EWU safety Jaylon Jenkins named First Team All-Big Sky; Idaho puts two players on first team

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Nov. 26—Following a standout season when he led the league in interceptions, Eastern Washington safety Jaylon Jenkins was named a first-team All-Big Sky selection on Wednesday, when the league announced its season accolades.

Jenkins, a redshirt sophomore, started all 12 games for the Eagles and finished with five interceptions, tying him with Sacramento State defensive back Koa Akui, who was also named to the first team.

Tight end Landon Cooper and linebacker Read Sunn were named to the second-team offense and defense, respectively. Cooper, a redshirt senior, caught 22 passes for 239 yards and two touchdowns for the Eagles, while Sunn, a grad senior, led the Eagles with 96 tackles, fifth-most in the Big Sky.

Offensive tackle Dylan Conner, quarterback Nate Bell, defensive tackle Isaiah Perez, safety Drew Carter and punter Landon Ogles each earned honorable mentions. Ogles and Conner have finished their careers at Eastern; the others retain eligibility.

Idaho had five players selected to the all-conference teams, led by first-team members Nate Azzopardi (offensive line) and Isiah King (linebacker). King ranked 12th in the league with 79 tackles. He also had three sacks.

Idaho's Brayden Rice was named second-team All-Big Sky as a special-teams player, while Matyus McLain (defensive line) and Dylan Lane (linebacker) were honorable mentions.

The Offensive Player of the Year is Eli Gillman, the redshirt junior Montana running back who led the league in rushing with 1,261 yards and 17 touchdowns during the regular season. Montana State junior safety Caden Dowler was named the Defensive Player of the Year. Dowler has 78 tackles (51/2 for loss) and four interceptions.

Montana State quarterback Justin Lamson was named the Newcomer of the Year. The junior transfer from Stanford led the league in completion percentage (72.4) during the regular season while throwing for 2,345 yards, 20 touchdowns and two interceptions.

Montana State's Brent Vigen was named Coach of the Year for the third time in five years with the Bobcats while leading his team to its third Big Sky championship during that span. Under Vigen, the Bobcats are 57-12 overall with a 37-3 record in conference play.

UC Davis quarterback Caden Pinnick was named Freshman of the Year. He has thrown for 2,527 yards, 24 touchdowns and eight interceptions this season.

Montana State, Montana and UC Davis are the three Big Sky teams to reach the 24-team FCS playoffs. All of them received top-eight seeds and first-round byes.

Montana State, the No. 2 seed, awaits the winner of Yale and No. 15 Youngstown State. Montana, seeded third, will host either New Hampshire or No. 14 South Dakota State. UC Davis, the No. 8 seed, will host the winner of Central Connecticut State and No. 9 Rhode Island.

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