DAVIS, Calif. -- Less than a week after earning a spot on the Stats Perform All-America first team, UC Davis punter Daniel Whelan claimed similar honors as the American Football Coaches Association announced its FCS All-America squads. The fourth-year sustainable environmental design student from Rancho Mirage was just one of three specialist on the first team.
Whelan becomes the 15th AFCA All-American (17 total awards) in school history, according to the official press release.
A Dublin, Ireland product who moved to Southern California as a teenager, Whelan amassed 17 punts for 815 yards and a 47.9 average – a rate that led the Big Sky Conference and would have paced all NCAA FCS players had he reached the minimum qualification of 3.6 punts her game. Whelan had seven punts for 50-plus yards, including a career-best 67 yarder against Idaho State, eight attempts that landed inside opponents' 20-yard lines, and seven punts resulting in fair catches. Overall, UC Davis opponents totaled just 56 return yards, resulting in the Aggies leading the nation with a 43.47 net average.
Whelan, who added kickoff and holding duties to his plate in the spring of 2021, has opted to return for a fifth year this fall. He enters his final collegiate season with a career average of 43.20, well ahead of Colton Schmidt's school record of 41.12. Whelan is a three-time All-Big Sky honoree and a two-time candidate for FCS Punter of the Year.
UC Davis went 3-2 in the shortened 2021 spring season, finishing 13th in the final Stats Perform media poll.
2020-21 AFCA FCS ALL-AMERICA TEAM
FIRST TEAM
QB - Eric Barriere, Eastern Washington
RB - Julius Chestnut, Sacred Heart
RB - Pierre Strong, Jr., South Dakota State
WR - Avante Cox, Southern Illinois
WR - DeAngelo Wilson, Austin Peay
WR - Jakob Herres, VMI
OL - *Drew Himmelman, Illinois State
OL - Tristen Taylor, Eastern Washington
OL - J.D. DiRenzo, Sacred Heart
OL - Garret Greenfield, South Dakota State
OL - Ty Whitworth, Weber State
DL - Jahari Kay, Sam Houston
DL - Isaiah Chambers, McNeese
DL - Jordan Lewis, Southern
DL - Jared Brinkman, Northern Iowa
LB - Bryson Armstrong, Kennesaw State
LB - Colby Campbell, Presbyterian
LB - Jared Folks, East Tennessee State
DB - James Ceasar, Southern Illinois
DB - *Kordell Jackson, Austin Peay
DB - Nicario Harper, Jacksonville State
DB - Decobie Durant, South Carolina State
P - Daniel Whelan, UC Davis
PK - Ethan Ratke, James Madison
AP - Jequez Ezzard, Sam Houston
SECOND TEAM
QB - Eric Schmid, Sam Houston
RB - Kevin Brown, UIW
RB - Juwon Farri, Monmouth (N.J.)
WR - Talolo Limu-Jones, Eastern Washington
WR - Abdul-Fatai Ibrahim, Alabama A&M
WR - Keith Pearson, Presbyterian
OL - Bucky Williams, Austin Peay
OL - Jake Dixon, Duquesne
OL - Brian Foley, Holy Cross
OL - Kyle Nunez, Stony Brook
OL - Tylan Grable, Jacksonville State
DL - Spencer Waege, North Dakota State
DL - Kobie Turner, Richmond
DL - Kevin Glajchen, San Diego
DL - Devonnsha Maxwell, Chattanooga
LB - James Kaczor, North Dakota State
LB - Tre Walker, Idaho
LB - Jomard Valsin, Northwestern State
DB - Zyon McCollum, Sam Houston
DB - Preston Smith, Weber State
DB - Irshaad Davis, Alabama State
DB - Brandon Barbee, Morehead State
P - Noah Gettman, Sacred Heart
PK - Luis Aguilar, Northern Arizona
AP - Devron Harper, Gardner-Webb
ABOUT UC DAVIS:
Centrally located between San Francisco and Lake Tahoe, over 700 student-athletes across 25 teams enjoy an unrivaled undergraduate experience at the fifth-ranked public school in the country.
Ranked annually in the nation's top 10 in diversity and students' social mobility, UC Davis and its innovative Aggie EVO system helps student-athletes develop passions, connect with a comprehensive network of alums and industry leaders, gain real-world experience and thrive as a young professional following a successful launch to full-time employment or graduate school.
