NATCHITOCHES – When he changed his jersey number to 1 before the 2019 season, Quan Shorts said part of the reason was to establish a tradition and follow the path laid out by Jazz Ferguson.
 
Shorts did just that in his record-setting senior season and, Thursday, he placed his name beside Ferguson's in another way. Shorts was named a third-team All-American by STATS FCS, giving Northwestern State back-to-back All-American selections for the first time since the 2014-15 seasons.
 
"Quan's performance this year, especially playing through turf toe down the stretch, was tremendous," second-year head coach Brad Laird said. "As a program, we couldn't be prouder for Quan to be recognized as an All-American. He did not shy away from taking a leadership role and showed our younger receivers what it takes to be successful day in and day out. The way he prepared himself on a daily basis laid the foundation for his record-setting season."
 
Shorts followed Ferguson as Demon All-Americans after shattering the school single-season receptions record. A 6-foot-2, 195-pound Texas Tech transfer, Shorts snared 100 passes as a senior despite battling turf toe for the final three and a half games of the season. His 994 receiving yards rank second in a season at NSU and his 11 touchdown receptions are second in school single-season history.
 
In just two seasons, Shorts carved his name throughout the Northwestern State record books.
 
In addition to his single-season marks, Shorts' 156 career catches are second-most in school history, his 13 touchdown receptions place him in a three-way tie for fifth with Ferguson and Ed Eagan, and his 1,536 receiving yards are the 11^th-highest total, leaving him just two yards short of the top 10.
 
Shorts recorded four double-figure catch games as a senior, including a career-best 12 catches at UT Martin in the Aug. 29 season opener, a total that was one shy of tying the school record. He added three different 11-catch games. His five 100-yard receiving games was one shy of Ferguson's school record of six, set in 2018. With a run of three straight 100-yard receiving games from Sept. 28-Oct. 19, Shorts became the first Demon receiver to eclipse 100 yards in three consecutive games.
 
Shorts is the 47^th All-American in school history and joins Ferguson as NSU receivers named All-Americans at that position. Eagan, whose single-season reception record Shorts broke, was chosen an All-American in 2014 as the all-purpose player on the squad.  
 
2019 STATS FCS ALL-AMERICA TEAM
*-Order of quarterbacks to be determined by the STATS FCS Walter Payton Award on Jan. 10
 
FIRST TEAM
OFFENSE
*QB – Case Cookus, senior, 6-4, 205, Northern Arizona; Trey Lance, freshman, 6-3, 221, North Dakota State; or Kevin Thomson, junior, 6-2, 200, Sacramento State
RB – Pete Guerriero, junior, 5-10, 190, Monmouth
RB – James Robinson, senior, 5-10, 220, Illinois State
WR – Juwan Green, senior, 6-0, 187, UAlbany
WR – Aaron Parker, senior, 6-3, 208, Rhode Island
WR – Samori Toure, junior, 6-3, 190, Montana
TE – Adam Trautman, senior, 6-6, 253, Dayton
OL – P.J. Burkhalter, junior, 6-3, 330, Nicholls
OL – Liam Fornadel, junior, 6-4, 308, James Madison
OL – Drew Himmelman, junior, 6-10, 315, Illinois State
OL – Kyle Murphy, senior, 6-4, 302, Rhode Island
OL – Dillon Radunz, junior, 6-6, 298, North Dakota State
DEFENSE
DL – Ron'Dell Carter, senior, 6-3, 269, James Madison
DL – John Daka, senior, 6-2, 227, James Madison
DL – Sully Laiche, senior, 6-2, 270, Nicholls
DL – Derrek Tuszka, senior, 6-5, 246, North Dakota State
LB – Cam Gill, senior, 6-3, 240, Wagner
LB – Zach Hall, senior, 6-0, 238, Southeast Missouri
LB – Dante Olson, senior, 6-3, 240, Montana
LB – Christian Rozeboom, senior, 6-2, 230, South Dakota State
DB – Anthony Adams, sophomore, 6-0, 180, Portland State
DB – Jeremy Chinn, senior, 6-3, 211, Southern Illinois
DB – Kordell Jackson, junior, 5-11, 163, Austin Peay
DB – Greg Liggs Jr., senior, 5-11, 198, Elon
SPECIAL TEAMS
PK – Luis Aguilar, junior, 6-1, 190, Northern Arizona
P – Alex Pechin, 5^th, 6-0, 210, Bucknell
LS – Matthew O'Donoghue, junior, 6-1, 250, Montana
KR – Earnest Edwards, senior, 5-10, 175, Maine
PR – Montrell Washington, junior, 5-10, 170, Samford
AP – Chris Rowland, senior, 5-8, 180, Tennessee State
 
