2016 AFCA-NAIA All-America Teams Announced
WACO, TEXAS — Sterling wide receiver TJ Brown and Wayland Baptist linebacker Alden Mann headline the 2016 AFCA-NAIA 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. Beginning this year, the AFCA has started selecting a first and second team. 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.
The Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference Offensive and Special Teams Player of the Year, TJ Brown led the nation in receptions (95), receiving yards (1,585), receiving yards per game (144.1), all-purpose yards (2,535) and all-purpose yards per game (230.5). He also was fifth in the nation in scoring with 138 points. A returning AFCA NAIA All-American, Mann led a Pioneer defense by averaging 17.0 tackles per game, which ranked second in the NAIA. He set school records for most tackles in a career (403), season (136) and game (25).
Selection Process: The AFCA’s NAIA All-America Selection Committee is made up of three 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.
2016 AFCA-NAIA Coaches’ All-America Team - First Team
Offense
| Pos. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Cl. | School | Hometown (High School) |
| QB | Logan Brettell | 6-0 | 190 | Jr. | Baker (Kan.) | Overland Park, Kan. (Blue Valley) |
| RB | *Nolan Saraceni | 5-10 | 200 | Sr. | Montana Tech | Billings, Mont. (Billings Senior) |
| RB | Bryce Lidtka | 5-10 | 190 | Jr. | Dordt (Iowa) | Grinnell, Iowa (Grinnell) |
| WR | *Krishawn Hogan | 6-4 | 215 | Sr. | Marian (Ind.) | Indianapolis, Ind. (Warren Central) |
| WR | TJ Brown | 6-0 | 170 | Sr. | Sterling (Kan.) | Stockton, Calif. (East Union) |
| TE | Seth Coate | 6-3 | 215 | Sr. | Saint Francis (Ind.) | Fort Wayne, Ind. (Homestead) |
| OL | Blake Frank | 6-3 | 285 | Sr. | Morningside (Iowa) | Mapleton, Minn. (Maple River) |
| OL | Mitch Butterfield | 6-1 | 270 | Jr. | Friends (Kan.) | Wichita, Kan. (Maize South) |
| OL | Xavier Carter | 5-11 | 240 | Jr. | Reinhardt (Ga.) | Snellville, Ga. (Shiloh) |
| OL | Justin Hunter | 6-2 | 305 | Jr. | Saint Xavier (Ill.) | Crest Hill, Ill. (Joliet Catholic Academy) |
| OL | Dajshon Oliver | 6-5 | 305 | Jr. | Warner (Fla.) | Tampa, Fla. (Chamberlain) |
Defense
| Pos. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Cl. | School | Hometown (High School) |
| DL | *Sam Van Ginkel | 6-5 | 245 | Sr. | Northwestern (Iowa) | Rock Valley, Iowa (Western Christian) |
| DL | Trey Barnes | 6-2 | 255 | Sr. | Concordia (Neb.) | Seward, Neb. (Seward) |
| DL | Noey Tauave | 6-2 | 270 | Sr. | Dickinson State (N.D.) | Sacramento, Calif. (Nuvnli Poly Tech) |
| DL | Jeff Branch | 6-2 | 236 | Sr. | Presentation (S.D.) | Virginia Beach, Va. (Landstown) |
| DL | Evan Sprayberry | 6-2 | 210 | So. | Tabor (Kan.) | Moore, Okla. (Moore) |
| LB | *Alden Mann | 5-10 | 200 | Sr. | Wayland Baptist (Texas) | Wimberley, Texas (Wimberley) |
| LB | Stephen Thayer | 5-9 | 202 | Sr. | Missouri Valley | Manteca, Calif. (Sierra) |
| LB | KyRandall Smith | 6-0 | 227 | Sr. | Saint Mary (Kan.) | Amarillo, Texas (Little Elm) |
| DB | *Nate Moore | 5-9 | 170 | Sr. | College of Idaho | Meridian, Idaho (Mountain View) |
| DB | Rickey Rodriguez | 5-10 | 175 | Sr. | Bethel (Kan.) | Port St. Lucy, Fla. (West Centennial) |
