Football | 8/13/2026 9:36:00 AM

August 13, 2026-The preseason accolades continue to come in for Emporia State football as linebacker Landon Boss and defensive back Tyler Schultze were both named to the D2football.com Elite 100 preseason watch list. The Hornets were one of two MIAA programs with two players in the Elite 100.
 
Boss was a finalist for the Ken B. Jones Award as the top male student-athlete in the MIAA.  Last season he earned First-Team All-American honors from the AFCA, D2CCA, AP, Don Hansen Football Committee, and Walter Camp Football Foundation and was named Second-Team All-American by D2Football.com. Boss was a unanimous selection as a First-Team All-MIAA linebacker, while also winning the Defensive Player of the Year award in the Association. The Osage City, Kan. native tallied 101 tackles on the season, which included ten sacks, 11 quarterback hurries, two forced fumbles, two interceptions and a defensive touchdown.  He led the MIAA in sacks and tackles for loss while ranking second in the league in solo tackles and fourth in total tackles.  His 69 solo tackles were the fifth most in the nation, his 17.5 tackles for loss ranked sixth in the nation while his ten sacks were 12th in the nation. 
 
Schultze was a Second-Team All-MIAA selection at defensive back last season. He had 65 total tackles and 3.5 tackles for loss. The senior from DeSoto, Kan. had one interception and 14 pass breakups, giving him 15 passes defended on the season to lead the MIAA and tie for nation in the nation. He has 25 career pass break ups and needs just five to set the Emporia State career record of 30 set by Luke Waller from 2001-04.
 
The D2Football.com Elite 100 Watch List was selected by the staff of D2Football.com with input from numerous sitting head coaches and professional football scout Josh Buchanan. The team includes first and second team selections for offense, defense and special teams along with 25 "Squad" players for offense and defense. Squad players are equivalent to "honorable mention" selections in similar national recognition lists.
 
There were a total of eight MIAA players listed in the Elite 100 while Emporia State was the only school with a First-Team selection and a squad member.
 
Both Boss and Schultze were named CFBNetwork Preseason All-Americans earlier while kicker Brandon McCary was named to the Fred Mitchell Award Watch List.
 
The Hornets have averaged over seven wins a year over the past four seasons. They are set to return 13 starters from last season including All-American linebacker Landon Boss, First-Team All-MIAA receiver Malik O'Atis, Second-Team All-MIAA defensive back Tyler Schultze and Third-Team All-MIAA offensive lineman Trevion Mitchell. Season and single game tickets are on sale now at esuhornets.com while season passes for The MIAA Network will go on sale later this month.

Emporia State opens the season on Thursday, August 27 at Minot State in North Dakota. The first home game will be on Saturday, September 12 against Michigan Tech. Hornet Walk will be at 10:00 a.m. with Live at the Hive tailgate lots opening up at 10:30 a.m. Kick-off from the new Blackcreek Diesel Field at Welch Stadium is set for 1:00 p.m.
 
First Team - Offense

QB	Judd Novak	Kutztown
RB	Dawson Forgy	Wayne State
RB	Andrew Miller	Harding
WR	Shea Ruddy	Hillsdale
WR	Hank Brown Jr.	Sioux Falls
TE	Klayton Sattler	Augustana
OL	Jamari Mason	Johnson C. Smith
OL	Kaleb McCullough	Northwest Missouri
OL	Tyler Leopold	Indianapolis
OL	Jarvis Windom	Ferris State
OL	Will Hart	Wingate

                                                              
First Team - Defense

DL	Freddie Retter	Kutztown
DL	Gaven Haselhorst	Fort Hays State
DL	Derrick Drayton	Albany State
DL	Adom LeDuc	Saginaw Valley
LB	Landon Boss	Emporia State
LB	Jake Adams	Northern State
LB	Mikey Blandin	Newberry
DB	Marvelous Owens	Northeastern State
DB	Preston McQueen	Minnesota Duluth
DB	Jacob Tueimeh	Tiffin
DB	Everette Dingle	East Stroudsburg

