Philadelphia, Pa. The Sports Network honored The Citadel wide receiver Andre Roberts Saturday by naming him Third Team All-America, released by the national sports news syndicate Saturday. This is Roberts' second All-America accolade after the Associated Press honored the sophomore in December.
Roberts recorded a school record 78 receptions in 2007, notching 1,060 receiving yards in the process. His 1,060 yards is the second-most in school history for yards in a season as he became only the second cadet-student-athlete in school history to record over 1,000 receiving yards in a season. Roberts ended 2007 ranked 10th nationally and third in the Southern Conference (SoCon) in receptions per game with 7.09. He also finished the season 11th nationally and fourth in the SoCon in reception yards per game, averaging 96.4 receiving yards per contest.
This is only the 11th All-America honor awarded to a Citadel cadet-student-athlete by the Sports Network and the first since Travis Stephens earned Third-Team honors in 2000. Roberts is the second sophomore from The Citadel to earn All-America accolades by the Sports Network as Carlos Frank earned All-America honors as a sophomore in 1997.
Appalachian State had a record 11 selections to the 2007 Sports Network FCS All-America. The Mountaineers bested the previous high of eight players and nine positions won by Marshall on the 1996 All-America squad. Randy Moss was named as a wide receiver and kick returner on that team.
ASU senior free safety Corey Lynch, who placed second to Montana defensive end Kroy Biermann by five points in the closest Buck Buchanan Award balloting in history, was one of three players who were nearly unanimous picks on the 2007 All-America squad.
Lynch, Delaware senior running back Omar Cuff and Hampton junior punt returner Jeremy Gilchrist were named on all but a handful of ballots. Voting is done by a panel of sports information directors, media and others associated closely with FCS.
Biermann was also a first-team selection. Both Lynch and Biermann were second- team picks last season and Lynch also earned second-team honors as a sophomore in 2005.
Cuff had previously won third team recognition as sophomore in 2005.
Tony LeZotte, a senior free safety from James Madison, earned a special place in Sports Network All-America history as a four-time selection. LeZotte made the third team as a freshman in the Dukes' 2004 national championship season, was a first-team pick in 2005, a second-team selection in 2006 and first-team honoree in 2007.
Walter Payton Award winner Jayson Foster, a senior from Georgia Southern, headed up a star-studded group as the first-team quarterback.
It was Foster's first Sports Network postseason All-America honor. He was listed as a third-team return specialist on the 2007 preseason All-America squad.
Appalachian State guard Kerry Brown was the only player to repeat as a first- team selection from 2006. But several other players from the 2006 second and third teams were also on the 2007 squad.
Joining Brown, Biermann, LeZotte and Lynch in that distinction were Portland State senior center Brennan Carvalho (first team in 2007, second team in 2006), Northern Iowa tackle Chad Rinehart (first team in 2007, second team in 2006), Colgate linebacker Mike Gallihugh (second team both years), San Diego quarterback Josh Johnson (third team both years), Appalachian State running back Kevin Richardson (third team both years), North Dakota State tackle Nate Safe (third team in 2007, second team in 2006) and Bethune-Cookman safety Bobbie Williams (second team in 2007, third team in 2006).
Joining Appalachian State as teams with multiple selections on the 2007 squad were Northern Iowa with five, Delaware with four, Cal Poly, Colgate, Georgia Southern, North Dakota State, Richmond and San Diego with three each and Bethune-Cookman, Eastern Kentucky, Eastern Washington, Elon, Massachusetts, Montana, Prairie View and San Diego with a pair of picks.
ASU, which had five players in 2005 and six in 2006 on its first two national title squads, nearly ended up with two other players on the third team. Linebackers Jacque Roman and D.J. Smith narrowly missed making the squad.
Nineteen juniors, nine sophomores and one freshman were on the senior- dominated squad. Justin Rogers, a first-year player from Richmond made the squad as a third-team kickoff returner and was the first freshman on the Sports Network All-America squad since running back James Noble of Cal Poly and return specialist Nick Feldman of Morehead State made it as third-team picks in 2005.
For complete coverage of Bulldog Football, visit the official home of The Citadel Athletics at CitadelSports.com.
