SLU’s Kelley, Nicholls’ Burkhalter, McNeese’s Chambers earn FCS All-America honors from AFCA, Athlon Sports

Southeastern Louisiana quarterback Cole Kelley, Nicholls offensive lineman P.J. Burkhalter and McNeese defensive end Isaiah Chambers continue to rack up FCS honors.

The trio of Louisiana college football players have been named first team All-Americans by the American Football Coaches Association and Athlon Sports.

Kelley, the senior out of Teurlings Catholic, was previously named first team by Stats Perform and the Associated Press and third team by HERO Sports. The Walter Payton Award winner in the spring was one of the top three vote-getters invited to the Jan. 7 presentation of the award this season. Kelley, the Southland Conference Player of the Year, threw for 5,124 yards and 44 touchdowns on 406-for-552 passing (73.6 completion percentage), while also rushing for a team-high 491 yards and 16 touchdowns.

Burkhalter, the Franklinton High product, has earned FCS All-America First Team acclaim from multiple sources in each of the past three seasons as a guard and center.

Chambers has also racked consensus All-American honors and took home the Southland’s Defensive Player of the Year honor this fall. The Houston native has also been named Phil Steele National Defensive Player of the Year while being nominated twice for the Buck Buchanan Award which recognizes the FCS’s top defensive player. With 10.5 sacks and 15.5 tackles for losses this past season, Chambers ended his two-year McNeese career by becoming the first player in program history to average a sack a game (18 sacks in 18 career games).

2021 AFCA Football Championship Subdivision Coaches’ All-America Team
First Team
Offense
Pos. – Name – Ht. – Wt. – Cl. – School – Coach – Hometown
QB – Cole Kelley – 6-7 – 260 – Sr. – Southeastern – Frank Scelfo – Lafayette, La.
RB – Quay Holmes – 6-1 – 220 – Jr. – ETSU – Randy Sanders – Power Springs, Ga.
RB – Pierre Strong Jr. – 5-11 – 205 – Sr. – South Dakota State – John Stiegelmeier – Little Rock, Ark.
WR – Xavier Gipson – 5-9 – 170 – So. – Stephen F. Austin – Colby Carthel – Dallas, Texas
WR – BJ Byrd – 6-0 – 190 – Sr. – Morehead State – Rob Tenyer – Lawrenceville, Ga.
TE – Kemari Averett – 6-6 – 260 – Sr. – Bethune-Cookman – Terry Sims – Atlanta, Ga.
OL – Lewis Kidd – 6-6 – 311 – Sr. – Montana State – Brent Vigen – Minneapolis, Minn.
OL – P.J. Burkhalter – 6-3 – 330 – Sr. – Nicholls – Tim Rebowe – Franklinton, La.
OL – Cole Strange – 6-6 – 301 – Sr. – Chattanooga – Rusty Wright – Knoxville, Tenn.
OL – Cordell Volson – 6-7 – 313 – Sr. – North Dakota State – Matt Entz – Balfour, N.D.
OL – Trevor Penning – 6-7 – 321 – Jr. – Northern Iowa – Mark Farley – Clear Lake, Iowa

Defense
Pos. – Name – Ht. – Wt. – Cl. – School – Coach – Hometown
DL – James Houston – 6-1 – 225 – Sr. – Jackson State – Deion Sanders – Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
DL – Isaiah Chambers – 6-5 – 251 – Gr. – McNeese – Frank Wilson – Houston, Texas
DL – Vaughn Taylor Jr. – 6-3 – 252 – Sr. – Morehead State – Rob Tenyer – Washington, D.C.
DL – Jared Brinkman – 6-2 – 290 – Sr. – Northern Iowa – Mark Farley – Iowa City, Iowa
LB – Isaiah Land – 6-4 – 215 – Jr. – Florida A&M – Willie Simmons – Buffalo, N.Y.
LB – Troy Anderson – 6-4 – 235 – Sr. – Montana State – Brent Vigen – Dillon, Mont.
LB – Forrest Rhyne – 6-1 – 235 – Gr. – Villanova – Mark Ferrante – Waynesboro, Pa.
DB – Devin Hafford – 6-1 – 210 – Sr. – Tarleton State – Todd Whitten – Atascocita, Texas
DB – Justin Ford – 6-2 – 190 – Jr. – Montana – Bobby Hauck – Concord, N.C.
DB – Koby Perry – 6-0 – 174 – Gr. – Austin Peay – Scotty Walden – Covington, Ga.
DB – Decobie Durant – 5-11 – 180 – Gr. – South Carolina State – Buddy Pough – Lamar, S.C.

Specialists
Pos. – Name – Ht. – Wt. – Cl. – School – Coach – Hometown
P – Brian Buschini – 6-0 – 206 – Fr. – Montana – Bobby Hauck – Helena, Mont.
PK – Ethan Radke – 5-10 – 186 – Sr. – James Madison – Curt Cignetti – Mechanicsville, Va.
AP – Montrell Washington – 5-10 – 170 – Sr. – Samford – Chris Hatcher – Canton, Ga.
LS – Matthew O’Donoghue – 6-1 – 260 – Sr. – Montana – Bobby Hauck – Santa Ana, Calif.

