CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Citadel football team has four first-team CoSIDA Academic All-District selections, it was announced Thursday.

Seniors Joe Crochet, Nick Jeffreys and Will Vanvick, along with junior Myles Pierce, earned the All-District accolade and now move on to the Academic All-American ballot. The Citadel's four selections are tied with Auburn for the most in District 4 among Division I programs.

Crochet, who last season became The Citadel's first first-team Academic All-American since 1989, earned his second straight Academic All-District honor. The Stone Mountain, Georgia, native earned his bachelor's degree in three years and will graduate with his MBA in December. He has a 3.88 grade-point average in graduate school and has been named to the Southern Conference Fall All-Academic Team and Academic Honor Roll three times while also earning the Commissioner's Medal four times. From his linebacker position, Crochet has 27 tackles, including 9.5 for loss with 3.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and two quarterback hurries this season. His fumble recovery total is tied for first in the SoCon and 10th in FCS, and his forced fumbles total is tied for third in the conference. His 8.5 tackles for loss in conference play rank third.

Jeffreys is majoring in civil engineering and boasts a 3.80 GPA. The Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, native is a three-time Southern Conference Honor Roll member and three-time Commissioner's Medal recipient. He has started all eight games this season at right tackle and has made 10 career starts for the Bulldogs. This year, the offensive line has blocked for seven 100-yard rushing performances and helped the Bulldogs average a SoCon-leading 362.9 rushing yards per game, the second-highest average in FCS. The Citadel rushed for 500 yards in back-to-back games for the first time in school history earlier this season and has four of the top-14 single-game rushing totals in FCS this season, including an FCS-best 559 yards at North Greenville. The Bulldogs are also the only team in Division I that has not allowed a sack this season, and they rank first in FCS allowing only 2.88 tackles for loss per game.

Pierce was recently named Southern Conference Student-Athlete of the Week after a career-high 12 tackles in the Bulldogs' 24-21 overtime win at Wofford. The linebacker from Daphne, Alabama, has a 3.81 GPA and is majoring in business accounting. Pierce is a two-time member of the Southern Conference Honor Roll and two-time Commissioner's Medal recipient. He has started every game this season and recorded 45 tackles, including 7.5 for loss with 0.5 sacks, and one forced fumble. His tackles rank second among Bulldogs and his tackles for loss are tied for second on the team.

Vanvick was a 2016 National Football Foundation Campbell Trophy semifinalist. The Greenville, South Carolina, native has a 3.89 GPA and is majoring in exercise science. He is a three-time Commissioner's Medal recipient, a three-time member of the Southern Conference Honor Roll and has twice been named Academic All-Southern Conference. This season, Vanvick has punted 33 times and is averaging 42.4 yards per punt with a long of 65 yards. He has dropped 14 punts inside the 20-yard line with seven punts of at least 50 yards and 15 resulting in a fair catch. Vanvick ranks fifth in the SoCon in punt average and ranks second in the conference in percentage of punts inside the 20-yard line. His career average of 39.3 yards per punt ranks seventh on The Citadel's career list.

The 5th-ranked Bulldogs, who are 8-0 and one of two remaining undefeated teams in FCS, host No. 20 Samford on Saturday at 2 p.m. inside Johnson Hagood Stadium. For tickets, visit CitadelSports.com/tickets or call The Citadel Athletic Ticket Office at 843-953-DOGS (3647).

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