DEKALB, Ill. – A school-record 15 Northern Illinois University football players have been named to the Mid-American Conference's 2016 Academic All-MAC Team released by the league office Tuesday.
 
Only student-athletes with a grade point average of 3.2 above who participated in at least half of their team's games in 2016 can earn Academic All-MAC recognition. True freshmen and transfers in their first year are not eligible.
 
NIU's 15 All-MAC selections this year are led by CoSIDA Academic All-District selection Max Scharping (Green Bay, Wis./Southwest), who boasts a 3.98 GPA in kinesiology, and three-time Academic All-MAC honorees Shane Wimann (Wisconsin Dells, Wis./Wisconsin Dells), and linebacker Bobby Jones IV (Miami Gardens, Fla./Monsignor Pace). In addition to the aforementioned NIU trio, five other Huskies earned Academic All-MAC honors from the league last year.
 
Defensive tackle Corey Thomas (Chicago, Ill./Lindblom Math & Science Academy), who graduated from NIU last weekend, is the lone senior on NIU's list of honorees and is one of three defensive linemen to make the team. Six redshirt freshmen lead the Huskie contingent, followed by four juniors and four sophomores. The Huskie offensive line led NIU's Academic All-MAC honors with four selections, followed by the defensive line with three. Two linebackers, two safeties, two tight ends, a quarterback and kicker round out the position groups.
 
The complete list of NIU's Academic All-MAC selections for 2016 along with their GPAs, majors and hometowns:
 

TE Daniel Crawford – R-Fr., 3.37, Pre-Computer Science

OL Shane Evans – So., 3.33, Finance 

S Trayshon Foster – R-Fr., 3.33, Undecided 

QB Ryan Graham – So, 3.33, Leadership and Management

K Christian Hagan – Jr., 3.57, Leadership and Management 

LB Bobby Jones IV – Jr., 3.29, Organizational Communications 

S Corey Kennedy – R-Fr., 3.94, Accountancy 

DT William Lee – Jr., 3.23, Journalism

LB Kyle Pugh – R-Fr., 3.37, Kinesiology

OL Max Scharping – So., 3.98, Kinesiology

C Luke Shively – So., 3.46, Chemistry

OL Jordan Steckler – R-Fr., 3.68, Marketing

DT Corey Thomas – Sr., 3.24, English

TE, Shane Wimann – Jr., 3.60, Sociology

DE, Quintin Wynne – R-Fr., 3.41, Biological Sciences

In all, 146 MAC football student-athletes were honored on the All-MAC Team. The league faculty athletics representatives will select the MAC Distinguished Scholar-Athletes for Fall 2016 from among all of the fall sports Academic All-MAC selections.

 
- NIU -