Total Of Five Redbirds Named To MVFC All-Newcomer Team

ST. LOUIS – Five Illinois State football newcomers were recognized for their standout first seasons as Redbirds Tuesday, when they were named to the 2018 Missouri Valley Football Conference All-Newcomer Team in a vote conducted by league coaches, sports information directors and media members.

Quarterback Brady Davis, wide receiver Andrew Edgar, defensive end Romeo McKnight, offensive lineman Gabe Megginson and defensive tackle John Ridgeway were each named to the annual list of the league's top newcomers. The five selections are the most for Illinois State since 2012, when ISU also had five representatives on the list. 

Davis, a junior transfer from Memphis, was a three-time MVFC Newcomer of the Week and started all 10 games he played in at quarterback. The Columbus, Mississippi, native completed 142-of-254 pass attempts for 1,935 yards with 19 touchdowns and just five interceptions in his first year with the Redbirds. Davis posted an efficiency rating of 140.65 and averaged 193.5 passing yards per contest. 

Edgar set the school freshman receiving mark with 746 yards on 44 receptions and tied for second on the team with four touchdown receptions. The Chicago native ranked fifth in the MVFC with those 746 receiving yards to lead all league freshmen and was sixth in yards per game. He averaged 17.0 yards per catch and recorded three 100-plus yard efforts, including a career-best 202 yard and two-score performance against South Dakota State.

Megginson started all 11 games at left guard for the Redbirds following his transfer from Illinois. The junior from Jacksonville, Illinois, was a critical part of the offensive line unit that made ISU the third-best scoring offense in the conference. Megginson helped lead the way for James Robinson, who rushed for a league-leading 1,290 yards with 12 touchdowns to earn All-MVFC First-Team honors for the second-straight season.

McKnight ranked sixth on the team with 47 tackles, including 24 solo stops, and tied for the team lead with 9.0 tackles-for-loss in his first season after transferring from Iowa. The sophomore from Crystal Lake, Illinois, led the team with three sacks and was also credited with a team-high 11 quarterback hurries. McKnight had five tackles and two sacks in a huge win for ISU over FBS foe Colorado State.

Ridgeway played in all 11 games, with 10 starts at the nose guard position as a redshirt freshman. The Bloomington, Illinois, native was a vital component of the ISU rushing defense that was second in the conference allowing just 126.8 yards per contest. Ridgeway recorded 30 tackles on the season, including nine solo stops, and also added a sack and 2.0 tackles for loss on the year. He returned a fumble 32 yards in the season finale against Youngstown State to cap off an impressive first year with the Redbirds.

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