WACO, Texas – The American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) announced its 2021 Division II Coaches’ All-America Teams naming five MIAA student-athletes as All-Americans.
 
The Association received two first team AFCA All-America selections and three second team honorees. Fort Hays State’s Hunter Budke and Northwest Missouri’s Sam Roberts were the MIAA’s first team selections. Second team honors went to Nebraska Kearney’s TJ Davis, Northwest Missouri’s Tanner Owen and Washburn’s James Letcher Jr.
 
Budke is the only MIAA student-athlete represented on the AFCA All-America first team offense. The junior tight end earned first team All-MIAA honors after a big season for the Tigers with 47 receptions for 620 yards and eight touchdowns.
 
The 2021 MIAA Defensive Player of the Year is the Association’s lone representative one the AFCA All-America first team defense. Roberts, a senior defensive lineman, was also selected as the D2CCA Super Region 3 Player of the Year. He led a dominant Bearcat defense this season with 18 tackles-for-loss and 6.5 sacks in 13 games this season.
 
Davis is one of just two Division II quarterbacks to earn All-America honors from the AFCA. A second team pick, Davis was also named the 2021 MIAA and D2CCA Offensive Player of the Year. The redshirt junior is one of just two quarterbacks in the NCAA's four divisions (FBS, FCS, D2 and D3) to throw for at least 2,000 and run for 1,000 yards this fall. Davis had a hand in 40 touchdowns (21 passing, 18 rushing and one receiving).  Harlon Hill Trophy finalist had eight games with at least two touchdown tosses, five 100-yard rushing days and four games with four touchdowns.
 
Owens joins Davis on the AFCA All-America second team after being a first team AFCA pick in 2019. The Bearcats first team All-MIAA offensive lineman was a key part to NW’s dominating offense in 2021 that ranked No. 13 in the nation in total offense (457.5 yards per game). 
 
Letcher Jr. was named to the second team All-America as a return specialist. The Ichabods senior led the team with 68 receptions for 927 yards with 10 touchdowns in 12 starts. He earned all-MIAA First Team as a wide receiver and a returner and all-MIAA Special Teams Player of the Year after taking 24 kickoffs for 685 yards and two touchdowns tying an Ichabod single season record. He also earned first team D2CCA Super Region Three honors as a return specialist and second team honors as a wide receiver.
 
The AFCA has selected an All-America team since 1945 and currently selects teams in all five of its divisions. What makes these teams so special is that they are the only ones chosen exclusively by the men who know the players the best — the coaches themselves
 
The AFCA’s Division II?All-America Selection Committee is made up of three head coaches from each of the AFCA’s seven districts, one of whom serves as a district chairman, along with another head coach who serves as the chairman of the selection committee. The coaches in each district are responsible for ranking the top players in their respective districts prior to a conference call between the district chairmen and the committee chairman on which the teams are chosen.
 
To see the AFCA’s official release and a complete list of the 2021 All-America Teams, click here.