MOREHEAD, Ky. -- Five Morehead State football student-athletes were voted to the 2023 Academic All-PFL Teams.
Offensive lineman
Jaxsen Spears became just the fifth-ever Eagle to earn three consecutive First-Team honors. Other winners were on the second-team and include quarterback
Carter Cravens, linebacker
Jahleel Holmes, defensive back
Jihad McCall and long snapper
Brady McKnight.
This is the third consecutive season McKnight has earned second-team honors, while Holmes earns his second academic award after being second-team in 2021.Morehead State has now had at least three or more Academic All-PFL selections for 10 consecutive seasons.
Spears, a junior from Plainfield, Ind., has maintained a perfect 4.0 grade-point average and helped the offense rank among the best passing teams in the PFL at 232 yards per game.
Cravens is a redshirt sophomore from Cypress, Texas who sports a 3.47 GPA in finance. 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 in nine games before an injury sidelined him. He rushed for 240 yards and three scores.
Holmes is a graduate student from Moreno Valley, Calif. He has a 3.47 GPA in biology. He is working on penning a book for kids interested in the STEM disciplines. Holmes 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.
McCall, a redshirt sophomore from Jersey City, N.J., has a 3.54 GPA in exercise science. He tied with teammate
Kaleb Lyons for the MSU and FCS lead with six pickoffs, including two against Davidson. He had 36 total tackles.
McKnight, who was a freshman All-American in 2021, is a junior from Stephens City, Va. He has maintained a 3.78 GPA in agribusiness. McKnight 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.
Pioneer Football League athletic directors established the Academic All-PFL squads in 1993 as a way to recognize the league's outstanding student-athletes. To be eligible for Academic All-PFL consideration, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative grade-point average of 3.30 on a scale of 4.00, reach his second season academically and played at least one full season at his current institution.
