Colorado State University Athletics
Preston Williams and Ryan Stonehouse earn second-team All-America from Sporting News
12/11/2018 9:00:00 AM | Football
Pair of Rams recognized for outstanding seasons in 2018
FORT COLLINS, Colo.—Two Colorado State Rams have been named second-team All-America by Sporting News, the publication announced Tuesday. Junior wide receiver Preston Williams and sophomore punter Ryan Stonehouse received recognition from SN, one of the five major All-America awards considered for unanimous or consensus All-America status. The others are Walter Camp, AP, FWAA and AFCA.
Williams and Stonehouse are the sixth and seventh Rams in the past six seasons to earn All-America honors from a major organization, joining DE/LB Shaquil Barrett (2013), RB Kapri Bibbs (2013), WR Rashard Higgins (2014), P Hayden Hunt (2015) and WR Michael Gallup (2017). The pair are the third and fourth under head coach Mike Bobo to earn All-America in his four seasons at CSU.
The most recent Ram to be recognized as All-America by Sporting News was Higgins, who was named to the second team in 2014, when he also was named first team by AP, Walter Camp, FWAA and USA Today, and second team by SN and CBS Sports.
Williams turned in one of the greatest seasons in school history in 2018, his first season of eligibility after transferring from Tennessee. The 6-4, 201-pound theatre major caught 96 passes for 1,345 yards (14.0) and 14 touchdowns, and totaled 1,478 all-purpose yards. Williams, a native of Lovejoy, Ga., ranked third among all FBS players in receptions, tied for third in receiving TDs, fourth in receiving yards and fifth in receiving yards per game (112.1). In CSU single-season history Williams' numbers tied for second-most for receptions and receiving touchdowns and ranked third for receiving yards.
Named first-team All-Mountain West, Williams had a season-high 248 receiving yards at Air Force on Nov. 22 – the third-most by any FBS receiver in a single game this season. He posted six 100-yard games for the year—tied for second-most by a Ram in a single season—including four games with more than 150 yards. Williams scored a touchdown in eight different games, with multiple TDs in five of those outings.
Stonehouse led the Mountain West and ranked second in FBS in gross punting average with a CSU-record mark of 48.3 yards per punt to earn first-team All-Mountain West honors in his second season as a Ram. The 5-11, 170-pound business administration major was named to AP's mid-season All-America second team. He placed 18 of his 65 punts inside the opponent's 20-yard line and had a season-long boot of 70 yards against Arkansas on Sept. 8.
Nearly half of Stonehouse's punts (31) covered 50 or more yards, and he posted five games in which he averaged 50.0 yards or better with five or more punts. Nine of his punts resulted in a fair catch.
Williams is the third Rams receiver in the past five seasons to earn at least one major All-America Award. Higgins in 2014 and Gallup in 2017 were consensus All-Americans, just the third and fourth in school history, joining DL Mike Bell (1978) and S Greg Myers (1994).
Stonehouse is the second CSU punter to earn a major All-America award in the past four seasons, joining Hayden Hunt (2015; USA Today second team and AP third team).
In all, Colorado State has had 29 players turn in All-America seasons in the program's history.
