CoSIDA Academic All-District TeamsLEXINGTON, Va. – For the second year in a row, VMI junior safety AJ Smith was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District Team for his accomplishments on the field and for superior academic work in the classwork.
First-team Academic All-District® honorees advance to the CoSIDA Academic All-America® ballot. First- and second-team (if applicable) Academic All-America® honorees will be announced in early December. Last year as a sophomore, Smith achieved the mark and was named to the Academic All-America team after being named to the All-District 3 first team.
The top academic achievement a collegiate student-athlete can earn, candidates must hold at least a 3.3 GPA to be considered and be a significant contributor on the field of play. A mechanical engineering major, Smith earned the GPA requirement and excels on the field as a team captain and one of the team’s best defensive players.
This season, Smith ranks second on the team in total tackles with 62 on the year including 33 solo takedowns and 29 assisted tackles. He also has 2.5 tackles for loss, three picks, deflected seven passes and forced one fumble.
The CoSIDA Academic All-District® teams include the student-athletes listed on the attached PDF and are divided into geographic districts across the United States.
CoSIDA members will vote on the All-District first team members next week and the Academic All-Americans will be announced later this month.
For more information about CoSIDA’s Academic All-District® and Academic All-America® Teams program, visit AcademicAllAmerica.com on CoSIDA.com.
NCAA DIVISION I – DISTRICT 3 (NC, TN, VA)
FIRST TEAM
Pos. Name School Yr. GPA Major
QB Brady White University of Memphis Gr. 3.58/3.80 Humanities (G)
RB Wesley Dugger Davidson College Jr. 3.36 Anthropology
RB Isaiah Totten North Carolina Central University Sr. 3.47 Mass Communication
WR Bryce Nunnelly Chattanooga Jr. 3.81 Mechanical Engineering
WR Daeshawn Stephens North Carolina Central University Sr. 3.82 Mass Communication
WR Sage Surratt Wake Forest University So. 3.47 Economics
TE Michael Wooten Campbell University Sr. 3.70 Kinesiology
OL Eddie Gajardo East Tennessee State University Sr. 3.90 Nursing
OL Cole Garrison Appalachian State Sr. 3.93 Exercise Science
OL Ryan Johnson University of Tennessee Gr. 3.88/3.68 Structural Engineering (G)
OL Brandon Kennedy University of Tennessee Gr. 3.84/3.84 Sports Psychology (UG) / Motor Behavior (G)
OL Dustin Woodard University of Memphis Sr. 3.44 Management
K AJ Reed Duke University Jr. 3.75 Political Science
ST Paxton Brooks University of Tennessee So. 3.98 Kinesiology
DL Richard Burney University of Virginia Gr. 3.47 American Studies (UG) / MED (G)
DL Matthew Butler University of Tennessee Jr. 3.64 Political Science
DL Edgar Cerenord Duke University Sr. 3.67 Sociology
DL Alex Turner East Carolina University Sr. 3.61 Psychology & Multidisciplinary Study / Neuroscience
LB Jordan Fehr Appalachian State Sr. 3.77 Management
LB Jordan Mack University of Virginia Sr. 3.47 Youth & Social Innovation
LB Caleb Peart Vanderbilt University Gr. 3.54/4.00 Medicine, Health, & Society / African American Studies
DB Elijah Benton Liberty University Gr. 3.57 Graphic Design (UG) / Executive Leadership (G)
DB Jerrell Lawson Chattanooga Gr. 3.50 Business Management (UG) / MBA (G)
DB A.J. Smith Virginia Military Institute Jr. 3.40 Mechanical Engineering
DB Kaiden Smith Appalachian State Sr. 3.70 Communication
P John Pecaro North Carolina Central University Sr. 3.71 Political Science
