SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Missouri State senior linebacker Dylan Cole was tabbed for The Associated Press FCS All-America first team Thursday. Cole, the 11th MSU football standout to earn first-team recognition from the AP, was one of six Missouri Valley Football Conference honorees selected for the top team, while 13 Valley players overall were cited for All-America honors by the organization.

A four-year standout from Rogersville, Mo., Cole led the FCS with 142 tackles and 12.9 tackles per game during the regular season, also ranking first in the MVFC for the second-consecutive season. He had at least 13 tackles in nine games, including 19 in the Bears' win over Southern Illinois. The All-MVFC first-team selection racked up 85 solo tackles, eight tackles for loss, two interceptions, four pass breakups and three forced fumbles. 

Earlier this month, Cole was named one of three finalists for STATS FCS Buck Buchanan Award honoring the top defensive player in the nation. He capped his career with 457 tackles in 46 games, finishing third on the Bears' career tackles chart and ninth all-time in Valley history.

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2016 ASSOCIATED PRESS FCS ALL-AMERICA TEAM
FIRST TEAM
OFFENSE
Quarterback — Jeremiah Briscoe, junior, 6-foot-3, 209 pounds, Sam Houston State.
Running backs — Chase Edmonds, junior, 5-9, 205, Fordham; Tarik Cohen, senior, 5-6, 170, North Carolina A&T State.
Linemen — Julie'n Davenport, senior, 6-7, 315, Bucknell; Jessamen Dunker, senior, 6-5, 290, Tennessee State; Zach Johnson, senior, 6-4, 331, North Dakota State; Landon Lechler, senior, 6-7, 298, North Dakota State; Mitchell Kirsch, 6-6, 300, senior, James Madison.
Tight end — Dallas Goedert, junior, 6-4, 250, South Dakota State.
Wide receivers — Cooper Kupp, senior, 6-2, 215, Eastern Washington; Karel Hamilton, senior, 6-1, 205, Samford.
All-purpose player — Detrez Newsome, junior, 5-10, 210, Western Carolina.
Kicker — Griffin Trau, sophomore, 5-8, 180, Richmond.

DEFENSE
Linemen — P.J. Hall, junior, 6-1, 280, Sam Houston State; Karter Schult, senior, 6-4, 269, Northern Iowa; Tanoh Kpassagnon, senior, 6-7, 290, Villanova; Darius Jackson, junior, 6-3, 237, Jacksonville State
Linebackers — Dylan Cole, senior, 6-1, 240, Missouri State; Alex Scearce, senior, 6-3, 220, Coastal Carolina; Darius Leonard, junior, 6-3, 220, South Carolina State.
Defensive backs — Donald Payne, senior, 6-0, 223, Stetson; Cole Reyes, junior, 6-2, 215, North Dakota; Lorenzo Jerome, senior, 6-0, 195, Saint Francis (Pa.); Dee Delaney, junior, 6-1, 193, The Citadel.
Punter — Miles Bergner, senior, 6-0, 225, South Dakota.

SECOND TEAM
OFFENSE
Quarterback — Gage Gubrud, sophomore, Eastern Washington.
Running backs — Khalid Abdullah, senior, James Madison; Jonah Hodges, senior, San Diego.
Linemen — Corey Levin, senior, Chattanooga; Erik Austell, senior, Charleston Southern; Brandon Parker, junior, North Carolina A&T State; Casey Dunn, senior, Jacksonville State; Nick Demes, senior, Penn.
Tight end — Eric Saubert, senior, Drake.
Wide receivers — Brian Brown, senior, Richmond; Kamron Lewis, sophomore, St. Francis (Pa.).
All-purpose player — Rashard Davis, senior, James Madison.
Kicker — Lane Clark, sophomore, Tennessee State.

DEFENSE
Linemen — Donovan McCray, senior, Grambling State; Keionta Davis, senior, Chattanooga; Anthony Ellis, junior, Charleston Southern; Derek Rivers, senior, Youngstown State.
Linebackers — Christian Kuntz, senior, Duquesne; Folarin Orimolade , senior, Dartmouth; Brett Taylor, junior, Western Illinois
Defensive backs — Mike Basile, junior, Monmouth; Casey DeAndrade, senior, New Hampshire; Deion Harris, junior, North Dakota; LeRoy Alexander, senior, Youngstown State.
Punter — Jake Ryder, senior, Towson.

THIRD TEAM
OFFENSE
Quarterback — Devlin Hodges, sophomore, Samford.
Running backs — Lenard Tillery, senior, Southern; Lorenzo Long, senior, Wofford.
Linemen — Taylor Gadbois, senior, Southeastern Louisiana; Anton Wahrby, senior, Wofford; Mark Spelman, senior, Illinois State; Jerry Ugokwe, senior, William & Mary; Max Rich, senior, Harvard.
Tight end — Andrew Vollert, junior, Weber State.
Wide receivers — Jake Wieneke, junior, South Dakota State; Troy Pelletier, junior, Lehigh.
All-purpose player — Jody Webb, senior, Youngstown State.
Kicker — Erik Medina, senior, Texas Southern.

DEFENSE
Linemen — Pat Afriyie, junior, Colgate; Samson Ebukam, senior, Eastern Washington, Greg Menard, junior, North Dakota State; Winston Craig, senior, Richmond.
Linebackers — Garrett Dolan, junior, Houston Baptist; Darien Anderson, senior, Alcorn State; Chad Geter, senior, Gardner-Webb.
Defensive backs — Nick Gesualdi, junior, Cornell; Danny Johnson, junior, Southern; Xavier Coleman, senior, Portland State; Jaylen Hill, senior, Jacksonville State.
Punter — Tate Lewis, senior, Southern Utah.