.) VMI
DB – Chris Edmonds (6-2/205/So.) Samford
DB – Nicario Harper (6-1/205/So.) Jacksonville State
DB – Kordell Jackson (5-9/188/Sr.) Austin Peay
DB – Kedrick Whitehead (5-11/195/Jr.) Delaware
 
SPECIAL TEAMS
PK – Ethan Ratke (5-10/185/Sr.) James Madison
P – Garret Wegner (6-0/197/Sr.) North Dakota State
LS – Kyle Davis (5-11/210/Jr.) James Madison
KR – Christian Watson (6-4/200/Jr.) North Dakota State
PR – Devron Harper (5-10/165/Jr.) Gardner-Webb
AP – Jequez Ezzard (5-9/190/Grad) Sam Houston