Four Big South football players received All-America honors this week.  Charleston Southern's Philip Ashley, Liberty's Rashad Jennings and Gardner-Webb's Jeffrey Williams were named Associated Press All-Americans, while the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) honored Gardner-Webb's Demario Deese with All-American accolades.

Ashley was named to the third-team.  He tied or broke all three (game, season and career) records for interceptions during an outstanding 2008 season. His two interceptions against Coastal Carolina in the final game of the season tied the record for interceptions in a game and broke the single-season record with six. Ashley, who just finished his junior season, has already pushed the career record to 11 (previously seven).  He finished the year tops in the Big South with his six interceptions, which also put him in a tie for ninth in interceptions per game.  He also had 30 tackles on the season with two pass breakups, helping lead CSU to their third winning season in four years with a 7-5 record.

Jennings made his second All-America team within the past week, as he was named to the AP's first-team.  Jennings (Forest, Va.), who was just honored as a Walter Camp Football Foundation Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) All-American on Dec. 12, becomes Liberty’s second-ever first-team AP FCS All-American. Jesse Riley was tabbed a first-team All-American at linebacker in 1998.  Jennings was one of two running backs selected to the first team, along with the nation’s leading rusher, Herb Donaldson of Western Illinois. The prestigious recognition is the latest honor which has been bestowed upon Jennings, who finished his senior campaign with 1,500 rushing yards and 17 rushing touchdowns.

Jennings, who ranks No. 5 nationally with 136.36 rushing yards per game, finished eighth in the final voting for the 22nd Walter Payton Award, given to the nation’s top FCS player. He also won the Big South Offensive Player of the Year award for the second consecutive season, becoming the first player in conference history to capture the honor in back-to-back seasons.  The senior tailback established numerous Liberty and Big South records this season, including single-season standards for rushing yards, rushing touchdowns and points scored (114). In just three seasons with the Flames, Jennings set Liberty and Big South career records, with 3,633 career rushing yards. He also rushed for 42 touchdowns, establishing a Liberty record and ranking second in conference history.

Williams joined Ashley on the AP's third-team.  The Big South's Defensive Player of the Year in 2008, Williams (6-0, 221, So.) was the league’s Freshman of the Year in 2007, and followed that effort up by leading the Big South Conference in tackles (119) as a sophomore. The Frisco City, Ala., native is the sixth GWU player to earn the league’s Defensive Player of the Year award, joining Mario Williams (2002, 2003), Harold Wells (2004) and Brian Johnston (2006, 2007).  Williams averaged 13.2 tackles per game against league foes in 2008, and finished the regular season ranked 11th-nationally in overall tackles per game (10.8) and solo tackles per game (5.6). Williams’ prowess and hard-hitting helped Gardner-Webb rank among the nation’s best against the run for much of the season, which saw GWU hold seven of its 11 opponents to less than 100 yards on the ground – including the first six of the 2008 season, a new league record. Gardner-Webb allowed just 118 yards per game on the ground this past season, which rates as the second-best effort in league history.  Williams, also a first-team All-Conference selection at linebacker, also finished the season with 9.0 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, three interceptions, five pass break ups and two forced fumbles. He has registered 239 total tackles in 22 career starts during his brief Gardner-Webb career, averaging an impressive 10.9 stops per game. The FCS All-America candidate has made at least 10 stops 14 times in his college career so far.

Deese was named to the AFCA's All-American team, marking the third consecutive year a Big South football student-athlete has been honored by the coaches' organization, and the fourth overall.  He is the first player in Big South Conference history to earn first-team All-Big South Conference honors all four seasons he played. The Charlotte, N.C., native has been the Bulldogs’ top blocker since his arrival on campus in 2005, and made 41 starts during his time in Boiling Springs.