BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Seven Patriot League football student-athletes were selected as 2023 Stats Perform FCS Preseason All-Americans when it was announced.
Holy Cross senior quarterback Matthew Sluka and fifth-year linebacker Jacob Dobbs, the 2023 Patriot League Preseason Football Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year, respectively, and Crusaders' senior offensive lineman Luke Newman were named to the Stats Perform FCS Preseason All-America First Team.
Crusaders' senior wide receiver Jalen Coker and senior defensive back Devin Haskins earned a spot on the second team. Fordham graduate student wide receiver MJ Wright and junior linebacker James Conway received third-team accolades.
All 15 FCS conferences, which combine on 13 FCS leagues, and 52 schools are represented among the 107 All-Americans.
Five Crusaders Earn Stats Perform Preseason All-America Honors
Sluka, the Patriot League's Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, is a two-time All-Patriot League selection. In 2022, he earned first-team accolades and was a finalist for the Walter Payton Award, presented to the FCS offensive player of the year. He led the conference in rushing yards last season, with 1,234 yards — the most of any FCS quarterback — and 11 touchdowns on the ground. Newman returns for the Crusaders after earning All-America honors in 2022. Newman started in all 13 contests for one of the best offensive lines in the nation; throughout 2022, Holy Cross averaged 37.38 points per contest and 449.4 yards of total offense a game. Dobbs is a three-time All-Patriot League honoree and has been captain since 2020. In 34 career games, Dobbs has totaled 309 tackles, including 34.5 tackles for a loss of 141 yards and 16.5 sacks. Coker earned All-Patriot League first-team honors in 2022, leading the team with 11 touchdown receptions and 912 receiving yards. Haskins earned Walter Camp FCS All-America and AFCA All-America honors. He started all 13 games last year for the Crusaders, totaling 47 tackles, four interceptions, 12 pass breakups and a fumble recovery. He blocked a punt in four consecutive games, leading the nation, setting a Patriot League record in that category, and returning two punts for touchdowns.
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MJ Wright and James Conway Named Preseason All-Americans
Wright earned Second-Team All-Patriot League honors after starting all 12 games at wide receiver in 2022. He finished with 62 receptions for 1,156 yards and 11 touchdowns, becoming the seventh Rams receiver to eclipse 1,000 receiving yards in a season. As a sophomore, Conway started all 12 games at linebacker, leading the team with 127 total tackles, 11.0 TFLs and 3.0 sacks to earn First Team All-Patriot League honors.
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The Patriot League is in its fourth decade of academic and athletic achievement, continually demonstrating that student-athletes can excel at both academics and athletics without sacrificing high standards. The Patriot League’s athletic success is achieved while its member institutions remain committed to its founding principle of admitting and graduating student-athletes that are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education.