University of Richmond Athletics
Football Gets Five Preseason All-Americans
Aug. 27, 2008
UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND - The consensus Top-10-ranked Richmond Football team can boast five Preseason All-America selections - including a consensus pick in junior OL Matthew McCracken - from the major publications covering the FCS. Seniors Tim Silver, Sherman Logan and Lawrence Sidbury, Jr., along with sophomore Justin Rogers, also earned mention.
No. 4 Richmond opens its 2008 season Saturday at No. 15 Elon in a marquee, Top-25 showdown at 7 p.m. ET. Richmond returns 16 starters off last season's squad that enjoyed unprecedented success.
The Spiders won a school-record 11 games, reached the NCAA Semifinals for the first time in school history and captured the CAA title.
Count McCracken, Sidbury and Rogers among the leading returnees, but first-year head coach Mike London also has the services of a pair of sixth-year seniors in Logan and Silver, who both missed significant time last year with injuries and earned an additional year of eligibility from the NCAA.
McCracken was a consensus Preseason All-America pick, earning a First Team spot from Phil Steele, a Second Team selection from the Sports Network and was a Third Teamer on the College Sporting News squad.
Also on the O-Line, Silver was on the Third Team for both the Sports Network and College Sporting News.
Richmond's defensive end tandem could be considered among the best in the nation with Logan earning Third Team honors from the Sports Network and Sidbury on Phil Steele's Second Team.
Rogers was one of the NCAA's premier kick returners in 2007 and he returns in 2008 as a Second Team Preseason All-America from both the Sports Network and Phil Steele.
As a whole, CAA Football boasted a total of 31 All-America selections over the three squads.
Richmond's Preseason All-America honorees:
Sports Network
Second Team
Matt McCracken, OL
Justin Rogers, KR
Third Team
Tim Silver, OL
Sherman Logan, DL
College Sporting News
Third Team
Matt McCracken, OL
Tim Silver, OL
Phil Steele
First Team
Matt McCracken, OL
Second Team
Lawrence Sidbury, Jr., DL
Justin Rogers, KR