Bryce Van Beek was named to the 2018 American Football Coaches Association / NAIA All-American team announced by the national office Tuesday.
The AFCA has selected an All-America team since 1945 and currently selects teams in all five of its divisions. What makes these teams so special is that they are the only ones chosen exclusively by the men who know the players the best — the coaches themselves.
Van Beek, a two-time all-conference selection as one of the anchors of the Red Raider secondary, ranked second in the NAIA with 10 interceptions this season. The senior broke up 19 passes, 10th most in the NAIA, and ranked third on the team with 60 total stops. Van Beek closed his career with 17 interceptions, tied for seventh most all-time in program history.
Selection Process: The AFCA’s NAIA 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 team is chosen.
2018 AFCA NAIA Coaches’ All-America Team – First Team
Offense
Pos. Name Ht. Wt. Cl. School Coach Hometown (High School)
QB Trent Solsma 6-0 215 Sr. Morningside (Iowa) Steve Ryan Dakota Dunes, S.D. (Bishop Heelan Catholic)
RB Joe Conner 6-0 215 Jr. Concordia (Mich.) Joshua Schumacher Flat Rock, Mich. (Flat Rock)
RB Demarco Prewitt 5-10 204 Jr. Kansas Wesleyan Matt Drinkall Menifee, Calif. (Paloma Valley)
WR Darrion Dillard 6-4 205 Sr. Ottawa (Kan.) Kent Kessinger St. Louis, Mo. (McCluer)
WR Brenden Kelly 6-2 205 R-Sr. Eastern Oregon Tim Camp Kennewick, Wash. (Southridge)
TE Brandon Dillon 6-5 250 Sr. Marian (Ind.) Mark Henninger Bringhurst, Ind. (Carroll)
OL *Garrett Bader 6-5 293 Sr. Benedictine (Kan.) Larry Wilcox Aurora, Mo. (Aurora)
OL Anthony Vereen 6-4 290 Sr. Jamestown (N.D.) Josh Kittell Las Vegas, Nev. (Mojave)
OL Shabari Jones 6-2 300 Sr. Avila (Mo.) Marc Benavidez Leesburg, Ga. (Lee County)
OL Dustin Rivera 5-11 250 Jr. Southwestern (Kan.) Brad Griffin Buckeye, Ariz. (Buckeye)
OL Trevor Wietzema 6-2 290 Sr. Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) Ross Cimpl Worthington, Minn. (Worthington)
Defense
Pos. Name Ht. Wt. Cl. School Coach Hometown (High School)
DL *Curt Boeke 6-5 265 Sr. Dakota State (S.D.) Josh Anderson Clear Lake, S.D. (Deuel)
DL Kenneth Steele, Jr. 6-0 212 Sr. Ottawa (Ariz.) Mike Nesbitt Tampa, Fla. (Tolleson)
DL JT Graydon 6-0 215 R-So. Reinhardt (Ga.) James Miller Tifton, Ga. (Tift County)
DL Andreas Moeller 6-1 245 Jr. Evangel (Mo.) Chuck Hepola Hebo, Ore. (Nestucca)
LB Jason Ferris 6-3 215 R-Jr. Montana Western Ryan Nourse Dillon, Mont. (Beaverhead County)
LB Damarcus Wimbush 5-10 211 R-So. Bluefield (Va.) Dewey Lusk Danville, Va. (Tunstall)
LB Caleb Coe 6-1 210 Sr. Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) Eric Hehman Cedarville, Ohio (Cedarville)
DB Nicholas Holmes 5-11 207 So. St. Mary (Kan.) Jay Osborne Lansing, Kan. (Pleasant Ridge)
DB Anthony Murray 5-8 170 Sr. Hastings (Neb.) Tony Harper Aurora, Colo. (Cherokee Trail)
DB Jay Liggins 6-2 200 Sr. Dickinson St. (N.D.) Pete Stanton Bismarck, N.D. (Bismarck)
