Jeffrey Canady one of six OVC players named to the team
Six Ohio Valley Conference football student-athletes have been named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District ® football teams, including Eastern Kentucky University linebacker Jeffery Canaday.
The selections included three student-athletes from District II and four from District III. The selections were Canady, Murray State’s Zach Shipley, Tennessee Tech’s Dontez Byrd and Elliott Normand, Austin Peay’s Ryan Rockensuess and Tennessee State’s Lane Clark.
Each of the six were first-team selections and for making the first-team each will have his name appear on the national ballot for consideration for Academic All-American. The 2017 Academic All-America football team will be announced on Thursday, December 14.
To be eligible for nomination, a student-athlete must have reached sophomore academic standing and have at least a 3.30 cumulative grade point average. District II selections include schools from the states of Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and the District of Columbia.
District III selections include schools from the states of North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia while District IV selections come from schools located in the states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia and South Carolina.
Canady carries a 3.63 grade points average in safety, security and emergency management. He leads the EKU team with 74 tackles this season while also adding 5.5 tackles-for-loss, 1.5 sacks and three quarterback hurries.
Shipley has a 3.97 grade point average in health and physical education. In 10 games this season Shipley has registered 36 tackles, an intercepiton, two pass breakups and recovered a fumble.
Byrd set Tech’s single-season receiving yardage record for the second-straight season and has 976 yards and six touchdowns on 72 catches. Byrd can also set Tech’s single-season receptions record for the second straight year with three catches in Saturday’s season finale against UT Martin. He has a 3.50 grade point average in exercise science (fitness & wellness).
An accounting major, Rockensuess shines in the classroom as well, carrying a 3.57 grade-point average. He’s earned Dean’s List honors the past two springs and is a four-time member of the Athletic Directors Honor Roll. He has become an anchor along the Austin Peay interior line, starting 11 games for the league leader in total offense (385.7 ypg) and rushing offense (252.7 ypg).
He’s paved the way for sophomore Kentel Williams (656 rushing yards, fourth in the Ohio Valley Conference) and freshman Ahmaad Tanner (602, eighth) to earn top-10 spots in the OVC rushing rankings.
Clark has a 3.83 GPA in biology (pre-med) and has been a three-time Ohio Valley Conference Commissioner’s Honor Roll selection. The kicker was named to several All-American teams as a junior and has entrenched himself in the Tennessee State record books, including holding eight of the 11 longest field goals in program history.
Normand has 81 total tackles, 30 solo and 51 assisted, with one sack for seven yards and eight tackles-for-loss. He also has a forced fumble and an interception. He has 169 career tackles. He carries a 3.75 grade point average in mechanical engineering.
2017 OVC CoSIDA Academic All-District Selections for Football
Jeffrey Canady, Eastern Kentucky
Zach Shipley, Murray Stat
Dontez Byrd, Tennessee Tech
Ryan Rockensuess, Austin Peay
Lane Clark, Tennessee State
Elliott Normand, Tennessee Tech