SECOND TEAM
OFFENSE
*QB – Case Cookus, senior, 6-4, 205, Northern Arizona; Trey Lance, freshman, 6-3, 221, North Dakota State; or Kevin Thomson, junior, 6-2, 200, Sacramento State
RB – Jah-Maine Martin, junior, 5-10, 214, North Carolina A&T
RB – Alex Ramsey, junior, 6-0, 225, VMI
WR – Cade Johnson, junior, 5-10, 180, South Dakota State
WR – Kristian Wilkerson, senior, 6-1, 214, Southeast Missouri
WR – DeAngelo Wilson, junior, 5-8, 165, Austin Peay
TE – Charlie Taumoepeau, senior, 6-3, 245, Portland State
OL – Kyle Anderton, senior, 6-4, 302, Austin Peay
OL – Mitch Brott, senior, 6-6, 300, Montana State
OL – Dieter Eiselen, senior, 6-4, 300, Yale
OL – Blake Jeresaty, junior, 6-2, 290, Wofford
OL – Marcus Pettiford, senior, 6-4, 286, North Carolina A&T
OL – Alex Taylor, senior, 6-9, 310, South Carolina State
DEFENSE
DL – Eli Mencer, senior, 6-1, 229, UAlbany
DL – Aaron Patrick, senior, 6-4, 245, Eastern Kentucky
DL – Nasir Player, senior, 6-5, 271, ETSU
DL – Bryce Sterk, senior, 6-5, 261, Montana State
DL – Jonah Williams, senior 6-5, 275, Weber State
LB – Jeremiah Chambers, senior, 6-2, 224, Abilene Christian
LB – Jabril Cox, junior, 6-3, 233, North Dakota State
LB – Willie Eubanks, junior, 6-2, 215, The Citadel
LB – Jonas Griffith, senior, 6-4, 250, Indiana State
LB – Donnell Rodgers, senior, 6-1, 238, North Dakota
DB – Brandon Easterling, junior, 6-0, 203, Dayton
DB – Luther Kirk, senior, 6-2, 195, Illinois State
DB – Artevius Smith, senior, 5-10, 179, ETSU
DB – Isiah Swann, senior, 6-0, 195, Dartmouth
SPECIAL TEAMS
PK – Grayson Atkins, junior, 5-10, 188, Furman
P – Matt McRobert, junior, 6-2, 195, Sam Houston State
LS – Chandler Collins, senior, 6-4, 235, Missouri State
KR – Gamar Girdy Brito, senior, 5-9, 190, Houston Baptist
PR – Terry Williams, senior, 5-10, 165, UT Martin
AP – Javon Williams Jr., freshman, 6-1, 239, Southern Illinois
 
THIRD TEAM
OFFENSE
*QB – Case Cookus, senior, 6-4, 205, Northern Arizona; Trey Lance, freshman, 6-3, 221, North Dakota State; or Kevin Thomson, junior, 6-2, 200, Sacramento State
RB – Jordan Bentley, senior, 6-1, 195, Alabama A&M
RB – Julius Chestnut, sophomore, 6-1, 215, Sacred Heart
RB – Ulonzo Gilliam, sophomore, 5-9, 185, UC Davis
WR – Michael Bandy, senior, 5-10, 190, San Diego
WR – J.P. Shohfi, senior, 6-1, 209, Yale
WR – Quan Shorts, senior, 6-2, 195, Northwestern State
TE – Matthew Gonzalez, senior, 6-3, 230, Robert Morris
TE – Ben Ellefson, senior, 6-3, 250, North Dakota State
OL – Spencer Blackburn, senior, 6-2, 290, Eastern Washington
OL – Liam Dobson, junior, 6-3, 340, Maine
OL – A.J. Farris, senior, 6-2, 285, Monmouth
OL – Zack Johnson, senior, 6-6, 315, North Dakota State
OL – Zach Larsen, senior, 6-1, 305, Southern Utah
OL – Connor Mignone, junior, 6-4, 290, Central Connecticut State
DEFENSE
DL – Chris Livings, senior, 6-2, 234, McNeese
DL – George Obinna, senior, 6-3, 240, Sacramento State
DL – Darius Royster, senior, 6-2, 215, North Carolina Central
DL – Elerson Smith, junior, 6-7, 245, Northern Iowa
DL – Nick Wheeler, senior, 6-2, 255, Colgate
LB – Bryson Armstrong, junior, 5-11, 212, Kennesaw State
LB – Dimitri Holloway, senior, 6-2, 217, James Madison
LB – Rico Kennedy, senior, 6-3, 235, Morgan State
LB – Da'Jon Lee, senior, 6-2, 245, Saint Francis
LB – Solomon Muhammad, senior, 6-1, 235, Alcorn State
LB – Keith Woetzel, senior, 6-0, 225, Lehigh
DB – Abu Daramy-Swaray, senior, 5-10, 190, Colgate
DB – Ferlando Jordan, sophomore, 6-0, 180, Southeastern Louisiana
DB – Robert Rochell, junior, 6-2, 176, Central Arkansas
DB – Adam Smith, senior, 6-0, 190, James Madison
SPECIAL TEAMS
PK – Storm Ruiz, senior, 5-10, 170, Stephen F. Austin
P – D.J. Arnson, junior, 6-0, 185, Northern Arizona
P – Chris Faddoul, junior, 5-11, 210, Florida A&M
LS – Ethan Ray, junior, 6-0, 185, Charleston Southern
KR – Jimmie Robinson, senior, 5-8, 175, Bethune-Cookman
PR – Mike Roussos, sophomore, 6-0, 195, Columbia
AP – JaVaughn Craig, senior, 6-2, 210, Austin Peay