4 Cats, 3 Griz land Stats Perform honors

Three Montana Grizzlies – one household name and two newcomers to the squad – and four Montana State Bobcats earned spots on the Stats Perform FCS Preseason All-America team that was released Tuesday.

Two-time All-Big Sky running back Eli Gillman, multi-position offensive and special teams threat Michael Wortham, and All-Big Sky linebacker Peyton Wing were the Grizzlies picks and three of 13 players from around the Big Sky Conference to land on one of three preseason honors teams. 

Montana State’s picks were offensive tackle Titan Fleischmann, running back Adam Jones, punt returner Taco Dowler and defensive lineman Paul Brott. 

Wortham, a senior transfer from Eastern Washington where he was a 2024 All-American and a two-time All-Big Sky pick, earned a first team preseason All-America nod as an all-purpose player. 

A receiver by trade, he’s done a little bit of everything in his college career. He averaged 134.6 yards of total offense per game to rank 11th in the FCS while slotting in at QB and receiver for the Eagles. He also led the Big Sky and set a program record with 1,093 kickoff return yards. 

Gillman, the 2023 Jerry Rice Award winner for FCS Freshman of the Year who is now a junior and already one of the top five running backs in Grizzly history, was named third team preseason All-American. 

Gillman currently ranks No. 7 in UM history with 2,137 rushing yards, No. 5 with 28 rushing touchdowns and No. 7 with 30 total touchdowns. He’s the leading returning rusher in the Big Sky in 2025 after piling up 1,104 total yards in UM’s two-back offensive system as a sophomore. 

Wing was named third team preseason All-America at linebacker as a rising junior. The Portland State transfer was second-team all-conference in 2024 with a team-high 93 tackles and 7.5 TFLs. His 8.5 average tackles per game was the fourth-most in the league. 

Wortham was a first-team selection by Stats Perform, while Gillman and Wing were third-team picks. 

Montana State’s honorees all played for the Cats in their near-unbeaten 2024 campaign. 

Fleischmann, a junior, was second-team all-Big Sky and third-team All-America at right tackle last fall. He helped clear the way for Jones, last year’s Big Sky Freshman of the Year after piling up 833 rushing yards on 126 carries, with 10 touchdowns. 

Jones already has two of the five longest touchdown runs in Bobcat history: a 93-yarder against New Mexico and an 88-yarder against the Griz. 

Brott was second-team all-Big Sky in 2024 with 49 tackles, six of them for losses. The 290-pound senior was chosen to wear MSU’s No. 41 legacy jersey in the spring. 

Dowler made several All-America teams after his sophomore season, in which he averages 12.5 yards on 38 punt returns, taking one 79 yards for a TD. He has three punt return touchdowns in his career. 

Fleischman and Dowler were first-team picks by Stats Perform; Jones and Brott landed second-team honors. 

One other Big Sky player was named first-team: UC Davis senior safety Rex Connors. 

On the second team offense were UC Davis tight end Winston Williams, lineman Gavin Ortega of Weber State and running back Jamar Curtis of Sacramento State; on special teams UC Davis place kicker Hunter Ridley was selected. 

Helping fill out the third team were UC Davis linebacker Porter Connors, Rex Connors’ younger brother. 

Defending Division I champion North Dakota State had five selections.

2025 Stats Perform  

FCS Preseason All-America 

FIRST TEAM 

OFFENSE

QB – Derek Robertson, Monmouth, R-Sr., 6-2, 200 

RB – Roland Dempster, Stony Brook, R-Sr., 6-0, 225 

RB – Charles Pierre Jr., South Dakota, R-Jr., 5-10, 205 

WR – Marquis Buchanan, Rhode Island, R-So., 6-4, 175 

WR – Bryce Lance, North Dakota State, R-Sr., 6-3, 204 

WR – Jalen Walthall, UIW, R-Sr., 6-2, 180 

TE – Chris Corbo, Dartmouth, Sr., 6-4, 245 

OL – Michael Bennett, Yale, Sr., 6-5, 302 

OL – Titan Fleischmann, Montana State, Jr., 6-4, 300 

OL – Trent Fraley, North Dakota State, Jr., 6-1, 301 

OL – Delby Lemieux, Dartmouth, Sr., 6-4, 280 

OL – Jake Picard, Villanova, R-Sr., 6-4, 310 

DEFENSE 

DL – Ckelby Givens, Southern, Sr., 6-2, 230 

DL – Rasheed Lovelace, Nicholls, R-Jr., 6-3, 310 

DL – Matt Spatny, Lehigh, Sr., 6-2, 245 

DL – Andrew Zock, Mercer, So., 6-2, 250 

LB – James Conway, Fordham, Grad, 6-2, 235 

LB – Tye Niekamp, Illinois State, Jr., 6-3, 240 

LB – A.J. Pena, Rhode Island, Sr., 6-2, 243 

LB – Will Shaffer, Abilene Christian, Grad, 6-0, 224 

DB – Rex Connors, UC Davis, Sr., 6-1, 210 

DB – Jalen Jones, William & Mary, Sr., 6-0, 190 

DB – Abu Kamara, Yale, Jr., 6-1, 208 

DB – Malcolm Reed, North Carolina Central, Sr., 6-3, 180 

SPECIAL TEAMS

PK – Ian Williams, Furman, Grad, 6-3, 226 

P – Jeff Yurk, Elon, R-Sr., 6-2, 224 

LS – Dylan Calabrese, Illinois State, Sr., 6-1, 230 

KR – Travis Terrell, Jackson State, So., 5-8, 165 

PR – Taco Dowler, Montana State, Jr., 5-9, 175 

AP – Michael Wortham, Montana, Grad, 5-9, 177 

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SECOND TEAM 

OFFENSE

QB – Aidan Bouman, South Dakota, R-Sr., 6-5, 225 

QB – Taron Dickens, Western Carolina, R-So., 5-11, 180 

RB – Jamar Curtis, Sacramento State, Sr., 5-8, 169 

RB – Adam Jones, Montana State, R-So., 6-1, 200 

RB – Wenkers Wright, Illinois State, Sr., 6-1, 205 

WR – Kylon Harris, Stephen F. Austin, Sr., 5-11, 160 

WR – Chedon James, UIW, R-Jr., 5-9, 173 

WR – Daniel Sobkowicz, Illinois State, Sr., 6-3, 205 

TE – Winston Williams, UC Davis, Sr., 6-4, 235 

OL – Brock Bethea, Rhode Island, R-Sr., 6-5, 305 

OL – Quinten Christensen, South Dakota State, Jr., 6-5, 300 

OL – JT Cornelius, Monmouth, Grad, 6-6, 290 

OL – Langston Jones, Lehigh, Sr., 6-3, 315 

OL – Gavin Ortega, Weber State, Sr., 6-5, 300 

OL – Hunter Smith, Tarleton State, Sr., 6-5, 300 

DEFENSE 

DL – Toby Anene, North Dakota State, Jr., 6-4, 260 

DL – Paul Brott, Montana State, Sr., 6-3, 290 

DL – Lando Brown, Southern Utah, R-Sr., 5-11, 215 

DL – Kobe Clayborne, South Dakota State, Sr., 6-0, 275 

LB – Carter Glassmyer, Richmond, R-Jr., 6-1, 201 

LB – Shane Hartzell, Villanova, Sr., 6-0, 230 

LB – Erick Hunter, Morgan State, Sr., 6-4, 210 

LB – Logan Kopp, North Dakota State, R-Sr., 6-1, 221 

DB – Ty Bartrum, Harvard, Sr., 6-1, 195 

DB – C.J. Coombes, Wofford, So., 6-0, 208 

DB – Tim Coutras, Tennessee Tech, Grad, 6-0, 198 

DB – JaMichael McGoy Jr., UT Martin, R-Sr., 5-10, 170 

DB – Tyler Morton, UIW, R-Sr., 5-10, 170 

SPECIAL TEAMS

PK – Hunter Ridley, UC Davis, Jr., 6-1, 195 

PK – Owen Zalc, Dartmouth, Jr., 5-10, 165 

P – Gilbert Brown, Charleston Southern, R-Sr., 6-0, 175 

LS – Brett Welsing, Drake, Sr., 6-2, 233 

KR – Jackson Williams, North Dakota State, So., 5-11, 180 

PR – Brayden Smith, Mercer, Jr., 5-10, 185 

AP – Ethan Greenwood, LIU, R-Jr., 6-0, 193 

AP – Julius Loughridge, South Dakota State, Sr., 6-0, 215 

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THIRD TEAM 

OFFENSE 

QB – Tommy Rittenhouse, Illinois State, Sr., 5-11, 205 

QB – Ralph Rucker IV, Bucknell, Fifth Year, 6-0, 210 

RB – Mari Adams, Davidson, Sr., 5-11, 210 

RB – Eli Gillman, Montana, R-Jr., 6-0, 208 

WR – Samuel Musungu, Cornell, Jr., 6-1, 192 

WR – Treyvhon Saunders, Colgate, Sr., 5-10, 190 

WR – Max Tomczak, Youngstown State, Sr., 6-0, 195 

TE – Trey McDonald, William & Mary, Sr., 6-6, 230 

OL – Will Diggins, Central Arkansas, Sr., 6-4, 325 

OL – Ashton Grable, Florida A&M, R-Sr., 6-4, 315 

OL – Ryan McKenna, William & Mary, Grad, 6-4, 305 

OL – Traveon Newsome, UIW, R-Sr., 6-2, 350 

OL – Netinho Olivieri, Penn, Sr., 6-5, 305 

OL – Luke Petit, Furman, R-Sr., 6-3, 285 

DEFENSE

DL – Jake Anderson, Illinois State, R-Jr., 6-5, 290 

DL – Noah Miles, Howard, Sr., 6-4, 250 

DL – Kaghen Roach, Abilene Christian, Grad, 6-5, 255 

DL – Declan Williams, UIW, Sr., 6-2, 245 

DL – Jeremiah Williams, Jackson State, R-Sr., 6-3, 285 

LB – Colin Bohanek, Southern Illinois, Sr., 6-0, 227 

LB – Porter Connors, UC Davis, Sr., 6-1, 220 

LB – Jake Dalmado, Nicholls, Sr. 5-11, 200 

LB – Nate Ewell, South Dakota, Sr., 6-2, 225 

LB – Peyton Wing, Montana, Jr., 6-0, 230 

DB – Kimal Clark, Indiana State, Sr., 5-10, 200 

DB – Charles Demmings, Stephen F. Austin, Sr., 6-1, 185 

DB – Nick Peltekian, Lehigh, Sr., 6-0, 200 

DB – Nahil Perkins, Samford, Grad, 6-0, 178 

DB – Jaheim Ward, Eastern Kentucky, R-Sr., 6-2, 189 

SPECIAL TEAMS

PK – Will Leyland, South Dakota, R-Sr., 5-11, 180 

P – Brendon Kilpatrick, Youngstown State, Sr., 6-2, 220 

LS – Kaydon Olivia, South Dakota State, Sr., 5-11, 215 

KR – Keondray Jones-Logan, South Dakota, Jr., 5-7, 175 

KR – Donovan Wadley, Central Connecticut State, Sr., 5-9, 180 

PR – Malique Leatherbury, Morgan State, So., 5-9, 160 

AP – Jaylan Spears, UIW, R-Jr., 5-10, 200