Seven Morehead State football student-athletes have garnered spots on Phil Steele's Preseason All-Pioneer Football League Teams.
Senior defensive lineman Vaughn Taylor, Jr., senior wide receiver Landon Hurst, junior linebacker Justin Benvie, junior return man Ian Holder and senior punter/kicker Andrew Foster all earned first-team nods. Holder has the unique distinction of being on all three teams. He was on the first-team as kick returner, second-team as punt returner and third-team as all-purpose athlete. Foster was first-team as punter and second-team as a kicker.
Junior offensive lineman Cam Marriott is on the second-team, and senior running back Issiah Aguero is a third-team pick.
Taylor, Jr., a native of Washington, D.C., who is also a Preseason All-America selection by College Sports Journal, was the PFL leader in tackles for loss (18 for 59 yards) and sacks (5.5 for 31 yards) in 2019. He ranked second on the team with 63 tackles and led the defensive unit causing the opponent quarterback to hurry seven times.
Hurst, from Shelbyvile, Ky., is the Eagles' leading returning receiver. He caught 53 passes for 642 yards and six touchdowns last Fall. He generated 80 or more yards in four of the final six games, including a career-best 123-yard, one touchdown effort at Drake.
Benvie, who hails from Prosper, Texas, led all defenders on the Eagles with 70 total tackles. He totaled 4.5 behind the opponent line of scrimmages. Benvie registered career-high stops (13) against Davidson at home and at Drake.
Holder, from Mount Airy, N.C., averaged 27.1 yards on 21 kickoff returns. His highlight was a 91-yard return for a touchdown against Davidson. On limited punt returns (10) Holder still averaged 11.5 yards. He also ranked second on the team with 34 catches for 398 yards and a pair of aerial game scores.
Foster led the PFL in punting. The Knoxville, Tenn., product averaged 41.8 yards on 53 boots, including a long bomb of 60 yards. He was twice named PFL Special Teams Player of the Week. Foster nailed eight punts of more than 50 yards and downed 23 inside the 20-yard line. In the other kicking game, Foster split the uprights nine times and was 6-of-6 from 40-49 yards away. He set the MSU program record with 31 consecutive PATs made as well.
Marriott, who came across the country from Redlands, Calif., helped MSU average 402 total offensive yards per game, including four games each with more than 300 yards passing or 200 yards rushing. He graded out as one of the Eagles' most consistent linemen, starting all 12 games.
Aguero, also from Knoxville originally, came very near a 1,000-yard rushing season, leading the team with 958 yards. He also scored seven times, averaging 79.8 yards per outing. Aguero topped the century mark four times, including a career-best 131 yards in the season opener against Union (Ky.).
Updates to the 2020 schedule will be posted as they become available.
