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We like to honor the MAC athletes here at Hustle Belt; so we decided to team up and vote on an All-MAC football team. We may not be the coaches that vote on the "real" one, but I bet our team is better than theirs!
We had 'Belt contributors submit a ballot for 11 offensive players (1 QB, 1RB, 2 WR, 2 Flex, 5 Offensive Lineman), 11 defensive players (3 DL, 3 LB, 4 DB,1 Flex), and 4 special teams players. A vote for the first team was worth 2 points, and a vote for the second team was worth 1 point. The players with the most points at each position were put on teams accordingly. If there was a tie with points, the player with the most first place votes won the tie-breaker.
The teams had numerous unanimous voted players, they will be listed with an asterisk. Here’s how the team shaped out.
| 1st Team Offense | 1st Team Defense | ||
| QB | Jordan Lynch, NIU* | DL | Roosevelt Nix, Kent State |
| RB | Brandon Oliver, Buffalo* | DL | Jayrone Elliot, Toledo |
| OL | Tyler Loos, NIU* | DL | Jonathan Newsome, Ball State |
| OL | Dominic Flewellyn, Bowling Green* | LB | Khalil Mack, Buffalo* |
| OL | Jared Volk, NIU | LB | Justin Cherroci, Central Michigan |
| OL | Zac Kerin, Toledo | LB | Junior Sylvestre, Toledo |
| OL | Jordan Hansel, Ball State | DB | Jimmie Ward, Northern Illinois* |
| WR | Willie Snead, Ball State* | DB | Dayonne Nunley, Miami |
| WR | Titus Davis, Central Michigan | DB | Naija Johnson, Buffalo |
| Flex | Tommylee Lewis, Northern Illinois | DB | Malachai Freeman, Akron |
| Flex | Travis Greene, Bowling green | Flex | DJ Lynch, Bowling Green |
| 1st Team Special Teams | |
| Punter | Zac Murphy, Miami* |
| Kicker | Jeremiah Detmer, Toledo |
| Kick Returner | Jamil Smith, Ball State |
| Punt Returner | Devin Campbell, Buffalo |
And now for the runners-up:
| 2nd Team Offense | 2nd Team Defense | ||
| QB | Keith Wenning, Ball State | DL | Nathan Ollie, Ball State |
| RB | David Fluellen, Toledo | DL | Ken Bishop Northern Illinois |
| OL | Chief Kekuewa, Bowling Green | DL | George Rainey, Northern Illinois |
| OL | Greg Mancz, Toledo | LB | Jamaal Bass, Northern Illinois |
| OL | Antohny Dima, UMass | LB | Chase Murdock, Toledo |
| OL | Andy Phillips, Central Michigan | LB | Gabe Martin, Bowling Green |
| OL | Nick Beamish, Buffalo | DB | Dechane Durante, Northern Illinois |
| WR | Alex Neutz, Buffalo | DB | Jeff Garrett, Ball State |
| WR | Bernard Reedy, Toledo | DB | Justin Currie, Western Michigan |
| Flex | Da'Ron Brown, Northern Illinois | DB | Xavier Hughes, Ohio |
| Flex | Jahwan Edwards, Ball State | Flex | Travonte Boles, Western Michigan |
| 2nd Team Special Teams | |
| Punter | Richie Hogan, Central Michigan |
| Kicker | Andrew Haldeman, Western Michigan |
| Kick Returner | Bernard Reedy, Toledo |
| Punt Returner | Jamill Smith, Ball State |
A few notes:
- There were 8 unanimous first team selections (noted with an *)
- NIU led the team with 10 players
- EMU didn’t have a player selected.
- Interestingly enough, Jordan Lynch was a unanimous 1st teamer, but Keith Wenning was not a unanimous 2nd teamer at QB
- The West had 33 slections. The East had 19 selections.
- 3 players were awarded USA Today All-American selections (Jimmie Ward, NIU 1st Team safety, Jordan Lynch, NIU 2nd Team quarterback, Khalil Mack Buffalo 2nd Team linebacker).
What are your thoughts on our team? Did someone get left off that you think was deserving, perhaps you think someone got too much credit. Let us know below.
