NEW YORK — Four South Dakota State offensive players were named Tuesday to the 2023 Associated Press FCS All-America First Team. Co-Missouri Valley Football Conference Offensive Players of the Year Mark Gronowski and Isaiah Davis were joined by offensive linemen and repeat selections Garret Greenfield and Mason McCormick.
A junior quarterback from Naperville, Illinois, Gronowski has been the top-rated passer in the Football Championship Subdivision with a 178.06 efficiency mark through 13 games. He has completed 181-of-267 passes — 67.8 percent — for 2,618 yards with 25 touchdowns against only four interceptions. On the ground, Gronowski has added another 299 yards and seven touchdowns.
A three-year starter, Gronowski has led the defending national champion Jackrabbits to a combined 35-3 record.
Davis, a senior running back from Joplin, Missouri, tallied 1,075 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns during the regular season and has added another 311 yards and four touchdowns in two playoff games. He also has caught 22 passes for 196 yards and a touchdown.
With McCormick at guard and Greenfield at tackle, the duo have manned the left side of the line for an SDSU offensive unit averaging 36.7 points and 448.4 yards per game. The Jackrabbits lead the FCS ranks in both third-down (.543) and fourth-down (.818) conversion percentage, as well as red-zone offense by scoring on 48-of-50 possessions (.960) inside the opponents’ 20-yard line.
South Dakota State, 13-0 overall and the top seed in the FCS playoffs, hosts No. 5 seed UAlbany in semifinal action Friday night. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium.