ST. LOUIS, Mo. – The Pioneer Football League named 30 student-athletes to its Preseason All-Pioneer Football League Team Wednesday, including 15 returning First Team All-PFL selections.
Returning players named to the league’s 2023 All-PFL Teams were automatically placed on the 2023 Preseason All-PFL team in order of head coaches’ voting.
Four of the PFL’s five major award winners from 2023 return for the 2024 season, led by Drake linebacker Finn Claypool, the reigning PFL Defensive Player of the Year; teammate Shane Dunning, the reigning PFL Special Teams Player of the Year, joins him as a preseason honoree at both a placekicker and punter. Stetson swept last season’s freshmen honors, and both student-athletes return, with linebacker Andrew Martin earning a Preseason All-PFL nod.
Defending PFL Champion Drake saw a league-leading six players earn seven Preseason All-PFL selections, led by Claypool and Dunning. Teammates joining them on the preseason team are wide receiver Mitchell January, quarterback Luke Bailey, offensive lineman Ross Palmer, and long snapper Brett Welsing.
Davidson had four student-athletes named to the preseason squad. Butler, Morehead State, Presbyterian, and San Diego each had three selections. Dayton and St. Thomas each picked up two preseason picks, while Marist, Stetson, and Valparaiso claimed one preseason honoree.
The upcoming 2024 season marks the 32nd year of the Pioneer Football League. The league will feature 11 teams, each playing an eight-game schedule to determine the league champion and recipient of the automatic bid to the NCAA FCS Championship.
The 2024 schedule gets underway Thursday, Aug. 29, with a four-game slate, followed by the league’s remaining seven teams on Sat., Aug. 31. The 2024 PFL Championship race gets underway with a four-game slate on Sat., Sept. 28.
About the Pioneer Football League
The Pioneer Football League is the only non-scholarship, football-only NCAA Football Championship Subdivision conference. The PFL is a truly national conference with members on each coast and throughout the nation’s heartland. Butler University, the University of Dayton, Drake University, and Valparaiso University were among the league’s founding members in 1993, with Davidson College, Marist College, Morehead State University, Presbyterian College, the University of San Diego, the University of St. Thomas, and Stetson University joining to form the current 11-team league.
2024 All-Pioneer Football League Preseason Team
|
| Pos. |
Player |
School |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Yr. |
Hometown |
| OFFENSE |
| WR |
Mitchell January (2) |
Drake |
6-1 |
182 |
Jr. |
Richfield, Minn. |
| WR |
Dominic Kibby (1) |
Presbyterian |
6-1 |
175 |
Jr. |
Catonsville, Md. |
| WR |
Ryan Upp (1) |
Morehead State |
5-10 |
175 |
Sr. |
Leesburg, Va. |
| QB |
Luke Bailey (2) |
Drake |
6-2 |
190 |
Gr. |
Lemont, Ill. |
| RB |
Mari Adams (2) |
Davidson |
5-10 |
210 |
Jr. |
Shelby, N.C. |
| RB |
Hope Adebayo (2) |
St. Thomas |
5-8 |
216 |
Sr. |
St. Paul, Minn. |
| FB |
Joey Suchy (1) |
Butler |
6-0 |
224 |
Jr. |
Mayfield Heights, Ohio |
| AP |
Ryan Upp (2) |
Morehead State |
5-10 |
175 |
Sr. |
Leesburg, Va. |
| TE |
Worth Warner (1) |
Presbyterian |
6-4 |
215 |
5th |
Raleigh, N.C. |
| OL |
Dylan DeMaison (1) |
Dayton |
6-2 |
296 |
RSr. |
Cincinnati, Ohio |
| OL |
Adam Dolan (1) |
Butler |
6-8 |
310 |
RJr. |
Clarkston, Mich. |
| OL |
Malik McDaniel (2) |
Davidson |
6-1 |
295 |
Sr. |
Bartlett, Tenn. |
| OL |
Ross Palmer (1) |
Drake |
6-6 |
387 |
Gr. |
Waukee, Iowa |
| OL |
Alec Rasmussen (1) |
St. Thomas |
6-7 |
307 |
Sr. |
Wayzata, Minn. |
| DEFENSE |
| DL |
Finn Claypool (1, DPotY) |
Drake |
6-1 |
232 |
RJr |
Des Moines, Iowa |
| DL |
Malachi Cooper (2) |
San Diego |
6-4 |
260 |
Sr. |
San Diego, Calif. |
| DL |
Sam Hafner (1) |
Valparaiso |
6-2 |
260 |
RSr. |
Green Bay, Wis. |
| DL |
Julian Rawlins (1) |
Davidson |
6-2 |
225 |
Sr. |
Huntersville, N.C. |
| LB |
Alex Herriott (1) |
Presbyterian |
5-11 |
210 |
Sr. |
Hanahan, S.C. |
| LB |
Chase Lyons (H) |
San Diego |
6-4 |
224 |
Gr. |
Aurora, Colo. |
| LB |
Andrew Martin (H) |
Stetson |
6-1 |
221 |
So. |
McDonough, Ga. |
| LB |
Aiden McKinley (H) |
Dayton |
6-2 |
221 |
RJr. |
Louisville, Ky. |
| DB |
Nick Bafia (1) |
Butler |
6-1 |
190 |
Sr. |
Naperville, Ill. |
| DB |
Daniel Carter (2) |
Davidson |
6-2 |
210 |
Sr. |
Denver, N.C. |
| DB |
Eric Haney (1) |
San Diego |
5-10 |
180 |
Gr. |
Peoria, Ariz. |
| DB |
Jihad McCall (2) |
Morehead State |
6-1 |
190 |
RSr. |
Jersey City, N.J. |
| SPECIAL TEAMS |
| PK |
Shane Dunning (1) |
Drake |
6-0 |
212 |
Gr. |
Muskego, Wis. |
| P |
Shane Dunning (2) |
Drake |
6-0 |
212 |
Gr. |
Reston, Va. |
| RS |
Tristan Shannon (H) |
Marist |
5-7 |
183 |
5th |
Bowie, Md. |
| LS |
Brett Welsing (2) |
Drake |
6-3 |
233 |
Jr. |
De Pere, Wis. |
| Symbols in parentheses: (1) was a First Team All-PFL selection in 2023; (2) was a Second Team All-PFL selection in 2023; (H) was an Honorable Mention All-PFL selection in 2023. |