TOWSON, Md. – The Towson University football team had 13 selections to the Phil Steele 2020 Preseason All-CAA Team.
11 Towson players picked up a total of 13 selections to the preseason All-CAA teams. Towson had two First Team selections, six on the Second Team and five on the Third Team. Towson equals the 13 preseason Phil Steele All-CAA selections earned in 2019.
Shane Simpson earned three preseason all-league selections, being on the First Team for all-purpose and second team for each running back and kick returner. Bryce Carter joined Simpson on the First Team at defensive line.
Four other Towson players joined Simpson on the Second Team: Luke Hamilton at fullback, Caleb Smith at wide receiver, Aaron Grzymkowski on offensive line and Shane McDonough at punter.
On the Third Team includes Andrew Garnett on offensive line, Sam Gyeni on the defensive line, Christian Dixon at linebacker, S.J. Brown II at defensive back and D'Ago Hunter at punt returner.
Though the CAA canceled the 2020 fall football season, Phil Steele still released its annual All-CAA team to honor some of the top players in the CAA.
Simpson, the 2018 CAA Special Teams Player of the Year, was slated to return in 2020 after missing most of 2019 to injury. In 2018, Simpson racked up 2,058 all-purpose yards, including 711 yards rushing and 887 yards on kick returns, also adding 356 receiving yards and 104 punt return yards. He scored 12 touchdowns in 2018.
Carter started all 12 games on the Towson defensive line last season and was a team captain. He led Towson in sacks with 4.5 and forced fumbles with three, totaling 54 tackles and 12 tackles for loss on the year. Carter notched at least five tackles in five different contests.
Hamilton is Towson's primary fullback, playing in all 12 games this past season. He helped block for a running game that averaged 4.4 yards per carry, including 5.9 yards a rush for 2019 Second Team All-CAA running back Yeedee Thaenrat.
Smith was second on the team, and first among returners for 2020, in receiving yards last year with 570 off 35 receptions, averaging 57 yards per game on receiving. His highlight game came in a 200-yard receiving game in the victory vs. Delaware.
Grzymkowski is a two-time All-CAA honoree as Towson's starting left guard. He has been part of an offensive line that has averaged over 30 points a game each of the past two years, plus his quarterback and primary running back have earned all-league honors each of the last two seasons.
McDonough earned All-CAA recognition his first year with the team, finishing second in the CAA with 43.9 yards per punt, placing 14 inside the 20 and nine more over 50 yards. He also was the team's kickoff man, having 17 touchbacks.
Garnett has been Towson's starting left tackle the past two years. He also has been part of an offensive line that has averaged over 30 points a game each of the past two years, plus his quarterback and primary running back have earned all-league honors each of the last two seasons.
Gyeni started all 12 games last year at nose tackle on the defensive line. He finished the season with 27 tackles, including 3.5 for loss. Gyeni had multiple tackles in eight different games, including six in the home game vs. Villanova.
Dixon stepped into a starting role last year and finished third on the team in total tackles with 77, earning multiple tackles in every game including at least eight in six different contests. He tied for the team lead in sacks with 4.5 plus added nine tackles for loss and a pair of forced fumbles and recoveries.
Brown became a starting safety in his first year with the Black & Gold, tying for the most amount of tackles on the team with 87, being 13th in the CAA with 7.2 tackles per game. He also notched a pair of interceptions, three broken-up passes and a forced fumble.
As the special teams returner last year, Hunter finished the season with 797 all-purpose yards, including 684 coming on kick/punt returns. He ranked fifth in the CAA with 26.7 yards per return and had a kickoff return for a touchdown against Bucknell.
Phil Steele 2020 Preseason All-CAA Team – Towson
First Team
--Bryce Carter, DL
--Shane Simpson, all-purpose
Second Team
--Shane Simpson, RB and KR
--Luke Hamilton, FB
--Caleb Smith, WR
--Aaron Grzymkowski, OL
--Shane McDonough, P
Third Team
--Andrew Garnett, OL
--Sam Gyeni, DL
--Christian Dixon, LB
--S.J. Brown II, DB
--D'Ago Hunter, PR
