The Charlotte 49ers had a record eight players named to the Athlon Sports preseason all-Conference USA teams. Five earned first team honors, second-most in the league.
Prolific running back Benny LeMay and offensive line anchor Cam Clark were named first team all-offense. Havoc-wreaking defensive end Alex Highsmith and safety Ben DeLuca were named first team all-defense. Standout sophomore kicker Jonathan Cruz was named a first team specialist.
Senior linebacker Jeff Gemmell was a second team selection and wide receiver Victor Tucker and defensive end Tyriq Harris were chosen to the league’s third team.
Clark is a two-year offensive line starter who was C-USA’s highest-graded run blocker in 2018. The 49ers’ 2017 Offensive MVP and a 2018 team captain, Clark was named first team all-C-USA by Pro Football Focus (PFF), last year. He helped Charlotte’s rushing attack rank fifth in C-USA with a 159.9 rushing average.
Cruz was a second team all-C-USA selection as a freshman. He set school records for field goals made of 40 or more yards (8) and 50 or more yards (3). His game-winning 56-yard field goal in the final 25 seconds at Florida Atlantic was the longest in C-USA and the second-longest in the FBS, last year.
DeLuca, a 2017 and 2018 Honorable Mention all-C-USA choice, led Charlotte in tackles with 92 last year and is five tackles shy of the 49ers career record. A three-year starter, DeLuca was a PFF Freshman all-America in 2016 and led the nation with five forced fumbles in 2017. He owns the school’s career record with seven forced fumbles and shares the record with five fumble recoveries.
Highsmith, a 2018 First Team all-Conference USA selection, set the 49ers single-season record with 17.5 tackles for loss, last year. Highsmith, who originally joined the program as a walk-on before earning a scholarship prior to the 2017 season, started all 12 games in 2018. He earned PFF National Team of the Week honors following the win at Florida Atlantic (career-high 10 tackles, school-record 4.5 TFL, 1.5 sacks) and was named C-USA Defensive Player of the Week after a seven-tackle, 4.0-TFL outing at Tennessee as Charlotte held the Vols to season-lows of 192 yards of total offense and 20 yards rushing.
LeMay was named second team all-C-USA in 2018 after rushing for 1,228 yards. He ranked second in the league and 20th in the FBS with a 103.6 rushing average. Both figures are the best by a Charlotte rusher since the 49ers moved to the FBS level in 2015. His 125.8 all-purpose yards were second in C-USA. He led Charlotte with 11 touchdowns and set a school record with four rushing scores in one game. LeMay ranks second all-time with 2,135 career rushing yards and is the second 49er to post a 1,000-yard rushing season.
Gemmell, who was the 49ers leading tackler in 2017 and second-leading tackler in 2018, ranks third all-time with 220 career stops. He was named third team all-Conference USA by Phil Steele in 2018. The two-year starter was one of the team’s four co-captains in 2018. Gemmell was second on the team in tackles (87) and TFL (9.0) and led Charlotte in sacks (4.0) and QB hurries (8).
Harris earned a 2018 all-Conference USA Honorable Mention nod while serving as a team captain. The three-year starter moved from linebacker to defensive end and registered career highs in tackles, TFL and sacks. A two-time C-USA all-Academic Team selection, he also earned Google Cloud Academic all-District 3 honors in 2018.
Tucker was named to the 2018 C-USA all-Freshman team as the third-leading freshman receiver in the FBS. He topped Charlotte with 54 catches for 712 yards, which were the best marks for a C-USA freshman and third among FBS freshmen. He set 49ers freshman receiving records for yards in a game (130 at UMass), longest reception (67 vs. FIU) and 100-yard receiving games (4).
Eight players doubles the most recognized for Charlotte by Athlon Sports. The publication listed four 49ers on its preseason all-C-USA teams in 2018 and 2016.