Senior offensive tackle is selected as one of just 25 players on the team picked by the American Football Coaches Association

Eastern Washington University senior offensive tackle Will Post has been chosen to the American Football Coaches Association All-America team, the AFCA announced Tuesday (Dec. 4). The 6-foot-6, 315-pound Post is from Portland, Ore., and graduated from Southridge High School in 2008.

His is the 17th AFCA honor won by 16 different players in Eastern history, but he is the first offensive lineman to be recognized since Michael Roos (now with the Tennessee Titans) in 2004.

The Eagles have now had 19 offensive linemen earn All-America accolades in the last 20 years (1993-2012) while winning 21 first team All-Big Sky Conference honors (1993-2012). Prior to Post, Chris Powers was the latest to earn both awards after helping lead EWU to the NCAA Division I title in 2010 and then earning the same honors as a senior in 2011.

 Post has started every game at right offensive tackle in 2012, with a total of 34 career starts in 43 games played. The first team All-Big Sky selection and team co-captain allowed just one sack in the regular season (opponents had a total of 24). He consistently grades out in the high 80’s and low 90's according to offensive line coach Aaron Best.

Entering its quarterfinal game this Saturday in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision Playoffs, Eastern ranks second in the league and ninth in the FCS in passing offense (301.2 per game). The Eagles had a season-best 542 total yards versus Cal Poly and are now fourth in the Big Sky and 21st in FCS in total offense (432.3). Eastern is also 22nd in passing efficiency (143.3) and 28th in scoring offense (31.6).

Last week, the initial FCS All-America team for the 2012 season was released by College Sports Madness (collegesportsmadness.com), and three Eagles were named to the team. Junior wide receiver Brandon Kaufman was selected to the first team, senior defensive end Jerry Ceja was selected to the second team and senior kicker Jimmy Pavel was picked for the third team.

A year ago, there were nine All-America teams selected, including those by the AFCA, The Sports Network, Associated Press and the Walter Camp Football Foundation. Others are College Sporting News, Phil Steele Publications, College Sports Journal, Beyond Sports College Network and College Sports Madness.

MORE ON THE AFCA ALL-AMERICA TEAM

Eastern Illinois wide receiver Erik Lora and Arkansas-Pine Bluff defensive lineman Brandon Thurmond headline the 2012 AFCA Football Championship Subdivision Coaches’ All-America Team announced today by the American Football Coaches Association.

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.

Lora led the nation in receiving yards per game at 138.67, total receiving yards at 1,664 and receptions per game with 11.33. He caught 12 touchdowns and threw for one touchdown. Thurmond led the nation in sacks with 15.5 and came in third in the nation in tackles for loss with 20. He had 56 total tackles, a forced fumble, a blocked kick, and is on the Buchanan Award watch list.

2012 AFCA Football Championship Subdivision Coaches’ All-America Team
Offense

Defense

Specialists

*-2011 All-American

Team Background: The AFCA has selected an All-America team every year since 1945. The five teams now chosen for each AFCA division evolved from a single 11-player squad in 1945. 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. In 1997, a return specialist was added, giving us the current 25-player team. The return specialist position was replaced by an all-purpose player in 2006.

Top Teams: Eastern Kentucky has been represented a total of 23 times by 21 players on the AFCA FCS Coaches’ All-America Team since 1979. The Colonels are followed by Appalachian State (23/17), Montana (21/20), Delaware (20/17), Furman (18/17), Northern Iowa (18/15), Eastern Washington (17/16), Georgia Southern (17/13), Lehigh (15/15), Youngstown State (15/14), Portland State (14/14), Grambling State (14/13), Stephen F. Austin (14/13), New Hampshire (14/12), Jackson State (13/12), Weber State (13/12), Eastern Illinois (12/11), Montana State (11/11), North Dakota State (11/11) and James Madison (10/10) among current FCS schools.

Top Conference: The Colonial Athletic Association (formerly Atlantic 10) (119 appearances/109 players) is tops among all FCS conferences on the AFCA FCS Coaches All-America Team since 1979. Following the CAA is the Southern (107 appearances/94 players), Missouri Valley Football (formerly Gateway) (84/78), Big Sky (81/79), Ohio Valley (62/58), Southland (61/56), Southwestern Athletic (54/52), Patriot (48/47), Ivy League (31/31), Mid-Eastern Athletic (30/28), Northeast (15/13), Pioneer (13/13) and Big South (9/9). These totals reflect FCS selections only from current conference members. Several schools had additional players chosen when they played in divisions other than FCS.

2012 Conference-by-Conference Breakdown: Missouri Valley – 5; Southwestern Athletic – 4; Big Sky – 3; Ivy – 3; Southern – 3; Colonial – 2; Patriot – 2; Big South – 1; Ohio Valley – 1; Southland – 1.

Consecutive Years: Eastern Kentucky leads all schools, having had at least one player named to the AFCA FCS Coaches’ All-America Team in each of the first 15 years a FCS team was chosen (1979-93).

Long Time Coming: Sophomore defensive lineman Davis Tull makes the AFCA FCS All-America Team for Tennessee-Chattanooga, marking the first time the Moc’s have had a representative since 1990, when defensive lineman Tony Hill and punter Pumpy Tudors both made the team.

Repeat After Me: Sam Houston State’s Darnell Taylor is the only player to be elected to the AFCA FCS All-American Team for the second consecutive year. Linebackers Gary Reasons of Northwestern State (La.) (1981-83) and Dexter Coakley of Appalachian State (1994-96) are the only three-time AFCA All-Americans in Football Championship Subdivision.

Yearly Leaders: Alabama State (2012-OL Terren Jones, DB Kejuan Riley and P Bobby Wenzig) joins Grambling State (1979-DL Joe Gordon, LB Aldrich Allen and DB Robert Salters) and Jackson State (1996-QB Grailyn Pratt, LB Otha Evans and DB Sean Woodson) as the only schools to have more than two players named to the AFCA FCS Coaches’ All-America Team in one year.

One Player, Two Schools: Punter Mark Bounds is the only player to earn Coaches’ All-America honors at two different schools. He was named to the AFCA College Division I team in 1990 while playing for West Texas A&M. He transferred to Texas Tech after West Texas dropped football and earned FBS All-America honors as a Red Raider in 1991.

Class Distinction: This year’s AFCA FCS Coaches’ All-America Team is made up of 18 seniors, five juniors