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MVSU sweeps SWAC preseason football honors; Southern &
AAMU predicted division winners
July 28, 2006
The Southwestern Athletic Conference recently selected its 2006 Preseason
All-Conference Football Team with Mississippi Valley State quarterback Aries
Nelson and linebacker Tyler Knight taking top honors. The team was selected
by nominations and votes from the member schools’ coaches and sports
information contacts.
 Nelson, the 2004 SWAC Newcomer of the Year, completed the 2005 season with
an outstanding campaign. As a junior, he passed for 2,942 yards and 17
touchdowns (3rd in SWAC) while guiding the Delta Devils to their first winning
season in nine years. He also ran for 254 yards and six touchdowns. He
was named Offensive Player of the Game in the Chicago Football Classic and
SWAC Offensive Player of the Week twice.
Tabbed as the 2005 SWAC Defensive Player of the Year, Knight garnered 125
total tackles (43 solo) with 17.5 tackles for loss and 9.0 sacks. He tallied
19 tackles, a forced fumble and three quarterback hurries against Southeastern
Louisiana and totaled 16 stops (five solo), one sack, and two pass breakups
against Alabama State. Knight was also named a 2006 Sports Network I-AA
Preseason All-American.
In the predicted order of finish poll, Alabama A&M was chosen to repeat
as Eastern Division champion. A 2005 participant in the SWAC Championship
Game, the Bulldogs garnered 11 first-place votes en route to 81 total points. Mississippi
Valley State was second with 77 points (six first-place votes) while Alcorn
State was chosen third with 48. Jackson State (4th with 34 pts.) and
Alabama State (5th with 30 pts.) round out the Eastern Division.
In the Western Division, Southern (eight first-place votes) edged out Grambling
State (nine first-place votes) 79 points to 78 points. Prairie View A&M
was selected third with 42 points while Arkansas-Pine Bluff (37 pts.) and Texas
Southern (32 pts.) were selected fourth and fifth, respectively.
All ten member institutions had at least one player receive all-conference
review. Grambling State (six first-team selections) and Mississippi
Valley State (five first-team selections) had the most players selected for
the all-conference teams with nine players chosen. Alabama A&M had seven
preseason selections (five first-team) while Texas Southern, with one first-team
selection, saw six players receive accolades. Prairie View received
five preseason selections while Southern and Arkansas-Pine Bluff each had four. Alabama
State received three while Alcorn State and Jackson State each garnered one
selection.
Predicted Order of Finish (first-place votes in parenthesis)
| Eastern Division |
|
Western Division |
|
| Alabama A&M (11) |
81 pts |
Southern (8) |
79 pts |
| Mississippi Valley State (6) |
77 |
Grambling State (9) |
78 |
| Alcorn State |
48 |
Prairie View A&M |
42 |
| Jackson State |
34 |
Arkansas-Pine Bluff |
37 |
| Alabama State |
30 |
Texas Southern |
32 |
2006 SWAC Preseason All-Conference Selections
| Preseason Offensive Player of the Year |
| Aries Nelson |
Mississippi Valley State |
6-2 |
215 |
Sr. |
QB |
Cleveland, MS |
| Preseason Defensive Player of the Year |
| Tyler Knight |
Mississippi Valley State |
6-0 |
210 |
Sr. |
LB |
Little Rock, AR |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| First-Team Preseason All-Conference Offense |
| Aries Nelson |
Mississippi Valley State |
6-2 |
215 |
Sr. |
QB |
Cleveland, MS |
| Mickey Dean |
Arkansas-Pine Bluff |
6-0 |
210 |
So. |
RB |
Little Rock, AR |
| Brent Wilson |
Texas Southern |
5-11 |
180 |
Jr. |
RB |
Silver Spring, MD |
| Henry Tolbert |
Grambling State |
5-11 |
205 |
Sr. |
WR |
Birmingham, AL |
| Clyde Edwards |
