14 Eagles Earn All-Pioneer Football League Honors; Seven Named First or Second Team

MOREHEAD, Ky. -- A total of 14 Morehead State football student-athletes were named to the 2023 All-Pioneer League Teams, including seven who earned either first or second team nods.

The Eagles had three first-team selections in wide receiver Ryan Upp, linebacker Jahleel Holmes and defensive back Kaleb Lyons. There were five second-team picks, including Upp who repeated as the all-purpose runner choice. Other second-teamers are defensive lineman Noah Benza, linebacker Keenan Wolf and defensive backs Cooper Krezek and Jihad McCall.

MSU also landed seven honorable mentions. Those were: defensive lineman/animal Isaac Armstrong, quarterback Carter Cravens, wide receiver Kyle Daly, long snapper Brady McKnight, offensive lineman Jaxsen Spears, offensive lineman James Wayne and punter Kip Warren.

Upp, a junior from Leesburg, Va., ranked among the best pass catcher in the league. He racked up 833 yards and hauled in nine touchdowns, which ranks in the top five in MSU single-season history. Upp led the receivers with 55 catches and averaged 75 yards per game. Upp had three 100-yard games, including a career-high 184 yards and two scores in a rally win at Valparaiso.In the return game, he had 13 kickoff returns for a 20.5-yard average.

Holmes is a graduate student from Moreno Valley, Calif. He ranked second in the PFL with 113 total tackles and led MSU and ranked among the PFL leaders with 11.5 tackles for loss. He also had three pass breakups and a fumble recovery. Holmes totaled six 10+ tackle games and had a career-best 18 versus Butler.

Lyons, a sophomore from Antioch, Tenn., finished the regular season ranked first (along with teammate McCall) in the FCS division with six interceptions. Lyons picked off a PFL  and MSU record-tying three INTS in the win over Davidson. He also had 34 tackles and led the team with nine pass breakups.

Benza, a junior from Hebron, Ky., ranked second on the squad with 10 tackles for loss among his 37 total stops. He led the Eagles with 4.5 tackles for loss.

Wolf, a redshirt junior from Fresno, Calif., ranked second on MSU's defensive unit with 87 total tackles. He had 4.5 tackles for losses and picked up a fumble forced as well.

Krezek, a redshirt junior from Kansas City, Mo., had 85 total stops. He had a team-high 48 solo tackles and also had a fumble recovery, a fumble forced and a blocked kick. Krezek scored on a blocked kick too.

McCall, a redshirt sophomore from Jersey City, N.J., tied with Lyons for the MSU and FCS lead with six pickoffs, including two against Davidson. He had 36 total tackles.

Armstrong, a graduate student from Lexington, Ky., had 25 tackles and eight for losses. Cravens is a redshirt sophomore from Cypress, Texas. He became just the ninth MSU QB to pass for 2,000+ yards in a single season, finishing with 2,074 yards and 13 TDs. He rushed for 240 yards and three scores. 

Daly, a senior from Sparkhill, N.Y., ended up with  three 100+ yard games and 697 total receiving yards. Daly scored five TDs. McKnight is a junior from Stephens City, Va., who graded out as one of the best long snappers in the league for the third straight season. He did not have a bad snap all season.

Spears, from Plainfield, Ind., and Wayne, from Port Saint Lucie, Fla., helped the offense rank among the best passing teams in the PFL at 232 yards per game. Finally, Warren is a redshirt sophomore from Mooresville, N.C., who averaged 39.1 yards on 63 punts. He booted five of 50+ yards and landed 14 inside the 20-yard lines.