THREE SKYHAWKS TABBED TO 2022 AFCA FCS COACHES’ ALL-AMERICA TEAMS
12/22/2022 12:06:00 PM | Football
WACO, TEX. — The All-American honors keep rolling in for the University of Tennessee at Martin as linebacker John H. Ford II and long-snapper Brock Powers were named to the 2022 Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) Coaches' All-America first team as announced by the American Football Coaches Association. Additionally, defensive end Daylan Dotson was named to the second team.
The AFCA has selected an All-America team since 1945 and currently selects teams in all five of its divisions. What makes these teams so special is that they are the only ones chosen exclusively by the men who know the players the best — the coaches themselves.
Ford has been named a consensus All-American after a standout year on the gridiron. The Nashville, Tenn. native has not only garnered multiple All-American honors but was named Ohio Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Year along with tallying his second All-OVC first team selection. A finalist for the 2022 Buck Buchanan Award, Ford tallied 106 tackles, including 10.5 tackles for loss, 5.0 sacks, an interception, two pass breakups, four quarterback hurries, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. He ranked third in the OVC in tackles (9.5/game), second in sacks (0.45/game) and third in tackles for loss (0.95/game). Ford helped UT Martin rank first nationally in turnovers gained (28) and in the top 20 nationally in tackles for loss (17th) and sacks (20th).
Hailing from Cornersville, Tenn., Powers garnered All-American first team honors after a dedicated career for the Skyhawks. He earned his first All-OVC selection after playing a critical role as the team's long snapper for the past five seasons. He served as the team's long snapper for both field goal chances and punt attempts while breaking the program record by appearing in 54 career games. During his tenure he has snapped for a pair of All-OVC performers, helped the program to back-to-back league championships and recovered a pair of fumbles.
Dotson earned well-deserved All-American honors after a breakout season 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.
2022 AFCA Football Championship Subdivision Coaches' All-America Team - First Team
Defense
LB | John H. Ford II | 6-3 | 230 | Gr.
Specialists
LS | Brock Powers | 6-2 | 230 | Sr. | UT Martin
2022 AFCA Football Championship Subdivision Coaches' All-America Team - Second Team
Defense
DL | Daylan Dotson | 6-3 | 280 | So. | UT Martin
Team Background: The five teams now chosen for each AFCA division evolved from a single 11-player squad. From 1945 until 1967, only one team was chosen. From 1967 through 1971, two teams, University Division and College Division, were selected. In 1972, the College Division was split into College I and College II. In 1979, the University Division was split into two teams — Division I-A and Division I-AA. In 1996, the College I and College II teams were renamed Division II and Division III, respectively. In 2006, the Division I-A and Division I-AA teams were renamed Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), respectively. In 2006, the AFCA started selecting an NAIA-only team.
From 1965-81, a 22-player (11 offensive, 11 defensive) team was chosen. In 1982, a punter and placekicker were added to the team. A return specialist was added in 1997, giving us the current 25-player team. The return specialist position was replaced by an all-purpose player in 2006. The AFCA added a second team in 2016.
The Award: Members of the AFCA Coaches' All-America First Team will receive a plaque commemorating their selection to the team, while members of the Second Team will receive a certificate.
For more information on the AFCA and its programs, visit www.afca.com and follow us on Twitter @WeAreAFCA.
The AFCA has selected an All-America team since 1945 and currently selects teams in all five of its divisions. What makes these teams so special is that they are the only ones chosen exclusively by the men who know the players the best — the coaches themselves.
Ford has been named a consensus All-American after a standout year on the gridiron. The Nashville, Tenn. native has not only garnered multiple All-American honors but was named Ohio Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Year along with tallying his second All-OVC first team selection. A finalist for the 2022 Buck Buchanan Award, Ford tallied 106 tackles, including 10.5 tackles for loss, 5.0 sacks, an interception, two pass breakups, four quarterback hurries, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. He ranked third in the OVC in tackles (9.5/game), second in sacks (0.45/game) and third in tackles for loss (0.95/game). Ford helped UT Martin rank first nationally in turnovers gained (28) and in the top 20 nationally in tackles for loss (17th) and sacks (20th).
Hailing from Cornersville, Tenn., Powers garnered All-American first team honors after a dedicated career for the Skyhawks. He earned his first All-OVC selection after playing a critical role as the team's long snapper for the past five seasons. He served as the team's long snapper for both field goal chances and punt attempts while breaking the program record by appearing in 54 career games. During his tenure he has snapped for a pair of All-OVC performers, helped the program to back-to-back league championships and recovered a pair of fumbles.
Dotson earned well-deserved All-American honors after a breakout season 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.
2022 AFCA Football Championship Subdivision Coaches' All-America Team - First Team
Defense
LB | John H. Ford II | 6-3 | 230 | Gr.
Specialists
LS | Brock Powers | 6-2 | 230 | Sr. | UT Martin
2022 AFCA Football Championship Subdivision Coaches' All-America Team - Second Team
Defense
DL | Daylan Dotson | 6-3 | 280 | So. | UT Martin
Team Background: The five teams now chosen for each AFCA division evolved from a single 11-player squad. From 1945 until 1967, only one team was chosen. From 1967 through 1971, two teams, University Division and College Division, were selected. In 1972, the College Division was split into College I and College II. In 1979, the University Division was split into two teams — Division I-A and Division I-AA. In 1996, the College I and College II teams were renamed Division II and Division III, respectively. In 2006, the Division I-A and Division I-AA teams were renamed Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), respectively. In 2006, the AFCA started selecting an NAIA-only team.
From 1965-81, a 22-player (11 offensive, 11 defensive) team was chosen. In 1982, a punter and placekicker were added to the team. A return specialist was added in 1997, giving us the current 25-player team. The return specialist position was replaced by an all-purpose player in 2006. The AFCA added a second team in 2016.
The Award: Members of the AFCA Coaches' All-America First Team will receive a plaque commemorating their selection to the team, while members of the Second Team will receive a certificate.
For more information on the AFCA and its programs, visit www.afca.com and follow us on Twitter @WeAreAFCA.
Players Mentioned
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