Courtesy of Chris Myers, Fort Valley State Athletics
WACO, Texas – The Wildcats top offensive player added a prestigious award on Monday morning. Fort Valley State’s Emanuel Wilson was honored on the 2022 American Football Coaches Association Division II All-America Second Team.
For the first time in recent years, FVSU (8-2) was able to place one of its players on the AFCA DII All-America teams. The AFCA’s Division II 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 teams are chosen.
Adding another post season honor to his credit, Wilson, one of the nation’s top running backs, lands on the All-America Second Team. The redshirt junior advance recently to the Region 2 finals of the Harlon Hill voting, the NCAA DII’s Player of the Year. Wilson also earned D2CCA All-Region 2 Second Team status a few weeks ago.
Leading the Wildcats offense, the Charlotte, N.C., native helped FVSU to its most successful season in a decade where it finished 8-2, second in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference East Division and narrowly missed a NCAA Division II National Playoff invitation.
The SIAC Player of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year was the first 1,000-yard rusher in 18 seasons for the Wildcats. The All-SIAC First Team back finished with 1,371 yards on 209 carries with 17 rushing touchdowns. He ranked in the NCAA DII top 10 in four different categories of all-purpose yards (6th, 161.0 ypg), rushing yards per game (7th, 137.1 ypg), rushing yards (7th, 1,371 yards) and rushing touchdowns (9th, 17 TDs). The SIAC’s leader by over 34 yards per game on the ground, Wilson led the Conference in scoring (11.4 ppg) to go with being the top in the other rushing categories. He also pulled in 24 passes for 239 yards receiving and two more scores.
The redshirt junior registered his two 200-plus rushing games against two of the three best teams FVSU faced with 262 yards against Tuskegee, which was five yards short of the single game school record, and 221 yards versus Albany State. Even against the SIAC Champion and top seed in the NCAA DII Super Region 2, Wilson carried 20 times for 108 yards against Benedict College. Rounding out his accolades, Wilson was on the 2022 All-SIAC Preseason First Team and 2021 All-SIAC Second Team despite leading the league by over 30 yards per game a year ago.
2022 AFCA Division II Coaches’ All-America – First Team
| First Team-Offense | |||||||
| Pos | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Cl. | School | Coach | Hometown (High School) |
| QB | *Tyson Bagent | 6-3 | 210 | Sr. | Shepherd (W.Va.) | Ernie McCook | Martinsburg, W.Va. (Martinsburg) |
| RB | Jada Byers | 5-7 | 180 | So. | Virginia Union | Alvin Parker | Hammonton, N.J. (St. Joseph’s) |
| RB | *TJ Cole | 6-0 | 185 | Sr. | Ouachita Baptist (Ark.) | Todd Knight | Texarkana, Tex. (Pleasant Grove) |
| WR | Jarod Bowie | 5-9 | 160 | Jr. | Concord (W.Va.) | Dave Walker | Martinsburg, W.Va. (Martinsburg) |
| WR | Marquis Gray | 5-9 | 165 | Jr. | Southeastern Oklahoma St. | Tyler Fenwick | Tyler, Tex. (Lee) |
| TE | Ty Snelson | 6-2 | 250 | Sr. | Mars Hill (N.C.) | Tim Clifton | Hot Springs, N.C. (Madison County) |
| OL | Gottlieb Ayedze | 6-5 | 300 | Jr. | Frostburg St. (Md.) | Eric Wagoner | Germantown, Md. (Northwest) |
| OL | Quinton Barrow | 6-6 | 331 | Sr. | Grand Valley St. (Mich.) | Matt Mitchell | Romulus, Mich. (Romulus) |
| OL | Trase Jeffries | 6-4 | 268 | R-Jr. | Pittsburg St. (Kan.) | Brian Wright | Broken Arrow, Okla. (Broken Arrow) |
| OL | Matt Armendariz | 6-2 | 305 | R-Sr. | Colorado School of Mines | Brandon Moore | Austin, Tex. (Lake Travis) |
| OL | *Brent Laing | 6-4 | 294 | Gr. | Minnesota-Duluth | Curt Wiese | Lakeville, Minn. (North) |
| First Team-Defense | |||||||
| Pos | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Cl. | School | Coach | Hometown (High School) |
| DL | Caleb Murphy | 6-4 | 245 | Sr. | Ferris St. (Mich.) | Tony Annese | Dowagiac, Mich. (Dowagiac) |
| DL | Loobert Denelus | 6-0 | 255 | Jr. | Benedict (S.C.) | Chennis Berry | Naples, Fla. (Naples) |
| DL | Trey Botts | 6-3 | 281 | Sr. | Colorado St.-Pueblo | John Wristen | Aurora, Colo. (Lutheran) |
| DL | Ian Marshall | 6-1 | 270 | Gr. | Northern St. (S.D.) | Mike Schmidt | Springfield, Mo. (Glendale) |
| LB | Daron Allman | 6-1 | 230 | Jr. | Angelo St. (Tex.) | Jeff Girsch | Killeen, Tex. (Shoemaker) |
| LB | Michael Ayers | 6-2 | 220 | Sr. | Ashland (Ohio) | Lee Owens | Columbus, Ohio (Walnut Ridge) |
