ST. LOUIS – A total of 12 Missouri State football standouts have been named to the All-Missouri Valley Football Conference Team, the league announced Monday (Dec. 2).
 
Missouri State's final All-MVFC class includes:

• QB Jacob Clark (Rockwall, Texas) – first team
• P Grant Burkett (Joplin, Mo.) – first team
• LS Caden Bolz (Overland Park, Kan.) – first team
• RB Jacardia Wright (Decatur, Ill.) – second team RB; second-team all-purpose
• OL Cash Hudson (Tulsa, Okla.) – second team
• TE Lance Mason (Rockwall, Texas) – second team
• WR Hunter Wood (Springdale, Ark.) – second team
• DL Darion Smith (St. Louis, Mo.) – second team
• LB Tahj Chambers (Arlington, Texas) – second team
• OL Hutson Lillibridge (St. Louis, Mo.) – honorable mention
• DL Jalen Williams (Overland Park, Kan.) – honorable mention
• RB Jayden Becks (Waxahachie, Texas) – honorable mention

 
The group consists of all five team co-captains, seven offensive players, three defensive players and two specialists. Six MSU honorees – Burkett, Bolz, Wright, Wood, Smith and Williams – exhausted their eligibility this season to complete their Missouri State playing careers. Two additional seniors – Jacob Clark and Tahj Chambers – have additional eligibility. The class also includes two sophomores (Hudson and Becks) and two juniors (Mason and Lillibridge).
 
Headlining the Bears' postseason honorees is quarterback Jacob Clark who finished third in the MVFC Offensive Player of the Year voting after being named as the league's Offensive Player of the Week four times this season. MSU's senior co-captain broke Missouri State single-season records for passing yards (3,604), completions (262) and touchdowns (26) and led the MVFC in passing yards, total offense (300.7), passing yards per game (300.3), passing touchdowns, and completions per game (21.83). Clark also ranks second in the conference in pass efficiency (169.8) and completion percentage (.697) and is second in the FCS in yards per pass attempt (9.95). He passed for 200 or more yards in 11 games this season and threw for 300+ yards six times. Likewise, Clark passed for three or more TDs six times.
 
All-America punter Grant Burkett earned All-MVFC honors for a program-record fifth time and fourth time as a first-team selection. Also, a 2024 Bears co-captain, Burkett posted a 44.07 punting average this season on 45 attempts, which ranks 16th nationally and second in The Valley. Burkett had 15 punts downed inside the 20-yard line in addition to boasting nine punts of 50 yards or more, including a 78-yarder at Illinois State on Oct. 12. The sixth-year standout is on the 2024 FCS Punter of the Year watchlist and has earned AP All-America honors the past three seasons.
 
Long snapper Caden Bolz 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 set an MSU record for career games played (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.
 
Running back Jacardia Wright headlines six Bears on the All-MVFC second team, earning honors at two positions – running back and all-purpose. The team co-captain finished the season with 182 carries for 824 yards (4.5 yards per carry) with 14 ground touchdowns, 1,252 all-purpose yards (104.3 yards per game) and 16 total touchdowns to earn a spot on the Reese's Senior Bowl Watch List. Wright ranks second in the MVFC in total touchdowns (11th nationally) and third in The Valley in rushing scores (11th nationally) and points per game (17th nationally). He is also among the league's top-10 players in all-purpose yards (4th), rushing yards (8th), rushing yards per game (8th) and points responsible for (9th). Wright was a 2023 All-MVFC second-team running back and 2022 MVFC All-Newcomer Team pick.
 
A sophomore center, Cash Hudson earned MVFC Offensive Lineman of the Week on Oct 28 after earning 11 starts at center this season. He finished the season with a 96 percent assignment grade, 92 percent effort grade and 88 percent technique grade from the MSU coaching staff. He helped the Bears eclipse 5,000 total yards and 400 points for just the fourth time in team history while producing the third-most first downs (259) in Bears history. Hudson also anchored the No. 6 passing offense in the nation (306.2 yards per game) and the No. 2 team in the FCS ranks in pass efficiency (169.98). The 2024 Preseason All-MVFC pick was also named as a 2023 Phil Steele Freshman All-America first team selection.
 
