Arizona Christian’s Jon Cole and Olivet Nazarene’s Jason Freeman Headline the 2021 AFCA NAIA Coaches’ All-America Teams

Arizona Christian wide receiver Jon Cole and Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) linebacker Jason Freeman headline the 2021 AFCA NAIA Coaches’ All-America Teams announced today by the American Football Coaches Association.

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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.

Cole, a two-time AFCA All-American, led the nation in receiving yards per game, averaging 135.4 yards. He caught 81 passes with 12 touchdown receptions and a long of 97 yards. Those 81 catches are a new school record. Another two-time AFCA All-American, Freeman led the nation in total tackles with 160 and tackles per game at 16.0. He had 66 solo tackles, two quarterback sacks, 15 tackles for loss and three interceptions. Freeman was also named Mid-States Football Association Midwest Division Defensive Player of the Year.

2021 AFCA NAIA Coaches’ All-America Team – First Team

Offense

Defense

Specialists

*-2021 Spring AFCA All-American

#-2019-21 Spring AFCA All-American

2021 AFCA NAIA Coaches’ All-America Team – Second Team

Offense

Defense

Specialists

*-2021 Spring AFCA All-American

#-2019-21 Spring AFCA All-American

$-2018-19-21 Spring AFCA All-American

Team Background: 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 — FBS and FCS. In 1996, the College I and College II teams were renamed Division II and Division III, respectively.

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. In 2016, the AFCA added a second team All-America.

Selection Process: The AFCA’s NAIA All-America Selection Committee is made up of two head coaches from each of the AFCA’s seven districts, one of whom serves as a district chairman, along with another head coach who serves as the chairman of the selection committee. The coaches in each district are responsible for ranking the top players in their respective districts prior to a conference call between the district chairmen and the committee chairman on which the team is chosen.

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.

AFCA NAIA Player Selection History: NAIA players who were selected to AFCA All-America teams were named to the AFCA College Division team from 1967-71. In 1972, the AFCA College Division was split to College I and College II. Players from NAIA Division I teams were placed in AFCA College I, while players from NAIA Division II were placed in AFCA College II. That process lasted until 1996, when College I and College II were renamed Division II and Division III. From 1996-2005, all NAIA players who were selected as AFCA All-Americans were placed on the AFCA Division II team. In 2006, the AFCA started selecting an NAIA-only team.

Top Teams: Morningside has been represented a total of 31 times with 29 different players on AFCA Coaches’ All-America Teams to lead all schools in NAIA. In second is Carroll (Mont.), which has had 21 different players selected as All-Americans on 23 different occasions. Trailing Morningside and Carroll (Mont.) are: Georgetown (Ky.) (23/18), Grand View (19/17), Saint Francis (Ind.) (17/16), Northwestern (Iowa) (17/14), Baker (17/13), Marian (15/14), Saint Xavier (14/13), Benedictine (Kan.) (13/11), Dickinson State (13/11), Southern Oregon (11/11), Kansas Wesleyan (11/8), Missouri Valley (11/8), St. Ambrose (10/10), Bethel (Tenn.) (10/8), Eastern Oregon (9/9), Montana Tech (9/7), Southwestern (Kan.) (9/7), Arizona Christian (9/6), Reinhardt (9/6), Friends (8/7), Olivet Nazarene (8/7), St. Francis (Ill.) (8/7), Lindsey Wilson (8/6), Dakota Wesleyan (7/7), Sterling (7/7), Bethel (Kan.) (7/6), Dakota State (7/6), Doane (7/6), MidAmerica Nazarene (7/6), College of Idaho (7/5), Keiser (7/5), Ottawa (Kan.) (7/5) and Tabor (7/5).

First Time’s A Charm: Missouri Baptist defensive back Jaylen Cowley and St. Thomas (Fla.) defensive back Sidney Porter earned honors for their schools for the first time in AFCA NAIA Coaches’ All-America Team history.

