Five William & Mary football standouts earn preseason All-CAA honors

Five William & Mary football standouts garnered preseason all-conference honors at the 2016 Colonial Athletic Association Media Day at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Md., on Tuesday.

Representing W&M on the preseason All-CAA team were senior running back Kendell Anderson, senior offensive lineman Jerry Ugokwe, junior tight end Andrew Caskin, junior placekicker Nick Dorka, Jr., and senior punter Hunter Windmuller. W&M’s total of five all-conference selections tied for the second most of any team in the league.

Additionally, the CAA’s preseason poll was announced at the event, as the Tribe was picked to finish second. Both the preseason all-conference team and preseason poll were selected based on a vote by the CAA’s 12 head coaches and media relations personnel.

One of the nation’s elite running backs, Anderson enters his senior campaign looking to build upon a breakout season last fall in which he was honored as a STATS FCS Offensive Player of the Year Finalist and an All-CAA first-team selection. The Centreville, Va., native finished 2015 with 1,418 rushing yards on 240 carries with 16 touchdowns and ranked 10th nationally with 109.1 rushing yards per game. Additionally, his rushing touchdown total ranked seventh nationally and second on W&M’s single-season list, while his rushing yardage ranked ninth in the country and second on the program’s single-season list.

A 2016 preseason All-America selection by Athlon, Dorka established himself as one of the nation’s top placekickers last fall and earned All-America distinction from the Associated Press, STATS and College Sporting News. The first-team All-CAA honoree connected on 21 of 25 field goal attempts and all 47 extra-point tries in 2015, while he ranked fourth nationally in field goals made per game (1.62). Additionally, he ranked 10th nationally in field goal percentage (.840) and 11th in scoring (8.5).

Extremely accurate from long range, Dorka made 5 of 6 field goal attempts from beyond 40 yards, with the lone missing coming from 51 yards.

A first-team all-conference standout in 2015, Windmuller led the CAA in punting average (43.8) as a junior last season. Although he did not record enough punts to be included in the national rankings, his impressive average stands second on W&M’s single-season list. The Oakton, Va., native totaled 14 punts of at least 50 yards last season and pinned the opposition inside the 20-yard line 12 times.

One of the league’s top pass-catching tight ends, Caskin garnered second-team all-league honors as a sophomore last fall after totaling 34 catches for 360 yards and two touchdowns. His reception total ranked second on the team. One of Caskin’s best performances came in the narrow setback at Virginia when he totaled three catches for 43 yards, including a 37-yard touchdown reception.

Entering his fourth year as a starter, Ugokwe emerged as one of the league’s top offensive linemen in 2015 and garnered third-team all-conference distinction after starting all 13 games at right tackle. The Bowie, Md., native helped anchor one of the nation’s top offensive lines, as W&M allowed the fewest sacks per game in the CAA (1.08) and led the nation in fewest tackles for a loss per game (3.46).

The Tribe, which is ranked as high as No. 6 nationally in the preseason polls, will open the 2016 season at NC State onThursday, Sept. 1, with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m. W&M’s home opener in the newly renovated Zable Stadium will be against Norfolk State on Sept. 17 (6 p.m.).

Information on how to secure Tribe Football tickets for the 2016 season in the renovated Zable Stadium can be found by clickinghere.

For more information on the Zable Stadium renovation, including ways to make an impact with a gift, please visit zable.wm.edu.

2016 Preseason Predicted Order of Finish (First Place Votes)

1. Richmond (19)
2. William & Mary (1)
3. James Madison
4. Villanova
5. New Hampshire
6. Towson
7. Delaware
8. Stony Brook
9. Maine (1)
10. Elon
11. Albany
12. Rhode Island

First-place votes in parentheses

2016 CAA Football Preseason Offensive Players of the Year
QB – Kyle Lauletta – Richmond

2016 CAA Football Preseason Defensive Player of the Year
S – David Jones – Richmond

2016 CAA Football Preseason All-Conference Team – Offense
QB – Kyle Lauletta – Richmond
RB – Kendell Anderson – William & Mary
RB – Darius Victor – Towson
FB – James Pavik – Richmond
WR – Ray Bolden – Stony Brook
WR – Brian Brown – Richmond
WR – Brandon Ravenel – James Madison
TE – Andrew Caskin – William & Mary
OL – Connor Bozick – Delaware
OL – Thomas Evans – Richmond
OL – Mitchell Kirsch – James Madison
OL – Timon Parris – Stony Brook
OL – Jerry Ugokwe – William & Mary
OL – Nicholas Vergos – Richmond

2016 CAA Football Preseason All-Conference Team – Defense
DL – Andrew Ankrah – James Madison
DL – Tanoh Kpassagnon – Villanova
DL – Pat Ricard – Maine
DL – Aaron Thompson – Stony Brook
LB – Charles Bell – Delaware
LB – Omar Howard – Richmond
LB – Adam Parker – Rhode Island
S – Raven Greene – James Madison
S – David Jones – Richmond
CB – Casey DeAndrade – New Hampshire
CB – Taylor Reynolds – James Madison

2016 CAA Football Preseason All-Conference Team – Special Teams
RS – Harold Cooper – Rhode Island
PK – Nick Dorka, Jr. – William & Mary
P – Hunter Windmuller – William & Mary