ST. LOUIS -- Three Missouri State football standouts were among the class of 31 Missouri Valley Football Conference honorees on the 2024 MVFC All-Newcomer Team released Tuesday (Dec. 3) by the league office.

Missouri State's honorees are:

• WR James BlackStrain (Cocoa, Fla.)
• LB Dallas Winner-Johnson (St. Louis, Mo.)
• DB Kaleno Levine (Fort Worth, Texas)

A transfer from Georgia Tech, James BlackStrain had 24 receptions for 368 yards and 3 touchdowns in his first season at Missouri State. He logged at least one reception in 11-of-12 games and ranks 7th in the MVFC in yards per reception (15.33). He logged a season-high 5 catches for 94 yards and a TD at Indiana State (Oct. 19) and scored touchdowns in three straight games at Illinois State, Indiana State and UNI, Oct. 12-26.

Dallas Winner-Johnson is a redshirt freshman for the Bears who ranked second on the squad with 62 total tackles and 6.5 tackles for loss. He was named to the Jerry Rice Award (FCS Freshman of the Year) Watch List this season. His best efforts included 10 total tackles, including 4 solos and a tackle for loss in MSU's win at UT Martin (Sept. 21); Four solo tackles in a home win over Lindenwood (Sept. 14) with a sack; and 9 total tackles in MSU's win over Youngstown State (Sept. 28) with a QB hurry. 

Kaleno Levine redshirted at Missouri State last season after starting his career at Southwest Baptist and later playing at Tyler (Texas) Junior College. He started 11-of-12 games this season and finished the year with 50 total tackles, including 31 solos, 1.5 tackles for loss and 7 passes defended. Levine brought down 7 ball carriers in MSU's win at UT Martin (Sept. 21) with 4 solos. He was also credited with 7 stops in the win at Illinois State (Oct. 12). Levine broke up 3 passes and had 4 solos in the Bears' home win over Southern Illinois (Nov. 2).

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.