Two Griz Make FCS All-American First Team

Griz Nation will really miss these two guys. It's nice they got to finish their careers with such high praise! And of course it looks mighty nice on the resumes when trying to continue playing football at a professional level.

Our thanks to Sports Information Director Eric Taber at the University of Montana for the news. And congratulations to a couple of outstanding individuals!

After completing two of the best individual seasons in Montana history, Jamaal Jones and Tyrone Holmes have been named STATS FCS first team All-Americans.

It’s the third year in a row that a pair of Grizzlies has earned All-America status from the organization formerly known as The Sports Network.

This is the second postseason national recognition for Jones and Holmes, with each picking up a second team All-America nod from collegesportsmadness.com last week.

The two standouts were also named the University of Montana’s 2015 Steve Carlson Award co-winners for Griz football’s offensive and defensive most valuable players last week at the team’s annual awards banquet.

Holmes is one of the top three vote-getters for the STATS FCS Defensive Player of the Year award, and will be flown to Frisco, Texas, for the STATS awards banquet on January 8, the day before the FCS championship game. The other two finalists for the award, James Cowser of Southern Utah and Portland State free safety Patrick Onwuasor, were also selected to the first team.

Overall, the Big Sky Conference earned seven first-team selections, and 17 overall selections, the most of any conference.

Jones earns a first team selection along side Cooper Kupp of Eastern Washington, and Jake Wieneke of South Dakota State, both teams Montana beat this season. Jones had 156 yards receiving against the Eagles with one touchdown, and one touchdown against the Jackrabbits.

Holmes finished his career at Montana second on the all-time career sack list with 34.5, while Jones earned a place at the top of the Grizzlies’ all-time career receiving yards list after a post-season review with 3,021 during his three years at UM.

Hooray for these guys and best wishes in all their future endeavors, football or otherwise.

DB