Vandals Elliss, Johnson

named Preseason

All-Americans

Idaho football standouts Kaden Elliss and Noah Johnson were named the STATS FCS Preseason All-America Team, released Tuesday. Johnson was selected to the second team at offensive line, while Elliss was a third-team choice at linebacker.

The Big Sky Conference landed 15 student-athletes on the STATS FCS Preseason All-America Team, the second most of any conference.

Johnson was one of three Big Sky offensive linemen recognized. Coming into his junior season, Johnson has already started 22 games as a Vandal. He was named All-Sun Belt Second Team last season. In 2016, Johnson was a member of the Sun Belt All-Newcomer Team.

Elliss earned All-Sun Belt accolades each of the past two seasons. He enters his senior campaign with 228 career tackles, including 32 for loss and 10 sacks. Elliss has intercepted five passes, forced five fumbles, recovered three and blocked a kick. He is also expected to play an expanded role in the Vandal offense this season at tight end, where he caught seven passes last season for 156 yards and two touchdowns. Last week, Elliss was named to the watch list for the Paul Hornung Award, given to the nation’s most versatile college football player.

Elliss and Johnson were both named to the All-Big Sky Preseason Team, along with punter Cade Coffey, a Lakeland High product.

Eastern’s Gubrud

lone pick

for All-American list

As far as preseason All-America honors go, quarterback Gage Gubrud is carrying the Eagle flag into battle.

The senior from McMinnville, Ore., was among 15 players from the Big Sky Conference honored on the STATS NCAA Football Championship Preseason All-America squad. The 2016 FCS All-American was a third team choice among the group of 98 players honored nationally representing 56 teams and 13 conferences.

Eastern head coach Aaron Best already knows he has one of the best field generals in FCS, but he also likes the supporting cast Gubrud has this season.

“I think having nine starters back on offense really helps,” said Best, whose team lost just a starter at wide receiver and another at offensive tackle from last year’s team. “I tell our team that just because you have guys back doesn’t mean you’re going to be better. One would assume that’s the case, but just because you’re older doesn’t mean your better. That’s what I challenge Gage with.”

A two-time finalist for the Walter Payton Award given to the top offensive player in FCS, Gubrud followed a record-breaking 2016 season with a solid junior campaign. He was named 2016 FCS Player of the Year by the Touchdown Club of Columbus, but a 7-4 record last season has the entire Eagle team hungry to get back to the playoffs after advancing to the semifinals in 2016 for the fifth time in school history.

Big Sky tournament move

causes bracket changes

The move from Reno to Boise has also resulted in a change in the brackets for the 2019 Big Sky Conference Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships.

The league announced its six-day tournament schedule and bracket on Tuesday for the 2019 Big Sky Basketball Championships, set to take place March 11-16 at CenturyLink Arena in Boise. As a result, Eastern’s women’s team could start as early as Monday, March 11, while the men wouldn’t begin play until Wednesday, March 13, at the earliest.

The women’s tournament will be held March 11-13, while the men’s championship will take place March 13-16. The tournament champions will receive automatic berths to the NCAA Division I Basketball Championship.

For the fourth-straight season, all Big Sky members will compete in the conference tournament with the field featuring 11 teams for both the men and women in 2019. The top five teams in the final regular season standings will earn a bye to the quarterfinal round of the Big Sky Championship. The six-day event will be held in the state of Idaho for the first time since 1994 when former Big Sky member Boise State served as the championship host.