Trojans Garner Four Academic All-American Awards
UPLAND, Ind. – The College Sports Information Directors of America have voted on and announced the 2021 NAIA Football Academic All-American teams, on which four Taylor student-athletes were named.
Stephen Ellis, Josh Saltzgaber, Brendan Lamb, and Tyler Watson were the four Trojans to be honored, as Taylor led the NAIA with four Academic All-Americans and only trailed Johns Hopkins for the national-lead across all four levels of play.
The 2021 collection of awards gives the Taylor football program a total of 20 Academic All-American honors in its history, 18 of which have been first-team nods. Meanwhile, with the two 2021 Taylor volleyball awards in mind, Taylor Athletics now boasts a remarkable 106 Academic All-American awards in school-history, 56 of which being first-team selections.
Thus far into the 2021-2022 athletic year, Taylor athletics boasts eight total Academic All-American awards which leads the NAIA and is third in the nation across all levels of play, trailing only Johns Hopkins and MIT.
Ellis maintained a perfect 4.0 grade-point average throughout his sophomore season while studying management. On the field, Ellis averaged 4.7 yards per carry en route to 410 total rushing yards and seven touchdowns on the season.
Saltzgaber, Taylor’s senior linebacker, picked up his second Academic All-District award prior to being named an Academic All-American for the first time in his career. The Dorr, Michigan, native held a 3.75 grade-point average throughout a social studies education curriculum, while leading the team with 50 solo tackles and snagging the team’s second-most total tackles with 84.
As a management and marketing major, Lamb posted a 3.96 grade-point average while rushing for 504 yards in just six games played. The sophomore native of Ohio averaged 84.0 yards per game and landed in the end zone a total of seven times.
Watson also received his second Academic All-District award as a preface to his first-career Academic All-American nod. The senior defensive back navigated a rigorous human physiology and preventative medicine course load while keeping a 3.87 grade-point average. Meanwhile, Watson led the Trojans with six pass-breakups and was third on the team with 55 total tackles.
The CoSIDA Academic All-American award is designed to recognize student-athletes for outstanding achievements in the classroom, as well as on the court or field of play. In order to be eligible for the honor, an athlete must have a cumulative grade-point average of 3.30, must have reached sophomore status academically with at least one full year at their current institution and must have participated in over half of the team’s competitions as a key contributor during the current season.
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