DB Wilmer Cole 6-1 194 Sr. Saint Francis (Ind.) Kevin Donley Indianapolis, Ind. (Warren Central)
Specialists
Pos. Name Ht. Wt. Cl. School Coach Hometown (High School)
P Drake Higgins 6-2 257 Jr. Missouri Valley Paul Troth Lathrop, Mo. (Lathrop)
PK Marcus Montano 6-1 205 Sr. Southern Oregon Charlie Hall Manteca, Calif. (Manteca)
AP J’Kobi Reddick 5-8 183 So. Bethel (Tenn.) Brent Dearmon Tampa, Fla. (Cambridge Christian)
*-2017 AFCA All-American
2018 AFCA NAIA Coaches’ All-America Team – Second Team
Offense
Pos. Name Ht. Wt. Cl. School Coach Hometown (High School)
QB Jaylen Lowe 6-0 200 Sr. Langston (Okla.) Quinton Morgan Collinsville, Okla. (Owasso)
RB Milton Shelton 5-10 190 Jr. Cumberlands (Ky.) Matt Rhymer Roswell, Ga. (Blessed Trinity Catholic)
RB Drevion Cooper 5-7 170 Sr. Tabor (Kan.) Mike Gardner Coldspring, Texas (Oakhurst)
WR Aaron Jackson 6-2 187 Sr. Benedictine (Kan.) Larry Wilcox Frankfort, Ky. (Frankfort)
WR *Connor Niles 5-11 195 Sr. Morningside (Iowa) Steve Ryan Sioux City, Iowa (Bishop Heelan Catholic)
TE Devante Jimenez 6-5 277 Sr. Bethel (Tenn.) Brent Dearmon Pulaski, Tenn. (Giles County)
OL Tre Coney 6-1 275 Jr. Reinhardt (Ga.) James Miller Dublin, Ga. (Dublin)
OL Mick Wilson 6-5 285 R-Sr. Eastern Oregon Tim Camp Council, Idaho (Council)
OL Jordan Heldreth 6-5 310 Sr. Southeastern (Fla.) Keith Barefield Port Orange, Fla. (Warner Christian)
OL Jarin Bush 6-4 295 Sr. Marian (Ind.) Mark Henninger Flora, Ind. (Carroll)
OL D.J. Loving 6-2 280 Sr. Grand View (Iowa) Mike Woodley St. Louis, Mo. (East St. Louis)
Defense
Pos. Name Ht. Wt. Cl. School Coach Hometown (High School)
DL Mike Mitchell 6-4 270 Sr. Southeastern (Fla.) Keith Barefield Plano, Texas (Prestonwood Christian)
DL Shaq Bradford 5-10 219 Jr. Kansas Wesleyan Matt Drinkall San Diego, Calif. (Hoover)
DL Dmitri Joe 6-3 285 Sr. St. Xavier (Ill.) Mike Feminis La Grange Park, Ill. (Nazareth Academy)
DL Ryder Rice 6-6 220 Jr. Rocky Mountain (Mont.) Jason Petrino Savage, Mont. (Savage)
LB Ben Slavens 5-10 215 Jr. Grand View (Iowa) Mike Woodley Bettendorf, Iowa (Pleasant Valley)
LB *Trent Mueller 6-0 225 Gr. Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) Chris Oliver Nashville, Tenn. (Christian)
LB Eric Dunten 6-2 220 Sr. Saint Francis (Ind.) Kevin Donley Fort Wayne, Ind. (Carroll)
DB Bryce Van Beek 6-0 175 Sr. Northwestern (Iowa) Matt McCarty Rock Valley, Iowa (Rock Valley)
DB Landon Jones 6-1 215 Jr. Southwestern Assemblies (Tex.) Ryan Smith Waco, Texas (Midway)
DB Xavier Spann 6-1 185 Sr. Morningside (Iowa) Steve Ryan Lakeland, Fla. (Lakeland)
DB #Cain Boschee 6-3 185 Sr. Dickinson St. (N.D.) Pete Stanton Kalispell, Mont. (Glacier)
Specialists
Pos. Name Ht. Wt. Cl. School Coach Hometown (High School)
P Austin Bohn 6-4 180 Jr. Ottawa (Ariz.) Mike Nesbitt Erie, Colo. (Erie)
PK Jared Amundson 6-3 220 Sr. Morningside (Iowa) Steve Ryan Sioux City, Iowa (East)
AP Nate McLaurin 5-11 190 Sr. Baker (Kan.) Mike Grossner Erie, Pa. (Cathedral Prep)
*-2017 AFCA All-American #-2016 AFCA All-American
