NORMAL, Ill. – More All-America honors continue to roll in for a pair of Illinois State defensive stalwarts, as Tye Niekamp and Keondre Jackson named to the 2024 Stats Perform FCS All-America Team, as announced by the organization on Wednesday.
The Stats Perform FCS All-America team has 113 players across three teams, representing all 13 FCS leagues and 67 schools. Niekamp was named a First-Team selection, while Jackson was tabbed as a Third-Team selection following stellar campaigns where each earned First-Team All-MVFC honors. Both were also honored as All-Americans by the Associated Press on Tuesday.
In 2023, Niekamp earned FCS Freshman All-America honors from Stats Perform and followed that up by finishing third in the 2024 MVFC Defensive Player of the Year voting on way to earning All-MVFC honors for the second year in a row. The Normal, Illinois, product native led the Redbirds on the year with 112 tackles and is tied for first in the MVFC in that same category. He also leads the MVFC with four interceptions on the year and ranked in the top six in tackles-for-loss with 11. Niekamp also added three sacks and tied eight pass breakups on the year, while forcing one fumble. His best performance of the year came when he earned MVFC Defensive Player of the Week and Stats Perform National Defensive Player of the Week honors following a stellar performance in a win at Southern Illinois.
A two-time All-MVFC selection, Jackson ranked third on the team with 99 total tackles and was eighth in the MVFC tackles during the regular season. The Freeport, Illinois, native was also credited with 1.5 sacks, 4.5 tackles-for-loss, six pass breakups, two forced fumbles and three interceptions on the year. He recorded three double-digit tackling efforts, including a season-best 11 stops at Iowa, and had a season-best 1.5 tackles-for-loss and nine stops in a road win at North Alabama. He also put together a standout performance in the FCS First Round playoff win at Southeast Missouri State, where he recorded six tackles and two interceptions (one for a 30-yard touchdown) in the victory against the Redhawks.
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