Carlo Thomas Named AP Little All-America First Team
JCSU
JCSU Safety Carlo Thomas Named to the Associated Press Little All-America First Team
Charlotte, N.C. (Dec. 17, 2015) – The awards keep rolling in for Johnson C. Smith University safety Carlo Thomas, as he was named to the Associated Press Little All-America First Team.
The AP Little All-America Team honors the nation's best players from NCAA Division II, III and the NAIA.
Thomas, a sophomore product of East Orange, N.J., burst onto the scene on Oct. 17 when he picked off four passes against Fayetteville State, returning two for touchdowns in a 37-20 upset win over the then-Southern Division leading Broncos. Against FSU, he had 100 total yards in interception returns. That performance earned him numerous national defensive player of the week honors as well as CIAA Defensive Back of the Week. He followed that performance by picking off three passes for 67 yards the very next week in a 17-10 homecoming win over Shaw.
Thomas recorded two interceptions on two occasions, the first on Sept. 12 at Kentucky State. Against the Thorobreds, he returned those picks 28 yards. He also had two interceptions to help JCSU pick up the 22-3 win over St. Augustine's on Oct. 31.
In addition to the interceptions, Thomas recorded 55 tackles on the season, 42 of those being solo stops. He also forced a fumble at rival Livingstone and had nine pass breakups.
In addition to his prowess on defense, Thomas lined up for one play as a wide receiver at Winston-Salem State. On that play, he hauled in a beautiful diving catch for an eight-yard touchdown.
To date, Thomas leads all divisions of the NCAA (FBS, FCS, II, III) in interceptions with 12 total thefts.
Earlier today, Thomas was named a finalist for the Cliff Harris Award, which honors the nation's best defensive players and is presented by the Little Rock Touchdown Club and the law firm of Wright, Lindsey & Jennings, LLC.
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2015 Associated Press Little All-America
FIRST TEAM
Offense
QB — Jason Vander Laan, senior, Ferris State
RB — Cameron McDondle, senior, Colorado State-Pueblo
           Ja'Quan Gardner, sophomore, Humboldt State.
OL—  Corey Tucker, senior, Slippery Rock
           Joe Ray, senior, Lenoir-Rhyne
           David Simmet, senior, St. Thomas (Minnesota)
           Jordan Morgan, junior, Kutztown
           Colin Egan, senior, Johns Hopkins.
WR — Jon Schnaars, senior, East Stroudsburg
           Jessie Ramos, senior, Hardin-Simmons
           Jameson Parsons, junior, St. Cloud State
All-purpose player — Dayton Winn, junior, Hendrix.
Kicker — Austin Morton, sophomore, Emporia State.
Defense
DL — Alex Hoff, senior, Linfield
           Matt Judon, senior, Grand Valley State
           Joshua Gordon, senior, Minnesota State-Mankato
           Collin Bevins, senior, Northwest Missouri State.
LBs — Brock Long, senior, Fort Hays State
           Jewell Ratliff, senior, Tuskegee
           Max Nacewicz, senior, Springfield (Mass.).
DBs — Solomon St. Pierre, senior, Sioux Falls
           Michael Jordan, senior, Missouri Western State
           Victor Bunce, sophomore, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps
           Carlo Thomas, sophomore, Johnson C. Smith.
Punter — Matt Klingler, Lindenwood, senior
