Grambling State places SWAC-high 15 on preseason team

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama| The Grambling State University football team placed a Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) high 15 players on the preseason team, including 10 on the first team, as the conference announced the honors during Media Day on Friday morning at the Birmingham Marriott. 

All conference honors were selected by the 10-member institution head coaches and the sports information directors.

The Tigers landed 15 on the All-SWAC Preseason teams as De'Arius Christmas was selected the Preseason Defensive Player of the Year. Grambling State, which went 11-2 last season and fell just short in the Celebration Bowl, was voted to win the West Division.

The Tigers received 96 points to earn the top spot in the SWAC West Division. Southern (78), Prairie View A&M (65), Texas Southern (31) and Arkansas-Pine Bluff (30) rounded out the division. In the East, Alcorn State was chosen to repeat with 95 points. Alabama State (72), Jackson State (55), Alabama A&M (51) and Mississippi Valley State (27) rounded out the East Division.

Joining Christmas on the All-SWAC Preseason First Team was Darrell Clark (WR), Jordan Jones (TE), William Waddell (OL), Kyle Davis (OL), Linwood Banks (DL), La'Allan Clark (DL), Brandon Varner (DL), Percy Cargo (DB) and Marc Orozco (K). Quintin Guice (WR), Anfernee Mullins (DL), De'Andre Hogues (LB), Malcolm Williams (LB) and Dedrick Shy (DB) were named to the All-SWAC Preseason Second Team.

Christmas, who was selected to the Street and Smith All-American team last month, earned several accolades in helping the Tigers to a back-to-back Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) championship last season. The Vicksburg, Miss. native was a STATS FCS All-American Third team honoree, a BOXTOROW All-American, SBN All-American and SWAC Defensive Player of the Year.
 
Last year, he led the Tigers defensively with 88 tackles, including 48 solo stops. He has 17.5 tackles for a loss of 61 yards and five sacks for a loss of 31 yards. Also, he has added five quarterback hurries, two pass breakups and two forced fumbles.
 
Darrell Clark, who was named to the All-SWAC Second Team last season as a wide receiver, led the Tigers with 44 catches for 528 yards and scored five touchdowns. He averaged 40.6 yards per game and 12.0 yards per catch.
 
Jones, who will make the move from tight end to running back this season, earned All-SWAC Second Team honors last season. He caught 17 passes for 316 yards and added five touchdowns, with his longest being a 59-yard score against Texas Southern. He averaged 24.3 yards per game and 18.6 yards per catch.
 
Waddell, an All-SWAC First-Team selection, BOXTOROW All-American Second Team honoree and HERO Sports Sophomore All-American last season, had an 85-percent grade in all 13 games. He had 28 pancakes and 23 knock downs, with no sacks. 
 
Davis played in 11 games on the offensive line and was part of an offense that averaged a SWAC-best 31.2 points a game and 367.3 yards per game.
 
Banks, who earned All-SWAC Second-Team honors last year, tallied 24 tackles, including 15 solo stops. He recorded 7.5 sacks for loss of 28 yards, along with three quarterback hurries.
 
La'Allan Clark, who finished ranked 32nd in the nation in sacks, received All-SWAC First-Team honors last year. He registered 30 tackles, including 11 solo stops, including a team-high 11.5 sacks for a loss of 62 yards. Clark added a team-high 10 quarterback hurries, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.
 
Varner, who was named to the All-SWAC First Team last season, recorded 26 tackles, with 17 coming as solo stops. He added six sacks for a loss of 21 yards, and registered two quarterback hurries, two pass breakups and two fumble recoveries. He finished with one forced fumble, which helped the Tigers seal a 31-20 victory over Southern in the 44th Annual Bayou Classic.
 
Orozco, who earned All-SWAC First Team honors, BOXTOROW All-American Team and STATS FCS All-American, has been very consistent for the Tigers all season as he was 48-of-49 in extra points and registered 102 points. He was 18-of-22 on field goals, including booting a career-high 48-yarder in the SWAC Championship win over Alcorn State.
 
Cargo played in all 13 games as a defensive back and registered 54 tackles, including 37 solo stops. Also, Cargo tallied 3.5 tackles for a loss of 17 yards and finished with three pass deflections and one fumble recovery. He garnered one sack for a loss of 11 yards. The Donaldsonville, La. native earned the 2017 United States Marine Corps Excellence in Leadership Award winner and was selected to the 20th Annual FCS Athletics Directors Association Academic All-Star Team.
 
Guice appeared in all 13 games at wide receiver where he caught 26 passes for 357 yards and one touchdown. He averaged 27.5 yards per game and 13.7 yards per catch.
 
Mullins played in the final eight games of the 2017 season on the defensive line. The Mississippi State transfer registered 27 tackles, including 13 solo stops and tallied 8.0 tackles for a loss of 41 yards. He finished with seven sacks for a loss of 23 yards and added three quarterback hurries, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and one pass deflection.
 
Hogues appeared in all 13 games at linebacker where he finished with 57 tackles, including 26 solo stops. He tallied 12.0 tackles for a loss of 60 yards and added three pass deflections, three forced fumbles, two quarterback hurries and one fumble recovery. The Mobile, Ala. native recorded eight sacks, with five coming as solos for a loss of 44 yards. In addition, Hogues was named the Defensive MVP of the 2017 SWAC Championship Game.
 
Williams appeared in 11 games at linebacker as he garnered 49 tackles, including 20 solo stops. He registered 4.5 tackles for a loss of 33 yards and added four sacks for a loss of 28 yards, with one quarterback hurry.
 
Shy played in 12 games at defensive back and registered 13 tackles, including nine solo stops. He tallied four pass deflections with two interceptions and one score.
 
Grambling State opens the 2018 season on Saturday, Sept. 1 in Lafayette, La. against Louisiana. Kickoff from Cajun Field is set for 6 p.m.
 
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