VMI Football: Trio named Hero Sports Freshman All-Americans

Following stellar performances on the gridiron during the 2018 season, VMI freshmen Jakob Herres, Brett Howell and Collin Loftis were named honorable mention Freshman All-Americans by Hero Sports Monday afternoon.

Herres, a tight end, became a favorite target for quarterback Reece Udinski during the season as the Easton, Pennsylvania native scored five receiving touchdowns and logged 437 yards on 27 receptions throughout the year. He registered 117 receiving yards against The Citadel on October 20 as he scored a touchdown and had six catches including a season-best 32-yarder. The following week at Chattanooga he scored another touchdown and had season-best totals in both catches (7) and receiving yards (118). He also recorded touchdown grabs against No. 8 Wofford, Western Carolina and Mercer.

A linebacker from Fairhope, Alabama, Brett Howell recorded 60 tackles on the year (28 solo, 32 assisted) to rank among the team leaders for the category. He totaled seven tackles for loss on the year and had a sack at Western Carolina that resulted in a five-yard loss for the Catamounts. His best game of the year was against Tusculum on Nov. 3 in which he recorded 16 tackles including nine solo. He followed that with 11 tackles versus Furman a week later and eight against Old Dominion in the season finale.

Defensive back Collin Loftis from Arlington, Texas, had 39 tackles for the season (26 solo, 13 assisted) in addition to a half tackle for loss against ETSU on Sept. 14. The highlight of the year came against Western Carolina on Sept. 22 in which he recorded two interceptions for 22 return yards. He also had a 54-yard interception return against ETSU on Sept. 14 that was returned to the ETSU one-yard line to set up a VMI score in the second quarter. He also had six pass breakups during the year and blocked a field goal against Tusculum on Nov. 3.