CEDAR FALLS – Phil Steele and the DraftScout.com have released their 2023 All-Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) and All-America teams on Friday with the Panthers earning 12 spots on the All-MVFC list, as well as and three All-America selections.
Defensive lineman Khristian Boyd and place kicker Matthew Cook were named as First Team Preseason All-MVFC First Team selection while six earned second team honors, including quarterback Theo Day, wide receiver Sam Schnee, tight end Alex Allen, offensive lineman Jared Penning, defensive back Woo Governor, and punter Noah Pettinger. Receiver Sergio Morancy and long snapper Isaiah Garman were selected to the third team, while tight end Layne Pryor and defensive lineman Cordarrius Bailey were named to the fourth team.
Cook (first team), Boyd (second team) and Day all earned preseason All-America nods from Phil Steele.
Matthew Cook (Place Kicker) – First Team All-MVFC & First Team All-America
Entering his final season at UNI, Cook carries four All-America team selections into the fall from 2022 (AP Second Team, STATS Perform Third Team, HERO Sports First Team) after a record-setting season. Cook converted on 82% of his field goal attempts (14-of-17) as a four-time First Team All-MVFC athlete setting both the UNI and Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) records for career field goals made (67), and also broke the Panther record with 124 consecutive made PAT kicks in his career. He has also earned FCS Preseason All-America honors this season from HERO Sports and The Bluebloods.
Khristian Boyd (Defensive Line) – First Team All-MVFC & Second Team All-American
A Second Team All-MVFC defensive lineman last season with 32 total tackles in ten games, Boyd set a season-high seven tackles against Sacramento State. The Kansas City, Missouri native recorded five tackles for loss for 15 yards in 2022 with four pass deflections as well as one assisted sack. He was selected to the East-West Shrine Bowl 1000 list earlier this summer.
Theo Day (Quarterback) – Second Team All-MVFC & Fourth Team All-American
Day tallied 3,121 passing yards and 26 touchdowns through the air, leading the MVFC in multiple categories en route to First Team All-MVFC recognition. Day recorded six touchdowns last November in UNI’s season finale at South Dakota for a career high, as well as five touchdown passes in the Panthers’ one-point win at No. 20 Southern Illinois. He has also earned HERO Sports FCS Preseason All-America honors, as well as a spot on this year’s East-West Shrine Bowl 1000 list.
Sam Schnee (Wide Receiver) – Second Team All-MVFC
After leading UNI with a team high 764 receiving yards on 48 receptions last year, Schnee earned his first all-conference honor with an All-MVFC Honorable Mention nod. The Dubuque, Iowa native notched a career-high 143 receiving yards on five catches last fall against Utah Tech and earned a spot on the MVFC Honor Roll as well as the Commissioner’s Academic Excellence Award.
Alex Allen (Tight End) – Second Team All-MVFC
Allen appeared in eight games at tight end for UNI before a season-ending injury in October. In those eight games, the Nixa, Missouri native set new career-highs with 264 receiving yards on 17 catches with two touchdowns. He caught a single-game career-best 61 yards against Indiana State, while also picking up MVFC Honor Roll recognition.
Jared Penning (Offensive Line) – Second Team All-MVFC
Appearing in all 11 games a season ago, Penning was a key contributor to UNI’s offensive success in 2022, which led the league in passing offense, total offense, passing yards per completion, team passing efficiency and third down conversion percentage. Penning, who was named to Phil Steele’s FCS All-MVFC Third Team last year, was named to the East-West Shrine Bowl 1000 list for this coming season.
Woo Governor (Defensive Back) – Second Team All-MVFC
Governor appeared in all 11 games for the Panthers last fall, recording four interceptions, including a pair of takeaways returned for touchdowns against Western Illinois. A Second Team All-MVFC honoree last season and conference defensive player of the week, the Plant City, Florida product notched 61 tackles and seven pass breakups. Governor also earned FCS Preseason Second Team All-America recognition from The Bluebloods this summer.
Noah Pettinger (Punter) – Second Team All-MVFC
The true freshman and Dubuque, Iowa native stepped up to the plate in the 2022 season for the Panthers, appearing in eight games with 16 punts for 686 yards and a 42 yards per punt average. He recorded a 52-yard kick twice, once against Utah Tech and the other against South Dakota State, to earn MVFC All-Newcomer Team recognition.
Sergio Morancy (Wide Receiver) – Third Team All-MVFC
Appearing in all 11 games for the purple and gold in 2022, Morancy caught 29 passes for a career-high 510 yards and six touchdowns. The Naples, Florida native put on a show, tallying a career-best 135 yards on four catches in UNI’s season finale last November at South Dakota, which included a 62-yard reception. Morancy earned Phil Steele FCS All-MVFC Third Team honors last season.
Isaiah Garman (Long Snapper) – Third Team All-MVFC
Garman appeared in all 11 games in his first full season as the Panthers’ long snapper, assisting in the special teams unit for punts, as well as field goal and PAT attempts. His teammate Matthew Cook converted 14-of-17 field goal attempts and was perfect on 45 PAT kicks. Noah Pettinger notched three punts over 50 yards with Garman as his long snapper with just one touchback on the year.
Layne Pryor (Tight End) – Fourth Team All-MVFC
Pryor played in all 11 games for the purple and gold with a career-high 11 catches and 124 yards. In the regular season finale at South Dakota, he recorded a season-high 37 yards and his first collegiate touchdown. Pryor was named to the MVFC Honor Roll last season.
Cordarrius Bailey (Defensive Line) – Fourth Team All-MVFC
Bailey notched 31 tackles, a pair of forced fumbles, 4.5 tackles for loss and a pair of sacks en route to MVFC All-Newcomer honors in his debut season with the Panthers last fall. The Clarksdale, Mississippi product also recorded a season-high six tackles at Southern Illinois.