| LB | Jaylin Parnell | 6-0 | 215 | Sr. | Western Oregon | Arne Ferguson | Medford, Ore. (South Medford) |
| LB | Michael Anderson | 6-0 | 206 | Gr. | West Alabama | Brett Gilliland | Chatom, Ala. (Washington County) |
| DB | Nick Whiteside | 6-1 | 200 | Sr. | Saginaw Valley St. (Mich.) | Ryan Brady | Auburn Hills, Mich. (Avondale) |
| DB | Patrick Rogers | 5-11 | 190 | R-Jr. | Central Washington | Chris Fisk | Tacoma, Wash. (Lincoln) |
| DB | Amos Coleman | 5-11 | 185 | R-Jr. | Texas A&M-Kingsville | Mike Salinas | New Orleans, La. (Alief Elsik) |
| First Team-Special Teams | |||||||
| Pos | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Cl. | School | Coach | Hometown (High School) |
| PK | Nick Herber | 5-7 | 175 | So. | Delta St. (Miss.) | Todd Cooley | Naples, Fla. (Naples) |
| P | Reed Martin | 5-10 | 180 | So. | Edinboro (Pa.) | Jake Nulph | Plum, Pa. (Plum Senior) |
| AP | David Durden | 6-2 | 200 | Sr. | West Florida | Pete Shinnick | Midville, Ga. (Emanuel County Institute) |
*-2021 AFCA All-American
2022 AFCA Division II Coaches’ All-America – Second Team
| Second Team-Offense | |||||||
| Pos | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Cl. | School | Coach | Hometown (High School) |
| QB | *TJ Davis | 6-3 | 180 | R-Sr. | Nebraska-Kearney | Josh Lynn | Colorado Springs, Colo. (Widefield) |
| RB | Emanuel Wilson | 6-1 | 220 | R-Jr. | Fort Valley St. (Ga.) | Shawn Gibbs | Charlotte, N.C. (North Meck) |
| RB | Thuro Reisdorfer | 6-1 | 215 | Gr. | Sioux Falls (S.D.) | Jon Anderson | Sioux Falls, S.D. (Washington) |
| WR | Duane Brown | 6-0 | 190 | R-Sr. | Indiana (Pa.) | Paul Tortorella | Spring Church, Pa. (Apollo-Ridge) |
| WR | Brendan Beaulieu | 6-3 | 215 | Sr. | Bemidji St. (Minn.) | Brent Bolte | Cottage Grove, Minn. (Park) |
| TE | *Kyle Morlock | 6-7 | 245 | So. | Shorter (Ga.) | Zach Morrison | Blairsville, Ga. (Union County) |
| OL | Jacob Long | 6-3 | 322 | R-Fr. | Angelo St. (Tex.) | Jeff Girsch | Waco, Tex. (Midway) |
| OL | Nicolas Melsop | 6-8 | 325 | Gr. | Delta St. (Miss.) | Todd Cooley | Columbus, Ohio (Olentangy Orange) |
| OL | Xavier Cason | 6-6 | 311 | Sr. | Emporia St. (Kan.) | Garin Higgins | Junction City, Kan. (Junction City) |
| OL | *Joey Fisher | 6-5 | 322 | Sr. | Shepherd (W.Va.) | Ernie McCook | Hagerstown, Md. (Clear Spring) |
| OL | Adam Sieler | 6-5 | 336 | Sr. | Ferris St. (Mich.) | Tony Annese | Pinckney, Mich. (Pinckney) |
| Second Team-Defense | |||||||
| Pos | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Cl. | School | Coach | Hometown (High School) |
| DL | Hunter O’Connor | 6-3 | 255 | So. | Chadron St. (Neb.) | Jay Long | Broomfield, Colo. (Legacy) |
| DL | Elijah Green | 5-11 | 263 | Sr. | Northwest Missouri St. | Rich Wright | Maryville, Mo. (Maryville) |
| DL | Andre Jefferson | 6-2 | 275 | So. | Lenoir-Rhyne (N.C.) | Mike Jacobs | Calume Park, Ill. (Richards) |
| DL | Grayson Diepenbrock | 6-2 | 230 | Sr. | Augustana (S.D.) | Jerry Olszewski | Parker, Tex. (Plano East) |
| LB | Maalik Hall | 6-2 | 235 | Sr. | Southeastern Oklahoma St. | Tyler Fenwick | Athens, Tex. (Athens) |
| LB | Abe Swanson | 6-1 | 222 | Jr. | Grand Valley St. (Mich.) | Matt Mitchell | St. Charles, Ill. (East) |
| LB | P.J. Sarwinski | 6-1 | 207 | Gr. | Pittsburg St. (Kan.) | Brian Wright | Galena, Kan. (Galena) |
| LB | Jackson Taylor | 6-1 | 240 | Jr. | West Chester (Pa.) | Bill Zwaan | Glenside, Pa. (Abington) |
| DB | Eli Weber | 6-1 | 205 | Sr. | Augustana (S.D.) | Jerry Olszewski | Dawson, Minn. (Boyd) |
| DB | Knylen Miller-Levi | 6-1 | 170 | Sr. | Minot St. (N.D.) | Mike Aldrich | Las Vegas, Nev. (Canyon Springs) |
| DB | Tre Morrison | 6-2 | 185 | R-Jr. | Wingate (N.C.) | Joe Reich | Moncks Corner, S.C. (Berkeley) |
| Second Team-Special Teams | |||||||
| Pos | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Cl. | School | Coach | Hometown (High School) |
| PK | Devin Bartholomew | 5-8 | 170 | R-Jr. | East Stroudsburg (Pa.) | Jimmy Terwilliger | Schnecksville, Pa. (Parkland) |
| P | Myles Prosser | 6-4 | 195 | Gr. | North Greenville (S.C.) | Jeff Farrington | York, S.C. (Comprehensive) |
| AP | Terrell Ford | 6-0 | 200 | Gr. | New Haven (Conn.) | Chris Pincince | Tonawanda, N.Y. (Kenmore West) |
*-2021 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. In 2006, the AFCA started selecting an NAIA-only team.
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 Division II 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 teams are 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.