A junior tight end, Lance 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 6 touchdowns. Mason's 6 receiving touchdowns ranks 6th in The Valley and 51st nationally – third among TE -- while he also ranks in The Valley top 10 in receiving yards (9th) and receiving yards per game (10th). 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.
 
Senior receiver Hunter Wood ranks 4th in the MVFC in receptions per game (5.3), second in punt return average (5.8), 7th in receiving yards (680) and 7th in receiving yards per game (68.0). Wood also ranks 41st nationally in receptions per game after finishing his final season with 63 receptions for 770 yards (12.2 yard per reception) with 3 touchdowns. He snagged 10 receptions for a career-high 108 yards in the Bears' win at Murray State on Nov. 9 after posting 10 catches for 90 yards in MSU's home win over Lindenwood (Sept. 14).
 
Team captain Darion Smith finished the season with 51 total tackles, a team-high 8.0 tackles for loss and a team-high 7.0 sacks. Smith ranks 3rd in the MVFC and 44th nationally in sacks per game (0.58) after posting at least one sack in 6 of his last 8 games to end the season. Smith notched a season-high 10 total tackles in the home win over Southern Illinois (Nov. 2) with 5 solo stops, 3 TFLs, 2.0 sacks and a forced fumble. Smith was a 2024 Preseason All-MVFC Team honoree.
 
Linebacker and co-captain Tahj Chambers led the Bears in total tackles (88), including 41 solo stops and 7.0 tackles for loss. Chambers ranks 7th in The Valley in tackles per game (7.3). He posted a season-high 13 tackles vs. Lindenwood (Sept. 14) with 4 solo stops in the home win. He later registered 9 stops in wins over SIU (Nov. 2) and Indiana State (Oct. 19) with 5 solos and a TFL in each contest. Chambers was a 2024 Preseason All-MVFC selection.
 
Offensive lineman Hutson Lillibridge earned All-MVFC honors for the second straight season after earning honorable mention laurels in 2023 as well. He had 10 starts at right guard and one start at center this season and finished the campaign with a 94 percent assignment grade, 90 percent effort grade and 84 percent technique grade from the coaching staff. He helped the Bears eclipse 5,000 total yards and 400 points for just the fourth time in team history while producing the third-most first downs (259) in Bears history. Lillibridge helped MSU post the No. 6 passing offense in the nation (306.2 yards per game) and No. 2 team in FCS in pass efficiency (169.98). He was also a 2024 Preseason All-MVFC selection.
 
A talented senior defensive end, Jalen Williams finished the season with 35 total stops while sharing the team lead with 8.0 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks. Williams recorded a sack in 7-of-12 games and ranked 4th in the MVFC in sacks per game (0.54). He contributed 7 total stops in MSU's win over Lindenwood (Sept. 14) with 2.0 tackles for loss and a sack. He also posted 2.0 sacks in wins at UT Martin (Sept. 21) and at Murray State (Nov. 9). Williams completed his MSU career with 122 tackles in 53 games to go with 22.0 tackles for loss and 15.5 sacks.
 
Missouri State's sophomore running back sensation, Jayden Becks earned MVFC Offensive Player of the Week honors on Nov. 4 after he posted 101 yards on 11 carries and two touchdowns in MSU's win over Southern Illinois. He finished the season with 88 carries for 460 yards (6.7 yards per carry) with 7 rushing touchdowns and 10 total touchdowns. Becks also posted 1,116 all-purpose yards (101.5 per game), including a 23.4 kickoff return average. Becks ranks No. 8 nationally in kickoff return touchdowns and 28th in kickoff return average. He also ranked among the MVFC leaders in kick return average (4th), all-purpose yards (6th), combined return yards (6th) and total touchdowns (9th) with back-to-back 100-yard rushing games in wins over UNI (Oct. 26) and SIU.
 
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, who were charter members of the Missouri Valley Football Conference (formerly Gateway Conference) since its inception in 1985, will officially join Conference USA on July 1, 2025 and become members of the Division I Bowl Subdivision (FBS) for the first time.