#FlashFAST Trio Earn Preseason All-MAC First Team Nod from Phil Steele
7/13/2020 11:57:00 AM | Football
KENT, OHIO - Kent State placed three players on the first team and nine total on Phil Steele's annual pre-season All-MAC team as announced by his yearly college football magazine on Monday.
Quarterback Dustin Crum was joined by wide receiver Isaiah McKoy and place kicker Matthew Trickett on the first team. KJ Sherald earned a spot on the second team, Julian Sams, Mandela Lawrence-Burke and Elvis Hines received third team honors while Antwan Dixon and Daniel Johnson were named to the fourth team.
The accolades keep piling up for the trio on Phil Steele's first team, having already earned similar honors from Athlon Sports. Crum emerged on the scene with his week two start against Kennesaw State. The rising senior completed nearly 70 percent of his passes for 2625 yards with 20 touchdowns against just two interceptions. No other FBS quarterback had more than 20 touchdowns with as few interceptions. Crum also ran for 700 yards and six more scores.
McKoy led the Golden Flashes with 872 yards and eight scores. McKoy runs the deep route with the best of them, with all eight of his touchdowns going for 21 yards or more. He had five touchdown catches of 40 yards or longer. Trickett continually answered the call last year for the Golden Flashes, connecting on 29-of-34 field goals, tying for the most in the FBS. He never shied away from the moment, hitting two "walk-off" field goals last season and hitting a third in the final seconds. The rising junior hit four or more field goals three times in 2019, including a 5-for-5 performance in the Tropical Smoothie Café Frisco Bowl.
Keith Sherald will be one of the defensive leaders in 2020 and earned a second-team nod from Phil Steele. Sherald finished third on the team with 86 tackles including 53 solo. The rising senior also led the squad with three interceptions. He picked off Eastern Michigan's Mike Glass twice in the regular-season finale highlighted by a pick on the game's final drive that secured the eventual bowl berth.
Julian Sams has been the mark of consistency for the Golden Flashes on the offensive line, starting all 25 games in his first two seasons and earned third-team honors from Steele. Sams has lined up all across the offensive line at Kent State and will help anchor the line in 2020. Mandela Lawrence-Burke led the Golden Flashes with 104 stops including 52 solo. He and fellow senior Cepeda Phillips will lead the linebacking corps this season. Lawrence-Burke showed his defensive versatility last year, also recording four sacks, a forced fumble and a bowl game interception. Hines joins Sherald as leaders of the Kent State secondary. In 2019, Hines was second on the team with seven pass breakups and eighth on the team with 58 stops.
Daniel Johnson earned fourth-team honors after he stepped into a starting offensive tackle role last year against Buffalo and the Flashes never looked back. Kent State went 4-0 in Johnson's four starts a year ago and will look to build off that momentum as he steps into his first season as a full-time starter. Dixon is making the most of the NCAA granting him a sixth year of eligibility, joining Johnson on the fourth team. He finished fourth on the team last season with 34 catches and 333 yards. The wideout closed the season strong with a season-best 99 yards receiving and a touchdown.
Phil Steele's preseason All-MAC team is a part of his college football preview magazine.
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