CHICAGO -- Four Missouri State football standouts were named to the Stats Perform FCS All-America and Freshman All-America Teams on Wednesday (Dec. 18).
Heading the Bears' quartet is first-team All-America selection
Caden Bolz (LS, Overland Park, Kan.), along with third-team All-America honoree
Lance Mason (TE, Rockwall, Texas). Missouri State also had two Freshman All-America picks in kicker
Yousef Obeid (Darborn, Mich.) and linebacker
Dallas Winner-Johnson (St. Louis, Mo.).
Bolz, a first-team All-MVFC long snapper, was perfect on 112 extra-point, field goal and punt plays this season to earn All-MVFC honors for the third straight season. He had a key solo tackle in the season opener at No. 3 Montana (Aug. 31) and had a critical downed punt in the home win over Youngstown State (Sept. 21). Bolz also matched teammate
Grant Burkett for the MSU career games played record (56) and logged a tackle in the final game of his career vs. South Dakota State (Nov. 23). He was a second-team Preseason All-America pick by both Stats Perform and Phil Steele.
Mason is the MVFC leader in yards per pass reception (17.35) which ranks 28th nationally and tops among all FCS tight ends. He finished the season with 34 receptions for 590 yards (15.4 yds per catch) and six touchdowns. Mason's touchdown total ranks sixth in The Valley and 54th nationally – third among tight ends -- while he also ranks 10th in The Valley in receiving yards and receiving yards per game (49.2).
Mason had a 57-yard TD reception at Ball State (Sept. 7) and logged his first 100-yard receiving game in the win over Indiana State (Oct. 19) with 4 catches for 111 yards and an 82-yard TD reception. He was named as an AP All-America honorable mention selection on Tuesday.
Obeid (RFr., Dearborn, Mich.) ranks third nationally and first in the MVFC in field goal percentage after converting 11-of-12 (.917) attempts this season. He also ranks seventh in the MVFC in scoring average (7.2) which ranks 37th-best among all FCS players. His 0.92 field goals per game is the fifth-best average in The Valley and 55th nationally. Obeid broke the Missouri State single-season record for extra points (53), while his 86 total points was the third-best season total in MSU history. He finished 53-of-54 on extra points on the season with 47 straight conversions to end the season along with 10 straight made field goals. He produced 11 points in road wins at Illinois State (Oct. 12) and Murray State (Nov. 9) with a season-long 50-yard field goal in the season finale against South Dakota State( Nov. 23). Last week, he was named to the FCS Football Central Freshman All-America Team.
Winner-Johnson (RFr., St. Louis, Mo.) earned a spot on the Jerry Rice Award Watch List for FCS National Freshman of the Year and earned Missouri Valley Football Conference All-Newcomer Team honors this season. He finished second on the squad with 62 total tackles, including 26 solo stops. He also recorded 6.5 tackles for loss on the season. His top performances included 10 total tackles with four solos and a tackle for loss in MSU's road win at UT Martin (Sept. 21) and nine total stops in the win over Youngstown State (Sept. 28) with a QB hurry. He also posted a sack and four solo tackles in the home opener against Lindenwood (Sept. 14) and logged eight tackles at Ball State (Sept. 7) with a tackle for loss. Like Obeid, he was named to the FCS Football Central Freshman All-America Team a week ago.
Coach
Ryan Beard's Bears finished the 2024 season with an 8-4 overall record and a 6-2 ledger in MVFC play to finish one game behind the league's tri-champions. The Bears won eight straight games from Sept. 14 to Nov. 9 and eclipsed 5,000 total yards, 400 points and 3,600 passing yards in their final season in the Missouri Valley and the FCS ranks. The Bears landed 12 players on the All-MVFC Team, three on the MVFC All-Newcomer Team and two players (Burkett and Mason) announced on the AP FCS All-America Team.
The Missouri State program begins its transition to Conference USA and its first season at the FBS level in 2025.
