CAA Football Has 18 Players Recognized On Associated Press FCS All-America Team

CAA Football Has 18 Players Recognized On Associated Press FCS All-America Team

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Rob Washburn

Associated Press FCS All-America Team

RICHMOND, Va. (December 17, 2024) – The Associated Press announced its 2024 FCS All-America teams on Monday and 18 players from CAA Football were recognized.

Receiving first-team All-America accolades were William & Mary senior offensive lineman Charles Grant, Richmond senior defensive lineman Jeremiah Grant, New Hampshire senior defensive lineman Josiah Silver, Rhode Island junior linebacker AJ Pena, William & Mary junior defensive back Jalen Jones and Elon junior punter Jeff Yurk.

Selected as second-team All-Americans were Stony Brook senior running back Roland Dempster, Towson senior tight end Carter Runyon, Bryant senior wide receiver Landon Ruggieri, Elon senior kick returner/wide receiver Chandler Brayboy and Richmond senior defensive back Jabril Hayes.

Earning honorable mention were Monmouth senior quarterback Derek Robertson, Rhode Island graduate running back Malik Grant, Richmond graduate offensive lineman Tom Elia, Monmouth graduate running back Sone Ntoh, Villanova graduate linebacker Brendan Bell, UAlbany senior linebacker Dontae Lunan and Villanova graduate defensive back Isas Waxter.

Charles Grant allowed just one sack in 368 pass blocking snaps and cleared the way for W&M’s rushing attack that ranked fourth nationally. Jeremiah Grant led the nation with 13.5 sacks and contributed 53 tackles, 19.5 TFL’s and 8 QB hurries. Silver made 58 stops and was among the best in FCS with 11.5 sacks and 17.5 TFL’s. Pena contributed 82 tackles and ranked among the top 10 in FCS with a CAA-best 22.5 TFL’s and 12.5 sacks. Jones led the nation with 20 pass breakups and 22 passes defended, while adding 48 tackles and two interceptions. Yurk topped FCS in punting with 47.9-yard average, which included 26 punts of 50+ yards and 19 kicks downed inside the 20.

Dempster was sixth in the FCS with 1,332 rushing yards and ranked 3rd in FCS with 18 rushing touchdowns. Runyon led all CAA tight ends with 45 receptions for 502 yards and 5 TD’s. Ruggieri made 69 catches for 1,096 yards and topped the nation with 15 TD grabs. Brayboy ranked second nationally in kickoff returns (35.3 avg) and also had 59 receptions for 979 yards and 8 TD’s. Hayes led the CAA with five interceptions and contributed 64 tackles.

Robertson completed 283-of-435 passes and set program records with 3,937 yards and 31 TD’s. Grant rushed for a conference-high 1,426 yards and tied a program record with 13 TD’s. Elia helped Richmond pile up over 380 yards and 27.2 points per game offensively. Ntoh topped FCS with 25 rushing TD’s while totaling 487 yards on the ground. Bell recorded a team-high 126 tackles and added 16.0 TFL’s and three fumble recoveries. Lunan led the CAA with 131 tackles and tallied 12.0 TFL’s and two interceptions. Waxter had 33 tackles, 2.0 TFL’s and three forced fumbles.