CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Citadel offensive lineman Isaiah Pinson has been named a first-team All-American by the American Football Coaches Association, it was announced Monday.

Pinson earned the first All-America recognition of his career and is The Citadel's first AFCA All-American since 2012. Pinson's selection marks the second straight season a Bulldog offensive lineman has been named an All-American after Sam Frye earned All-America acclaim from Walter Camp and College Sports Madness last season. 

Pinson, a first-team All-Southern Conference selection and the SoCon's Jacobs Blocking Award winner, started all 12 games this season at left tackle to increase his consecutive starts streak to 37 games. He played 889 snaps, missing only 15 offensive plays in 2016, and recorded 123 knockdowns while allowing zero sacks and grading out at 90-percent for the season.

The junior from Wellford, South Carolina, blocked for an offense that leads FCS in rushing with an average of 348.2 yards per game and fewest tackles for loss allowed with an average of 3.3 per game and is tied for the fewest sacks allowed in Division I with three. The Bulldogs also finished the season ranked first in the Southern Conference in time of possession, yards per completion, third-down conversions and yards per rush. Their average possession time of 34 minutes, 37 seconds ranks second in FCS, while the Bulldogs' 15.5 yards per completion ranks sixth, their third-down conversion rate of .477 ranks ninth and their average of 5.37 yards per rush ranks 10th.

The Citadel won its second consecutive Southern Conference championship and tied the SoCon record with an 8-0 conference mark in 2016. The Bulldogs began the season 10-0 and earned the No. 6 seed in the FCS Playoffs, hosting a playoff game in Johnson Hagood Stadium for the first time since 1992.

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