AFCA Honors Vandenburgh With First-Team All-America Honors

WACO, Texas —Illinois State senior outside linebacker Zeke Vandenburgh and UIW quarterback Lindsey Scott Jr. headline the 2022 Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) Coaches' All-America Team announced Wednesday by the American Football Coaches Association.
 
The First-Team All-American honor is the fifth for Vandenburgh this offseason, as he previously earned All-America honors from HERO Sports FCS, The Associated Press, the FCS ADA and Stats Perform. The elite pass rusher also recently landed in the Top 3 in the voting for the Buck Buchanan Award, which is given to the FCS National Defensive Player of the Year and was named a First-Team Academic All-American by the College Sports Communicators (CSC).

The 2022 Missouri Valley Football Conference Defensive Player of the Year and Scholar-Athlete of the Year, Vandenburgh saved some of his best football for last as he posted a career-high 17 tackles, 3.5 sacks and tied a career-best with 4.0 tackles-for-loss in the Redbirds' season finale against Western Illinois. It gave him 100 tackles (51 solos) in a 10-game stat line that also included 21 tackles-for-loss (120 yards) and an FCS-leading 14 sacks. 

A four-time MVFC Defensive Player of the Week honoree, Vandenburgh was also credited with one interception, four pass breakups, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and four quarterback hurries in 2022. The Freeport, Illinois, native finished the regular season ranked No. 1 in the FCS in sacks per game (1.40) and tackles-for-loss per game (2.1).

With his numbers in the season finale, Vandenburgh finished tied for second all-time on the single-season list in sacks with Ray Robinson (2003) and 5th in program history on the single-season list in tackles-for-loss. He also cracked the Top 3 in career sacks with 24.0 (3rd all-time passing Tony Jones) and tackles-for-loss with 43.5 (3rd all-time passing College Football Hall of Famer Boomer Grigsby).

Members of the AFCA Coaches' All-America First Team will receive a plaque commemorating their selection to the team, while members of the Second Team will receive a certificate. 

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