Murray State University Athletics
Five Racers Honored by Phil Steele Magazine
7/21/2008 5:00:00 AM | Football
Five Murray State football players received preseason recognition in Phil Steele's annual preseason NCAA magazine. Junior tight end DeAngelo Nelson and junior linebacker Tamar Butler received first-team accolades, while junior wide receiver Derrick Townsel, junior running back Charlie Jordan and sophomore linebacker Zach Kutch were named to the second team.
"It is a tremendous honor for these young men to be named as pre-season all conference selections," said head coach Matt Griffin. "They have certainly worked hard, but understand that it is more important to achieve these honors at the end of the season."
Nelson (Memphis, Tenn.) received recognition after garnering first-team all-OVC accolades following the 2007 season. He finished the season with 34 catches for 451 yards and three touchdowns. He ranked second on the team in yards and third in receptions, while leading all OVC tight ends in catches, yards and touchdowns.
Butler (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) is the top returning tackler for the Racers after recording 78 tackles (54 solo), 10.5 tackles-for-loss and five sacks. He also forced a fumble and had three pass break-ups. Despite a nagging injury that limited his practice, Butler recorded three double-digit tackle performances, including a season-high 13-tackle performance against Tennessee Tech.
Townsel (Memphis, Tenn.) is the top returning threat on the outside for the Racers after catching 37 passes for 359 yards a pair of scores a season ago. The home run-threat also carried the ball 13 times for 99 yards and a touchdown. Over the last two games of the 2007 season, Townsel hauled in 16 passes for 161 yards.
Jordan (Memphis, Tenn.) has been the top ground gainer over the past two seasons. In 2007, Jordan rushed for 601 yards and four touchdowns on 118 carries. He is also a receiving threat out of the backfield as he hauled in 32 catches for 236 yards. Jordan put together back-to-back 100-yard performances as he raced for 127 yards and two touchdowns against Eastern Illinois and followed it up with a 157-yard effort in the victory over Southeast Missouri.
Kutch (Cocoa, Fla.) was forced into the lineup in the second game of the season and made the most of his true-freshman campaign. He finished the season as the third leading tackler with 64 stops, while also recording 3.5 tackles-for-loss and intercepting one pass. He broke up a pair of passes and had a career-best nine stops in the game against UT Martin.
Phil Steele's 100-page NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) preview is in the PAC 10 Football 2008 Preview magazine.
The Racers open the 2008 season on Aug. 28 as they play host to Lambuth. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Stewart Stadium.
