Tweet #WinTheMoment

Complete FCSADA Academic All-Star Team

CLEVELAND - Eastern Illinois offensive lineman Chad Strickland has been named as one of 52 student-athletes named to the 26th Annual Academic All-Star Team selected by the Football Championship Subdivision Athletics Directors Association (FCS ADA).
 
The 52 individuals were selected from a pool of 104 applicants. Two conferences led the way with eight student-athletes placed on the 2023 All-Star Team, Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) and the United Athletic Conference. The Missouri Valley Football Conference recorded seven honorees and the Big Sky Conference had six representatives.
 
Strickland was a first team All-Big South-OVC Football Association selection at offensive tackle this past season as the Panthers posted an 8-3 record and ended the year at No. 24 in the FCS Coaches Top 25 poll.  A team captain, Strickland was named to the All-Big South-OVC All-Academic Team and was a finalist for the Doris Robinson Award presented to the top academic FCS football player.  In addition he was a semifinalist for the William V. Campbell Award and earned Academic All-District honors by College Sports Communicators.   He posted a 3.82 GPA in Pre-Physical Therapy graduating in May and playing the fall season as a graduate student pursuing a Masters in Exercise Physiology. 
 
In addition he was named one of 13 finalists for the 23rd Annual FCS ADA $5,000 Postgraduate Scholarship, from which two student-athletes will receive postgraduate scholarships. 
 
Current FCS ADA President, Ryan Ivey, Director of Athletics at Stephen F. Austin State University, reflected, "These young men excel at high levels in the classroom and demonstrate the commitment on the field and in the community. Annually, we have the good fortune to read about and select the next group of outstanding leaders for our division and this year is no different. My congratulations to each of the student-athletes nominated and those selected below for this outstanding achievement."
 
Football players from all Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) institutions are eligible for the award. Each of the nominees were required to have a minimum grade point average of 3.20 (on a 4.00 scale) in undergraduate or graduate study and have been a starter or key player with legitimate athletics credentials. They must have reached their second year of athletics and academic standing at the nominated institution and have completed a minimum of one full academic year at the nominated institution. They also must have participated in 50 percent of the games played at their designated position.

 

The 2023 FCS ADA Postgraduate Scholarship finalists are: Name	Institution	Position
Maxwell Brosmer	New Hampshire	QB
Efton Chism III	Eastern Washington	WR
Jacob Dobbs	Holy Cross	LB
Anthony Egbo	Abilene Christian	CB
Brody Grebe	Montana State	DE
Mark Gronowski	South Dakota State	QB
Hayden Hatten	Idaho	WR
Dylan Kelly	Albany	LB
Jak Kubas	North Dakota State	OL
Ben McNaboe	North Dakota	DL
Anthony Roussos	Columbia	LB
Chad Strickland	Eastern Illinois	OL
Cole Wisniewski	North Dakota State	S

 
 
 A special Review Committee of FCS athletics directors were responsible for selecting the 2023 Academic All-Star Team and FCS ADA Postgraduate Scholarship finalists. This year's Review Committee consisted of: Ryan Ivey, Stephen F. Austin State (Chair); Mark Benson, Albany; Kurt McGuffin, UT Martin; Sherryta Freeman, Lafayette; and Tom Michael, Eastern Illinois.
 
About the FCS ADA: Now in its 30th year, the Football Championship Subdivision Athletics Directors Association's mission is to enhance Football Championship Subdivision football. For more information on the FCS ADA, please visit www.fcsada.com. The FCS ADA is administered by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), which is in its 59th year. For more information on NACDA and the 18 professional associations that fall under its umbrella, please visit www.nacda.com.