| DB | Robert Lewis | 6-0 | 180 | Sr. | Grand View (Iowa) | Hewitt, Texas (Midway) |
Specialists
| Pos. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Cl. | School | Hometown (High School) |
| P | Derek Brush | 6-2 | 200 | Jr. | Arizona Christian | Whittier, Calif. (Whittier Christian) |
| PK | Bradley Bates | 5-10 | 165 | Jr. | Campbellsville (Ky.) | Campbellsville, Ky. (Campbellsville) |
| AP | Quincy Walden | 5-7 | 170 | Sr. | Bethel (Tenn.) | Milan, Tenn. (South Gibson) |
*-2015 AFCA-NAIA All-American
2016 AFCA-NAIA Coaches’ All-America Team - Second Team
Offense
| Pos. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Cl. | School | Hometown (High School) |
| QB | Cedrick Phillips | 5-11 | 185 | So. | Sterling (Kan.) | Stockton, Calif. (Edison) |
| RB | Nate Meier | 6-0 | 205 | Sr. | Doane (Neb.) | Pierce, Neb. (Pierce) |
| RB | Korey Rogers | 5-6 | 160 | Sr. | Robert Morris (Ill.) | Chicago, Ill. (Joliet West) |
| WR | Tyus Alcorn | 6-2 | 190 | Sr. | Campbellsville (Ky.) | Lexington, Ky. (West Jessamine) |
| WR | Matt Retzlaff | 5-10 | 190 | R-Sr. | Southern Oregon | Medford, Ore. (South Medford) |
| WR | Austin Opdahl | 6-1 | 185 | Jr. | Dakota State (S.D.) | Madison, S.D. (Chester Area) |
| OL | Zach Reeves | 6-3 | 244 | Sr. | Doane (Neb.) | Central City, Neb. (Central City) |
| OL | Keegan Bruner | 6-1 | 310 | Sr. | Saint Francis (Ind.) | Warsaw, Ind. (Warsaw) |
| OL | Lars Lind | 6-1 | 220 | Sr. | Sterling (Kan.) | Golden, Colo. (Golden) |
| OL | Logan Glaze | 6-6 | 285 | Jr. | Marian (Ind.) | Leo, Ind. (Leo) |
| OL | Spencer Baalman | 6-5 | 300 | Jr. | Tabor (Kan.) | Wichita, Kan. (Maize) |
Defense
| Pos. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Cl. | School | Hometown (High School) |
| DL | Brady Mudder | 6-3 | 240 | Sr. | Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) | Garretson, S.D. (Garretson) |
| DL | Dillon Dittemore | 6-4 | 240 | Sr. | Marian (Ind.) | Lebanon, Ind. (Lebanon) |
| DL | Lucas Sparks | 6-1 | 239 | Sr. | Saint Francis (Ind.) | Springfield, Ohio (Shawnee) |
| DL | Josh Kock | 6-0 | 260 | Jr. | Baker (Kan.) | Concordia, Mo. (Concordia) |
| DL | Luke Gibbs | 6-3 | 245 | Jr. | Morningside (Iowa) | Maxwell, Iowa (Ankeny) |
| LB | *Aaron Cooper | 6-4 | 231 | Sr. | Kentucky Christian | Mayfield, Ky. (Graves County) |
| LB | Nathan Jernigan | 6-0 | 202 | R-Sr. | Cumberland (Tenn.) | Eagleville, Tenn. (Eagleville) |
| LB | Nicholas McBeain | 6-1 | 240 | Sr. | Valley City St. (N.D.) | Shakopee, Minn. (Shakopee) |
| DB | Darrain Winston | 5-10 | 205 | Sr. | Baker (Kan.) | Midwest City, Okla. (Carl Albert) |
| DB | Gunnar Kayser | 6-4 | 220 | Sr. | Montana Tech | Colbert, Wash. (Mead) |
| DB | Cain Boschee | 6-3 | 185 | So. | Dickinson State (N.D.) | Kalispell, Mont. (Glacier) |
Specialists
| Pos. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Cl. | School | Hometown (High School) |
| P | Will Anderson | 6-1 | 190 | Sr. | St. Ambrose (Iowa) | Glen Ellyn, Ill. (Glenbard South) |
| PK | *Clarence Clark | 5-10 | 185 | Jr. | Baker (Kan.) | Phoenix, Ariz. (Brophy Prep) |
| AP | Cornell Brown | 5-9 | 180 | Jr. | Baker (Kan.) | Baldwin City, Kan. (Baldwin) |
*-2015 AFCA All-American
