ARLINGTON, Texas – Southern Utah punter Jake Gerardi represented the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) as a unanimous selection to major 2022 FCS college football All-America teams.
Gerardi was the first-team choice on All-America teams awarded by the Associated Press (AP), the FCS Athletic Directors Association (FCS ADA), Stats Perform and the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA). Stephen F. Austin wide receiver Xavier Gipson was a first-team choice by the AP and Stats Perform and a second-team AFCA selection. Utah Tech wide receiver Joey Hobert was on the AP and Stats Perform second team and the AFCA first team.
Gerardi, a redshirt senior, was arguably the most valuable player at the punter position nationally during the year. Gerardi paced the WAC and the FCS with a 48.0 yards per punt average over 52 attempts, with a conference-high 20 punts covering 50 or more yards. Gerardi also ranked second in the conference with 18 punts landing inside the opponent’s 20-yard line. Serving as the primary kickoff specialist, Gerardi registered a touchback on exactly half of his kickoffs, 31-of-62.
Gipson, a senior, became just the eighth player in WAC history to win offensive player of the year honors in back-to-back seasons following a stellar 2022 campaign. Gipson led the WAC with 1,486 all-purpose yards, which included a conference-high 276 punt return yards and added 1,163 receiving yards to rank second in the league. Gipson’s nine total touchdowns (seven receiving, two punt returns) were tied for third among all WAC players, while his 25.1 yards per punt return average was among the best in college football.
Hobert, a sophomore, was among the FCS leaders with 90 receptions, 1,258 yards and 16 touchdowns over just 11 games at Utah Tech. Hobert led the WAC with eight 100-yard receiving outings during the 2022 season and equaled the season’s single-game conference highs in both receptions (11) and receiving touchdowns (3) with the Trailblazers.
2022 WAC FCS Football All-America
2022 AP All-America First Team
WR – Xavier Gipson, Sr., Stephen F. Austin
P – Jake Gerardi, R-Sr., Southern Utah
2022 AP All-America Second Team
WR – Joey Hobert, So., Utah Tech
2022 FCS ADA All-America Team
P – Jake Gerardi, R-Sr., Southern Utah
2022 Stats Perform All-America First Team
WR – Xavier Gipson, Sr., Stephen F. Austin
P – Jake Gerardi, R-Sr., Southern Utah
2022 Stats Perform All-America Second Team
WR – Joey Hobert, So., Utah Tech
2022 AFCA All-America First Team
WR – Joey Hobert, So., Utah Tech
P – Jake Gerardi, R-Sr., Southern Utah
2022 AFCA All-America Second Team
WR – Xavier Gipson, Sr., Stephen F. Austin
- WAC -