By: Curtis Ford
GRAMBLING, La. | The preseason honors continue to roll in for the Grambling State football team, as Sundiata Anderson was named a Phil Steele/Draft Scout Preseason Second-Team All-American on Friday afternoon.
In addition, the College Park, Ga. native earned Phil Steele All-SWAC First-Team recognition. Landing on the first team alongside Anderson was GSU linebacker Lewis Matthews.
Three more G-Men landed on the Phil Steele Preseason All-SWAC team. Lyndon Rash and Jimmy Isles grabbed second team recognition while Quincy Mitchell nabbed third team honors.
Anderson played in 10 games for the Tigers and was third on the team in tackles with 50, including 23 solo stops. He added 12.5 tackles for a loss of 64, while leading the Tigers in sacks, with seven. In addition, recorded two quarterback hurries, two pass breakups, two forced fumbles and blocked one kick.
Matthews ranked 14th in the nation and tops in the conference in solo tackles, while also second in the SWAC in total tackles and 27th in the FCS. He led Grambling State defensively with 102 total tackles, including 61 solo stops. The junior linebacker had 12 tackles for a loss of 28 yards and a pair of sacks.
Iles was one of the the best punters in the SWAC last season, boasting a punting average of 41.2 yards, the third most in the SWAC. He also booted the longest punt in the conference, booming a 69 yard punt. Iles downed 17 punts inside the 20 yard line and registered 10 punts of 50 yards or more. He earned national recognition on October 10, being named FedEx Ground FCS Player of the Week Honorable Mention.
Rash is one of the leaders of the Grambling State football team and proves it through his play. Rash led GSU's receiving corp in 2022 with 32 catches for 517 yards and five touchdowns. He had a long reception of 83 yards which was a touchdown versus
Mitchell earned second team honors after a 2022 campaign that saw him register 29 total tackles with 1.5 tackles for loss. The redshirt senior is one of the leaders of the Grambling State secondary.
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