The offensive fireworks in the FCS were impressive enough last year, but the 2017 season could get turn even brighter and louder.
 
Redshirt-senior Bulldog All-American and All-MEAC linebacker Darius Leonard, was honored among his peers,  as being one of the top defensive players in the nation being named to the 2017 STATS FCS Preseason All-America First Team.
 
Leonard was recently named the MEAC Preseason's Defensive Player of the Year for the second straight season and was one of five Bulldogs earning All-MEAC First Team honors. It was the third such honor for the Lake View native.

Leonard (6-3, 235), the 2016 MEAC Defensive Player of the Year lived up to expectations last season, finishing with a MEAC-leading and career-high 124 tackles, including 14.5 tackles for loss and four (4) forced fumbles. He collected a season-high 19 tackles in a loss against FBS National Champion Clemson last September.
 
Also last season, Leonard was named a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award, given to the top defensive player in the FCS and was well-recognized on the postseason awards circuit, earning All-American honors from STATS FCS, AFCA Coaches, Sheridan Broadcasting Network (SBN), Box-to-row, and HERO Sports.

In addition, Leonard was named the Mel Blount National Defensive Player of the Year as selected by SBN, Box-to-row National Defensive Player of the Year, and become the fourth straight Bulldog player to win the MEAC Defensive Player of the Year accolades.

During this year's preseason, he was previously selected as the MEAC Defensive Player to Watch by Athlon Sports in May and had been named a finalist for this year's Butkus Award, honoring the nation's best linebacker. In addition to all of his accolades Leonard needs just three more tackles to become the All-Time Leading Tackler in school history. 
 
2017 STATS FCS PRESEASON ALL-AMERICA TEAM
FIRST TEAM
OFFENSE
QB – Jeremiah Briscoe, senior, 6-3, 220, Sam Houston State
RB – Chase Edmonds, senior, 5-9, 210, Fordham
RB – Elijah Ibitokun-Hanks, junior, 5-9, 199, Albany
FB – Joe Protheroe, senior, 6-0, 225, Cal Poly
WR – Justin Watson, senior, 6-3, 210, Penn                 
WR – Jake Wieneke, senior, 6-4, 215, South Dakota State
TE – Dallas Goedert, senior, 6-5, 250, South Dakota State
OL – Justin Lea, senior, 6-4, 290, Jacksonville State
OL – Jacob Ohnesorge, senior, 6-3, 285, South Dakota State
OL – Brandon Parker, senior, 6-7, 299, North Carolina A&T
OL – Timon Parris, senior, 6-5, 310, Stony Brook
OL – Aaron Stinnie, senior, 6-5, 290, James Madison

DEFENSE
DL – Pat Afriyie, senior, 6-2, 235, Colgate
DL – Anthony Ellis, senior, 6-1, 245, Charleston Southern
DL – P.J. Hall, senior, 6-1, 280, Sam Houston State
DL – Darius Jackson, senior, 6-3, 237, Jacksonville State
LB – Nick DeLuca, senior, 6-3, 248, North Dakota State
LB – Darius Leonard, r-senior, 6-3, 235, South Carolina State
LB – Christian Rozeboom, sophomore, 6-2, 220, South Dakota State
LB – Brett Taylor, senior, 6-2, 230, Western Illinois
DB – Mike Basile, senior, 6-1, 200, Monmouth
DB – Marlon Bridges, sophomore, 6-1, 210, Jacksonville State
DB – Cole Reyes, senior, 6-2, 215, North Dakota
DB – Rob Rolle, senior, 6-0, 190, Villanova

SPECIAL TEAMS
PK – Lane Clark, senior, 5-11, 170, Tennessee State
P – Ian Berryman, junior, 6-0, 205, Western Carolina
LS – James Fisher, senior, 6-2, 216, North Dakota State
KR – John Santiago, junior, 5-9, 180, North Dakota
PR – Khris Gardin, senior, 5-7, 165, North Carolina A&T
AP – John Lovett, senior, 6-3, 225, Princeton
 
SECOND TEAM
OFFENSE
QB – Gage Gubrud, junior, 6-2, 195, Eastern Washington
RB – Corey Avery, senior, 5-10, 190, Sam Houston State
RB – Detrez Newsome, senior, 5-10, 210, Western Carolina
FB – Anthony Manzo-Lewis, senior, 6-2, 245, Albany
WR – Emmanuel Butler, senior, 6-3, 210, Northern Arizona
WR – Kamron Lewis, junior, 6-4, 195, Saint Francis
WR – Troy Pelletier, senior, 6-3, 205, Lehigh
TE – Andrew Vollert, senior, 6-5, 245, Weber State
OL – Daniel Cooney, junior, 6-8, 315, San Diego
OL – Ben Huss, senior, 6-2, 307, Duquesne
OL – Jacob Judd, senior, 6-3, 300, Western Illinois
OL – Stockton Mallet, senior, 6-3, 307, Central Arkansas
OL – Skyler Phillips, senior, 6-2, 322, Idaho State