Consecutive Years: Morningside has had at least one player named to the AFCA NAIA Coaches’ All-America Team for 16 straight seasons, from 2006 to present, the longest streak by any team in the NAIA. Following Morningside is Carroll (Mont.) with 11 straight selections from 2005 to 2015. Marian is third on the list with nine straight AFCA All-Americans from 2011 to 2019.

Five Time: Morningside joined Baker as the only schools to have five AFCA All-Americans named in one season. Morningside achieved the feat in 2017 with Caden McDonald (LB-first team), Bubba Jenkins (RB-second team), Connor Niles (WR-second team), Trae Bradburn (OL-second team) and Spencer Wyant (P-second team). Baker earned its five selections in 2016 with Logan Brettell (QB-first team), Clarence Clark (PK-second team), Josh Kock (DL-second team), Darrain Winston (DB-second team) and Cornell Brown (AP-second team).

Four-peat: Ottawa’s (Ariz.) Dustin Rivera is the only NAIA player to earn AFCA All-America honors in four consecutive years. Rivera was a first team offensive line selection in 2018 and spring 2021, and a second team selection in 2019 and fall 2021. His first three All-America honors came at Southwestern (Kan.).

Three-peat: Baker’s JD Woods, Culver-Stockton’s Andrew Rupcich and Keiser’s Sage Chen-Young join Ottawa’s (Ariz.) Austin Bohn and College of Idaho’s Nate Moore as the only NAIA student-athletes who have earned three straight AFCA All-America honors. Woods was a second team selection at running back in 2019, then earned first team honors in the spring and fall of 2021. Rupcich earned first team honors at offensive line in 2019 and spring and fall of 2021 while Chen-Young was a second team selection at defensive back those same years. Bohn was a second team punter in 2018 and 2019 and earned first team honors in spring 2021. Moore was a first team selection at defensive back in 2015 and 2016, and a second team selection in 2017.

Repeat After Me: Wide receiver Jon Cole of Arizona Christian, offensive lineman Keegan Martin of Bethel (Kan.), center Matt Dey of Dickinson State, offensive lineman Alex Huisman of Dordt, defensive lineman Jacob Garcia of Ottawa (Kan.), linebacker Jason Freeman of Olivet Nazarene, linebacker Lane Napier of Concordia (Neb.), linebacker DJ White of Georgetown (Ky.), quarterback Cameron Dukes of Lindsey Wilson, wide receiver Reid Jurgensmeier of Morningside, offensive lineman Kel Lee McPeck of Arizona Christian, defensive lineman Teon Burroughs of Reinhardt, defensive lineman Marcus Omosule of Georgetown (Ky.) and defensive back Noah Van’t Hof of Northwestern (Iowa) earned AFCA NAIA Coaches’ All-America honors for the second consecutive season in fall 2021.

Class Distinction: This year’s AFCA NAIA Coaches’ All-America Team is made up of 31 seniors, 12 juniors, six sophomores and one freshman.

One Player, Two Positions: Grand View’s Dallis Flowers joins Bethel’s (Tenn.) Stoney Burns and Baker’s Clarence Clark as the only players in AFCA All-America Team history at any level to repeat as AFCA All-Americans at two different positions. Flowers earned second team All-America honors at defensive back in 2019, then was named second team all-purpose in spring 2021. Burns was named to the 2013 squad as a defensive back, then earned 2014 honors at all-purpose. Clark was named to the 2015 squad as a receiver, then earned 2016 honors as a place-kicker.

One Player, Two Schools: Offensive lineman Dustin Rivera joins punter Mark Bounds and placekicker Greg Zuerlein as the only players to earn AFCA Coaches’ All-America honors at two different schools. Rivera was a three-time AFCA NAIA All-America at Southwestern (Kan.) from 2018 to spring 2021, then earned All-America honors in fall of 2021 at Ottawa (Ariz.). Bounds 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 I-A All-America honors as a Red Raider in 1991. Zuerlein was named to the Division II Coaches’ All-America Team in 2009 while playing for Nebraska-Omaha. He transferred to Missouri Western State after Nebraska-Omaha dropped its football program and earned Division II honors in 2011 as a Griffon.