Tusculum College football team posted a league-best nine selections to this year’s Preseason All-South Atlantic Conference Team as selected by the SAC’s sports information directors.

Bo Cordell, Logan Cornelius and Skylar West were named to the All-SAC first team, while Brian Marshall, Wesley Powell, Israel Pickens, Brian Alexander, Luke Harris and Andy Rosetti garnered second team recognition.

Cordell returns as the Preseason All-SAC first team quarterback after playing in just three games last year due to an injury. Cordell, a 6-0, 205-pound signal caller from Cincinnati, Ohio, will be looking to return to the form that earned him SAC Offensive Player of the Year honors in 2010 as he led all NCAA divisions (FBS, FCS, II, III) in total offensive yards per game, passing yards per game and completions per game. The 2011 Preseason Division II National Player of the Year passed for 986 yards in his three games last season, with a completion percentage of .682, which is the second highest in school history.

Cordell enters his redshirt junior season as the program’s all-time leader in pass completions (778) and second in career passing yards (9,101 – 7th in SAC history), pass attempts (1207), TD passes (64), total offensive yards (9,003 – 7th in SAC history), total offensive attempts (1,407) and completion percentage (.645).

Cornelius, a 6-0, 190-pound sophomore placekicker from Chattanooga, led the team in scoring in his rookie season with 68 points, which second in the league and fourth most ever by a Tusculum kicker. The East Hamilton High School graduate connected on 11-of-18 field goals as his 1.00 field goals made per game average was second in the league and 31st in the nation. He was also a sterling 35-of-36 on extra-points, including 28 in a row to start his collegiate career.

West, a three-time All-SAC first team long snapper is back to handle the specialist duties for the final time in his Tusculum career. The 6-5, 240-pound senior from Oneida, Tenn. (Oneida HS) became the first Pioneer long-snapper to earn All-America honors in school history when he was named to the Beyond Sports Network All-America second team. The 2012 BSN Preseason All-America first team pick graded out at 98.1 percent on his 104 special team snaps a year ago, while also tallying three tackles.

Marshall, a 5-7, 180-pound senior running back from Chattanooga, led the Pioneers in rushing for a second straight season in 2011. The Ooltewah High School alum ran for 395 yards on 69 carries for a 5.7 yards per carry average to go along with four rushing touchdowns. He also hauled in 36 catches for 285 yards and a touchdown.

Sophomore tight end Wesley Powell  joins Marshall on the second team offense as the 6-10, 255-pound product of Ecelctic, Ala. posted seven receptions fro 54 yards and a touchdown. The Elmore County High School product appeared in all 11 games in 2011 as a true freshman.

Pickens, a 6-4, 305-pound senior from Piedmont, S.C., will anchor the Tusculum offensive line after missing the final seven games of the 2011 campaign due to injury.

Alexander, a 6-1, 235-pound linebacker from Union Point, Ga., returns after leading the Pioneers with 90 tackles last year, including 12 hits behind the line of scrimmage, along with three sacks, forced a fumble and recovered another. He enters his junior season with 145 career tackles, including 21 for loss and six sacks. Alexander, a graduate of Greene County High School, finished eighth in the league with his tackle-tally.

Senior defensive back Luke Harris  finished fourth on the tam with 59 tackles, including 20 solo stops. He played in 10 games, including four starts as he accounted for a fumble recovery and forced two fumbles. The 6-1, 210-pound Floyd, Va. native (Floyd County HS) recorded three games in 2011 where he tallied at least 10 tackles in each contest.

Rosetti, a 5-11, 195-pound junior, rounds out the All-SAC Team as its second team punter. The Kenneth City, Fla. native finished third in the league with his 40.12 yards per punt average, while placing 25th in the country (NCAA II) and earned All-SAC second team accolades. The St. Petersburg High School product enters his junior campaign ranked in the top 10 in several career punting categories at Tusculum.

Tusculum’s nine honorees were the most of the league’s eight football playing institutions. Mars Hill and Carson-Newman tied for second with eight selections each, while Brevard, Newberry and Wingate tied for fourth with seven players apiece. Catawba and Lenoir-Rhyne each tied for seventh place with six selections.

Tusculum will continue its fall preparations for its Sept. 1 opening at Urbana in Urbana, Ohio.

- SAC -

2012 Preseason All-South Atlantic Conference Football Team
First Team Offense
QB – Bo Cordell, Tusculum
RB – Tryon Douglas, Carson-Newman
RB – Isaiah Whitaker, Lenoir-Rhyne
RB – John Gadson, Newberry
WR – Dimitri Holmes, Mars Hill
WR – Chris Bowden, Wingate
WR – Eric Watts, Brevard
TE – Brandon Ellington, Wingate
OL – Kevin Day, Carson-Newman
OL – Nick Allison, Mars Hill
OL – Alex Taylor, Carson-Newman
OL – Garrett Johnson, Brevard
OL – Lequawn James, Newberry
PK – Logan Cornelius, Tusculum
RS – Michael Green, Lenoir-Rhyne

First Team Defense
DL – CJ Barksdale, Catawba
DL – Brandon Martin, Lenoir-Rhyne
DL – Damein Lee, Catawba
DL – Troy Harris, Mars Hill
LB – Rudy Cabral, Mars Hill
LB – Apollo Stretch, Newberry
LB – Demetrius Green, Lenoir-Rhyne
LB – Jared Seate, Wingate
DB – Michael Green, Lenoir-Rhyne
DB – David Davis, Newberry
DB – Marvin James, Mars Hill
DB – Jumal Rolle, Catawba
P – Eric Watts, Brevard
LS – Skylar West, Tusculum

Second Team Offense
QB – Jon Richt, Mars Hill
RB – Kelvin Jeter, Brevard
RB – Corron Boston, Lenoir-Rhyne
RB – Brian Marshall, Tusculum
WR – Jason Brown, Carson-Newman
WR – Nate Charest, Catawba
WR – Bryan Caffrey, Wingate
TE – Wesley Powell, Tusculum
OL – Andrew Velazquez, Brevard
OL – Lucas Mathis, Carson-Newman
OL – Ethan Winn, Catawba
OL – Neil Dwyer, Mars Hill
OL – Israel Pickens, Tusculum
PK – Matthew Sierk, Wingate
RS – Jason Livingston, Newberry

Second Team Defense
DL – DeShon, Carson-Newman
DL – Mam Nyang, Mars Hill
DL – Adim Obata, Newberry
DL – Marvin Lawson, Brevard
LB – Cory Johnson, Catawba
LB – Brian Alexander, Tusculum
LB – Rufus Jenkins, Brevard
LB – Richie Kazazian, Wingate
DB – Luke Harris, Tusculum
DB – Oliver Davis, Carson-Newman
DB – Timmy Rogers, Wingate
DB – Tarvin Jones, Carson-Newman
P – JoJo Morris, Newberry
P – Andy Rosetti, Tusculum
LS – DJ Davis, Catawba