NORMAL, Ill. – As the 2025 college football season quickly approaches, a group of six Illinois State standouts have been tabbed as preseason FCS All-Americans by Stats Perform on Tuesday on the annual list.Â
Junior linebacker Tye Niekamp and senior longsnapper Dylan Calabrese were named First-Team selections, senior wide receiver Daniel Sobkowicz and senior running back Wenkers Wright earned Second-Team honors, and senior quarterback Tommy Rittenhouse and junior defensive lineman Jake Anderson garnered Third-Team plaudits.
The six Redbirds were among 102 All-Americans, who are spread across three teams. Illinois State and UIW share the high with six selections each, while defending national champion North Dakota State and South Dakota have five each. Six players return from last year's postseason first team, including Niekamp.
Niekamp earned FCS All-America honors from Stats Perform, Phil Steele, the AFCA, and The Associated Press following a stellar sophomore campaign in 2024. The All-MVFC First Team selection at linebacker led the Redbirds and tied for first in the MVFC in tackles with 112 (50 solo) and had the league-lead in interceptions with four on the year.
Calabrese served as the team's primary long and short snapper in 2024 in his first season with the Redbirds following a transfer from Western Michigan. He was not credited with a bad snap all year and was a key member of the special teams unit that ranked third in the MVFC in field goal percentage and did not have a punt blocked all season.
Sobkowicz was an All-MVFC Second-Team selection at wide receiver last season and ranked second in the MVFC with 1,108 receiving yards on 80 receptions (13.9 yards per catch) with nine touchdown receptions. He became Illinois State's first 1,000 plus yard receiver since Anthony Warrum in 2016 and his 1,108 yards are the fifth most in a single season by a Redbird wideout.
Wright ran his way All-MVFC Honorable Mention team honors in 2024, as he ranked fifth in the MVFC with 1,123 rushing yards on 218 attempts (5.2 yards per carry) with 11 rushing touchdowns, which ranked eighth in the Valley. He became the Redbirds' first 1,000-yard rusher since James Robinson in 2019 and recorded six 100-plus rushing yard performances, with a season-high 153 yards on the ground in a win at North Alabama.
Rittenhouse took the reigns as the starter at quarterback for the Redbirds and took home All-MVFC Honorable mention honors. He completed 66.4 percent of his passes (259-for-390) for 2,840 yards with 17 touchdown passes and combined to score 25 total touchdowns, with eight scores on the ground to rank second on the team. He recorded seven games with 200-plus yards passing and tallied a pair of 300-plus yards efforts, including a career-high 347 yards passing in a win at Murray State.
Anderson was named an All-MVFC Second Team selection on the defensive line, after he ranked sixth on the team in tackles with 59 (21 solo) and was credited with 3.0 sacks, 6.5 tackles for loss, one pass breakup and one forced fumble on the year. He recorded a half TFL or more in eight games, with a season-best 1.5 against Missouri State.
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