Grambling State |
5-10 |
175 |
Jr. |
WR |
Houston, TX |
| Tyrone Timmons |
Mississippi Valley State |
6-3 |
210 |
Sr. |
WR |
Tampa, FL |
| Jeffery Johnson |
Alabama A&M |
6-2 |
294 |
Sr. |
OL |
Grand Bay, AL |
| Jackie Skipper |
Arkansas-Pine Bluff |
6-1 |
295 |
Sr. |
OL |
Bastrop, AL |
| Andre Bennett |
Grambling State |
6-6 |
350 |
Sr. |
OL |
Vicksburg, MS |
| Ivora Hall |
Alabama State |
6-2 |
305 |
Jr. |
OL |
Memphis, TN |
| Alter Foster |
Mississippi Valley State |
6-5 |
280 |
Jr. |
OG |
Canton, MS |
| Clarence Cotton |
Mississippi Valley State |
5-10 |
190 |
Jr. |
KR |
D’Iberville, MS |
| Mario Sanchez |
Prairie View A&M |
6-1 |
180 |
So. |
PK |
San Antonio, TX |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| First-Team Preseason All-Conference Defense |
| Christopher Traylor |
Alabama A&M |
5-10 |
224 |
Jr. |
DE |
West Point, GA |
| Kevin Lockhart |
Alabama A&M |
6-1 |
310 |
Sr. |
DL |
Tallahassee, FL |
| John Sibley |
Arkansas-Pine Bluff |
6-3 |
285 |
So. |
DL |
Greenville, MS |
| Melvin Matthews |
Grambling State |
6-5 |
305 |
So. |
DL |
Clinton, LA |
| Johnny Baldwin |
Alabama A&M |
6-1 |
225 |
Sr. |
LB |
Bessemer, AL |
| Dimitri Carr |
Grambling State |
6-2 |
232 |
Sr. |
LB |
Farmerville, LA |
| Tyler Knight |
Mississippi Valley State |
6-0 |
210 |
Sr. |
LB |
Little Rock, AR |
| Marcus Black |
Alabama A&M |
6-0 |
200 |
Sr. |
DB |
Lithonia, GA |
| Greg Fassitt |
Grambling State |
6-1 |
190 |
Sr. |
CB |
New Orleans, LA |
| Vincent Dancy |
Jackson State |
6-3 |
218 |
Sr. |
DB |
Shuqualak, MS |
| Michael Williams |
Southern |
5-11 |
195 |
So. |
DB |
Natchez, MS |
| Eric Hernandez |
Prairie View A&M |
6-1 |
185 |
Sr. |
P |
Pleasanton, TX |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Second-Team Preseason All-Conference Offense |
| Joseph “JC” Lewis |
Southern |
5-10 |
210 |
Jr. |
QB |
Walnut Creek, CA |
| Nic Luke |
Alabama A&M |
6-0 |
216 |
Sr. |
RB |
Phenix City, AL |
| Ab Kuuan |
Grambling State |
5-11 |
230 |
Sr. |
RB |
Sylacauga, AL |
| Shang Moore |
Mississippi Valley State |
6-1 |
200 |
Sr. |
WR |
Houston, TX |
| Gerard Landry |
Southern |
6-3 |
220 |
Jr. |
WR |
Convent, LA |
| Charlie Spiller |
Alcorn State |
6-0 |
185 |
Sr. |
WR |
Woodville, MS |
| Thaddeus Coleman |
Mississippi Valley State |
6-8 |
310 |
Sr. |
OT |
North Chicago, IL |
| Kristian Smith |
Alabama A&M |
6-1 |
310 |
Sr. |
OL |
San Diego, CA |
| Tavarous Cockrell |
Grambling State |
6-2 |
290 |
Jr. |
OL |
Birmingham, AL |
| Bennett Fagan |
Prairie View A&M |
6-2 |
270 |
Sr. |
OL |
Houston, TX |
| Derrek Govenor |
Grambling State |
6-5 |
305 |
Sr. |
OL |
White Castle, LA |
| Albert Turner |
Southern |
5-7 |
155 |
Sr. |
KR |
Baton Rouge, LA |
| Anthony Johnson |
Alabama State |
5-7 |
146 |
Sr. |
PK/P |
Bay Minette, AL |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Second-Team Preseason All-Conference Defense |
| Ronald Green |
Mississippi Valley State |
6-0 |
300 |
So |
DL |
Tampa, FL |
| Mike Berry |
Texas Southern |
6-4 |
270 |
Sr. |
DL |
Chicago, IL |
| Kentavious Jones |
Texas Southern |
6-0 |
285 |
Sr. |
DL |
Hallandale, FL |
| Derrick Gray |
Texas Southern |
6-6 |
255 |
Jr. |
DL |
Silver Springs, MD |
| Justin Bass |
Arkansas-Pine Bluff |
5-11 |
225 |
Sr. |
LB |
Pine Bluff, AR |
| Van Sallier |
Prairie View A&M |
6-0 |
210 |
Sr. |
LB |
Port Arthur, TX |
| Robert Napier |
Texas Southern |
6-3 |
250 |
Sr. |
LB |
San Bernandino, CA |
| Brandon Averett |
Alabama State |
5-7 |
195 |
Jr. |
DB |
Phenix City, AL |
| Chris Wilson |
Mississippi Valley State |
5-8 |
170 |
Sr. |
DB |
Memphis, TN |
| Hakeem Muhammad |
Prairie View A&M |
5-10 |
175 |
Jr. |
DB |
Dallas, TX |
| Stacey Thomas |
Texas Southern |
6-0 |
200 |
Sr. |
DB |
New Orleans, LA |
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