Second Team
Offense
Pos. – Name – Ht. – Wt. – Cl. – School – Coach – Hometown
QB – Eric Barriere – 6-1 – 210 – Sr. – Eastern Washington – Aaron Best – Inglewood, Calif.
RB – Ramon Jefferson – 5-10 – 215 – Jr. – Sam Houston – K.C. Keeler – Bronx, N.Y.
RB – Isaiah Ifanse – 5-10 – 202 – Jr. – Montana State – Brent Vigen – Bellevue, Wash.
WR – Dai’Jean Dixon – 6-4 – 200 – Sr. – Nicholls – Tim Rebowe – New Orleans, La.
WR – Tyler Hudson – 6-2 – 195 – So. – Central Arkansas – Nathan Brown – Spring, Texas
TE – Marshal Martin – 6-2 – 209 – So. – Sacramento State – Troy Taylor – Vallejo, Calif.
OL – Tristen Taylor – 6-6 – 320 – Sr. – Eastern Washington – Aaron Best – Stockton, Calif.
OL – Colby Thomas – 6-2 – 300 – Sr. – Sam Houston – K.C. Keeler – Manvel, Texas
OL – Braxton Jones – 6-7 – 310 – Jr. – Southern Utah – Demario Warren – Murray, Utah
OL – Hunter Nourzad – 6-4 – 298 – Sr. – Cornell – David Archer – Marietta, Ga.
OL – Matt Waletzko – 6-7 – 305 – Sr. – North Dakota – Bubba Schweigert – Cold Spring, Minn.

Defense
Pos. – Name – Ht. – Wt. – Cl. – School – Coach – Hometown
DL – Daniel Hardy – 6-3 – 240 – Sr. – Montana State – Brent Vigen – Beaverton, Ore.
DL – Bryce Carter – 6-1 – 252 – Sr. – James Madison – Curt Cignetti – Steelton, Pa.
DL – Brevin Allen – 6-4 – 265 – Sr. – Campbell – Mike Minter – Greensboro, N.C.
DL – Devonnsha Maxwell – 6-2 – 296 – Jr. – Chattanooga – Rusty Wright – Valdosta, Ga.
LB – Jacob Dobbs – 6-0 – 232 – Jr. – Holy Cross – Bob Chesney – Macomb, Mich.
LB – Patrick O’Connell – 6-2 – 225 – Jr. – Montana – Bobby Hauck – Kalispell, Mont.
LB – Stone Snyder – 6-3 – 240 – Jr. – VMI – Scott Wachenheim – Richmond, Va.
DB – Zyon McCollum – 6-4 – 200 – Sr. – Sam Houston – K.C. Keeler – Galveston, Texas
DB – Markquese Bell – 6-3 – 205 – Sr. – Florida A&M – Willie Simmons – Bridgeton, N.J.
DB – Greg Ross – 6-1 – 186 – Sr. – James Madison – Curt Cignetti – Temple Hills, Md.
DB – Davion Ross – 5-10 – 165 – Jr. – Eastern Kentucky – Walt Wells – Perry, Ga.

Specialists
Pos. – Name – Ht. – Wt. – Cl. – School – Coach – Hometown
P – Grant Burkett – 6-0 – 180 – Fr. – Missouri State – Bobby Petrino – Joplin, Mo.
PK – Matthew Cook – 5-11 – 180 – So. – Northern Iowa – Mark Farley – Cedar Falls, Iowa
AP – Rashid Shaheed – 6-0 – 180 – Sr. – Weber State – Jay Hill – San Diego, California
LS – Robert Soderholm – 6-1 – 230 – Sr. – VMI – Scott Wachenheim – Stafford, Va.

2021 Athlon Sports FCS All-America Team
Offense
QB – Cole Kelley, Southeastern
QB – Eric Barriere, Eastern Washington
RB – Quay Holmes, ETSU
RB – Pierre Strong Jr., South Dakota State
WR – Xavier Gipson, Stephen F. Austin
WR – Tyler Hudson, Central Arkansas
TE – Tucker Kraft, South Dakota State
OL – P.J. Burkhalter, Nicholls
OL – Trevor Penning, Northern Iowa
OL – Cole Strange, Chattanooga
OL – Cordell Volson, North Dakota State
OL – Nick Zakelj, Fordham

Defense
DL – Jared Brinkman, Northern Iowa
DL – Isaiah Chambers, McNeese
DL – James Houston, Jackson State
DL – Isaiah Land, Florida A&M
LB – Troy Anderson, Montana State
LB – Patrick O’Connell, Montana
LB – Forrest Rhyne, Villanova
LB – Stone Snyder, VMI
DB – Markquese Bell, Florida A&M
DB – Christian Benford, Villanova
DB – Justin Ford, Montana
DB – Darius Joiner, Western Illinois

Special Teams
PK – Ethan Ratke, James Madison
P – Brian Buschini, Montana
LS – Kyle Davis, James Madison
KR – Rashid Shaheed, Weber State
PR – Warren Newman, Jackson State
AP – Montrell Washington, Samford