Kennesaw State quarterback Xavier Shepherd was named to Athlon Sports’ preseason All-America team.
The award came one week after the Owls were ranked No. 9 in the Athlon Football Championship Subdivision preseason Top 25, and it was the second All-American team Shepherd had been selected for. He was named a first-team All-American by Lindy’s earlier this month.
Shepherd took over as starter in Week 2 of the 2021 season and led Kennesaw State to an 11-2 record. He led the FCS in rushing touchdowns (23) and set new program records for passing touchdowns in a season (15) and most passing touchdowns in a single game (4).
Against Hampton, Shepherd set a Big South Conference record for most rushing yards in a conference game by a quarterback when he ran for 179.
Shepherd finished the year with 1,341 passing yards. He also led Kennesaw State in rushing yards with 867, and he concluded the season as a finalist for the Walter Payton Award as the top offensive player in the FCS.
After the season, Shepherd was named a first-team All-American by STATS Perform and HERO Sports, and a third-teamer by The Associated Press. He also won the Big South Offensive Player of the Year Award and was selected to the all-conference first team.
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