Four Redbirds Named Preseason All-Americans By Phil Steele

NORMAL, Ill. – A quartet of Illinois State football standouts were named preseason All-Americans by Phil Steele on Friday, as Amir Abdullah, Hunter Zambrano, Daniel Sobkowicz and Mason King were each selected to the annual list by one of football's most respected publishers.

All four were previously named Missouri Valley Football Conference preseason First-Team All-League selections, while King and Abdullah also garnered preseason All-America honors from Stats Perform. Steele tabbed Abdullah, Zambrano and Sobkowicz as preseason All-America First-Team selections, while King was named a Fourth-Team pick.

In his first season with the Redbirds following a transfer from Nebraska-Kearney, Abdullah earned Third-Team All-America honors from Stats Perform, FCS Football Central, and the Associated Press last season and was selected as a Second-Team All-American by Phil Steele. The Chicago, Illinois, native finished ninth in the voting for the Buck Buchanan Award presented by Stats Perform, which honors the national defensive player of the year in FCS football. Abdullah was voted an All-MVFC First-Team and All-Newcomer Team pick at linebacker in 2023, after he ranked No. 6 in the FCS in sacks per game (0.86) and No. 26 in tackles for loss per game (1.3). 

Zambrano was a 2023 All-MVFC Second-Team selection, after he started all 11 games at left tackle for the Redbirds and graded out at the team's top offensive lineman at over 90 percent. The Weston, Florida, native was a  key member of the offensive line unit that allowed the fewest sacks in the MVFC with just seven on the year, ranking the group in the top 5 nationally. A two-time MVFC Offensive Lineman of the Week selection, Zambrano helped the Redbirds rank third in the league in total offense with 433.5 yards per contest and third in scoring.

Sobkowicz earned All-MVFC Second-Team honors in 2023, after he ranked in the top 20 in the country in touchdowns (10), receiving yards (933), yards per game (84.8) and receptions per game (6.2). The Arlington Heights, Illinois, native led the MVFC with 10 touchdown receptions and ranked third in yards and yards per game. He tallied four 90-plus yard receiving performances and scored a touchdown in seven-straight games, which included a career day against Youngstown State with 11 grabs for 170 and three touchdowns.

King was selected as the 2023 MVFC Newcomer of the Year and earned All-MVFC First-Team honors at running back in his first season with the Redbirds after transferring from Northern Illinois. A MVFC All-Newcomer Team pick, the Centralia, Illinois, native played in 10 games leading the team with 983 rushing yards, 14 rushing touchdowns and 84 points scored. His 14 touchdowns and 98.3 yards per game led the MVFC and he averaged 6.6 yards per carry, which ranked him in the top 10 in the FCS. 

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