MOBILE, Ala. – A trio of University of South Alabama football players — Brian Ankerson, Rowan Godwin and Gavin Patterson — were named to the 2018 Google Cloud Academic All-District® Football Team, which was announced by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Thursday.
It's the first time in program history that the Jaguars have had three or more individuals earn academic all-district recognition in the same season, while they are the first members of the program to be named to the team since the 2014 season.
The district includes the states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia and South Carolina, while to be eligible for consideration for honors individuals must have a cumulative grade-point average of 3.30 or higher, be a starter or important reserve, and must have sophomore status both academically and athletically. The three have all been moved forward to the national ballot, with the Google Cloud NCAA Division I Academic All-America team set to be released on Monday, Dec. 10.
Ankerson — a 6-foot-1, 295-pound offensive lineman from Theodore, Ala. — has both the highest assignment and overall grades on the team this season, and he also stands third with 26 knockdown blocks. In his first year as a starter, the sophomore is the only member of the squad thus far to have been on the field for every play this fall and has been called for just one penalty while making over 650 snaps. Ankerson has been named to the Sun Belt Conference Commissioner's List following each of his first two years at South.
A fellow offensive lineman, Godwin is also starting for the first time this year and entering the final two contests of the season shares the second-highest overall mark while his assignment grade is tied for third on the team. The 6-foot-4, 300-pound junior from Dothan, Ala., has been credited with 21 knockdowns to date, and has surrendered only one sack and been flagged for one penalty while taking part in nearly 350 plays. Since joining the program, he has twice been selected to the Sun Belt Commissioner's List.
Patterson is second on the team this season with 43 points having connected on 7-of-10 field goal attempts while making 22 extra points, and he enters the final two games of his career second in school history with 33 field goals, 90 points-after-touchdown and a total of 189 points. He was chosen first-team all-conference last fall after going 16-of-19 on field-goal tries and leading South in scoring with 74 points as he paced the Sun Belt in field goals and field-goal percentage. A semifinalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy, Patterson — a senior placekicking hailing from Bourbonnais, Ill. — is a three-time member of the Sun Belt Commissioner's List.
The Jaguars will next play on Saturday when they visit Louisiana at 4 p.m. (CST) in their final road game of the year.
For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/WeAreSouth_JAGS. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).
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