                                                              
First Team - Special Teams

K	Elijah Guyton	West Alabama
P	Jay Todd Baker	Southern Arkansas
AP	Kellen Reed	Grand Valley

                                                              
Second Team - Offense

QB	Andrew Schuster	Grand Valley
RB	JayJay Jordan	Slippery Rock
RB	Cephus Harris	Davenport
WR	Denny Furlong	Findlay
WR	Carter McElhany	Ouachita Baptist
TE	Dane Petersen	Wayne State
OL	Carter Geerts	Minnesota Duluth
OL	Nico Traczyk	Ashland
OL	Tyler Luzan	Central Washington
OL	Ethan Lett	North Greenville
OL	Cobe Williams	Harding

                                                              
Second Team - Defense
        

DL	Tim Allen	Ferris State
DL	Kyree Butler	Kutztown
DL	Ashton Blose	East Stroudsburg
DL	Justin Sobczak	Harding
LB	Owen Fitzgerald	Assumption
LB	Jacob Vance	Hillsdale
LB	Ian Loomis	Western Colorado
DB	Vincent Cooley	Davenport
DB	Jamal Spiyee	Minnesota State
DB	Christion Stokes	Findlay
DB	Gibson Leafgreen	Colorado Mesa

                                                              
Second Team - Special Teams

K	Austin Schmitt	Pittsburg State
P	Lucas LeSieur	Colorado School of Mines
AP	Taariik Brett	Ferris State

                                                              
SQUAD - Offense

QB	Jett Huff	Central Oklahoma
QB	Dylan Hair	Truman State
QB	Gunner Hensley	Augustana
QB	Ethan Hamby	Northwood
QB	Rahsaan Matthews Jr.	Virginia State
QB	Wyatt Bower	Ferris State
QB	Donnie Smith	Northeastern State
RB	Kieran Falzon	Southern Connecticut State
RB	Sam Backer	Minnesota State
RB	Noah Dobert	Northern Michigan
RB	Bobby Smith	Johnson C. Smith
RB	KJ Smothers	Frostburg State
RB	Johntarrious Thomas	Edward Waters
RB	Hunter Patterson	West Liberty
RB	Isaiah Harris	Nebraska Kearney
WR	Charlie Guinade	Mars Hill
WR	Que Kennedy	UNC Pembroke
WR	Darius Cyprian	Kentucky State
WR	Traylen Suel	UTPB
WR	Marcellus Honeycutt Jr.	CSU Pueblo
WR	Davon Jones	Clarion
TE	Connor Shamany	IUP
OL	Josh Crummitt	Shepherd
OL	Leon Wesley	Valdosta State
OL	Brandon Devries	Michigan Tech

                                                              
SQUAD - Defense

DL	Nijawn Sterling	Western Oregon
DL	Jake Fredericks	Bentley
DL	William Stemler	Chadron State
DL	Drew Johnson	Western Colorado
LB	Julius Pascal	Valdosta State
LB	Jefferson Mobry	Minnesota State
LB	JC Heim	Washburn
LB	Jack Talkington	Ashland
LB	Jack Weltha	Truman State
LB	Brycen Indell	Central Washington
LB	Jimmy Downs	Grand Valley
LB	Justin Crutchmer	Ouachita Baptist
LB	Alvin Contreras	Indianapolis
LB	Trevon French	Edward Waters
LB	Carter Mazalewski	Frostburg State
LB	Jax Hertel	Northern Michigan
LB	Blake Carr	Pittsburg State
LB	Malachi Thomas	California (PA)
DB	Tyler Schultze	Emporia State
DB	Jason Dandridge	Minnesota State
DB	Eli Liapis	Indianapolis
DB	Miles Hill	West Texas
DB	Caden Bolte	Bemidji State
RS	Tre Roberson	Lenoir Rhyne
RS	Zyaire Tart	Virginia Union