DEFENSE
DL – Andrew Ankrah, senior, 6-4, 234, James Madison
DL – Miles Brown, junior, 6-1, 310, Wofford
DL – Kurt Holuba, senior, 6-4, 270, Princeton
DL – Greg Menard, senior, 6-2, 239, North Dakota State
DL – Ebenezer Ogundeko, senior, 6-3, 255, Tennessee State
LB – Solomon Brown, junior, 6-1, 220, Charleston Southern
LB – Garrett Dolan, senior, 6-2, 240, Houston Baptist
LB – Jared Farley, senior, 5-11, 221, Northern Iowa
LB – Shaheed Salmon, senior, 6-1, 226, Samford
DB – Tre Dempsey, senior, 5-10, 179, North Dakota State
DB – Kahlid Hagens, senior, 6-3, 200, UT Martin
DB – Davontae Harris, senior, 6-0, 200, Illinois State
DB – Tremon Smith, senior, 6-0, 186, Central Arkansas
DB – Kailik Williams, senior, 5-11, 185, The Citadel

SPECIAL TEAMS
PK – Griffin Trau, junior, 5-8, 180, Richmond
P – Keith Wrzuszczak, senior, 5-11, 202, Eastern Kentucky
LS – Hunter Winstead, senior, 6-0, 240, Liberty
KR – Shane Simpson, sophomore, 5-9, 185, Towson
PR – Londell Lee, senior, 6-2, 210, UT Martin
AP – Harold Cooper, senior, 5-9, 183, Rhode Island
 
TTHIRD TEAM
OFFENSE
QB – Taryn Christion, junior, 6-2, 215, South Dakota State
QB – Devlin Hodges, junior, 6-1, 213, Samford
RB – Dom Bragalone, junior, 5-11, 215, Lehigh
RB – Anthony Philyaw, senior, 6-1, 205, Howard
RB – Deontez Thompson, sophomore, 6-0, 200, Richmond
FB – Kane Louscher, senior, 6-2, 245, South Dakota State
WR – Yedidiah Louis, senior, 5-8, 187, Sam Houston State
WR – Patrick Smith, senior, 6-0, 190, Tennessee State
TE – Jonathan Kloosterman, senior, 6-3, 245, James Madison
OL – Frank Cirone, senior, 6-3, 280, Charleston Southern
OL – Jamil Demby, senior, 6-5, 310, Maine
OL – Chris Durant, senior, 6-4, 310, William & Mary
OL – Justin Spencer, senior, 6-5, 305, Youngstown State
OL – Tyler Tezeno, senior, 6-4, 317, Sam Houston State

DEFENSE
DL – Abdullah Anderson, senior, 6-4, 295, Bucknell
DL – Keontre Anderson, senior, 6-3, 240, Jackson State
DL – Jonathan Petersen, senior, 6-1, 230, San Diego
DL – Jay-Tee Tiuli, senior, 6-4, 315, Eastern Washington
DL – Juwan Wells, junior, 6-2, 255, Liberty
LB – Mac Bignell, senior, 6-1, 205, Montana State
LB – George Odum, senior, 6-2, 190, Central Arkansas
LB – Chad Meredith, senior, 6-4, 244, Southeast Missouri
LB – Dale Warren, junior, 6-0, 215, Chattanooga
DB – Raven Greene, senior, 6-0, 200, James Madison
DB – Robbie Grimsley, junior, 6-0, 183, North Dakota State
DB – Danny Johnson, senior, 5-10, 195, Southern
DB – Taron Johnson, senior, 6-0, 180, Weber State
DB – Omari Williams, senior, 6-1, 190, Samford

SPECIAL TEAMS
PK – Alex Probert, sophomore, 5-9, 170, Liberty
P – Jacob DeMaio, senior, 6-5, 205, Weber State
LS – Danny Garza, senior, 6-0, 230, Houston Baptist
KR – Deion Holliman, senior, 5-9, 188, Missouri State
PR – Terry Wallen, senior, 5-11, 182, Drake
AP – Justice Shelton-Mosley, junior, 5-10, 195, Harvard