NATCHITOCHES – Northwestern State linebacker Blake Gotcher's fast start to the season has garnered him national acclaim.
 
Gotcher has been named to the 2024 FCS Mid-Season All-American Team by Phil Steele, landing on the fourth team.
 
Gotcher, a junior from Little Elm, Texas, leads the FCS in tackles per game at 13.8 and already has recorded 110 tackles.
 
In his first eight games as a Demon, Gotcher has recorded seven double-figure tackle days, including a career-best 23 stops against Prairie View A&M on Sept. 7, a performance that landed him Southland Conference Defensive Player of the Week honors.
 
A transfer from Lamar, Gotcher leads Northwestern in tackles and in sacks (4.5). With four games remaining in the season, Gotcher needs 18 tackles to move into a tie for ninth in school single-season history while his sack total places him 3.5 shy of the single-season top 10.
 
Gotcher and the Demons return to action when they host Lamar at 2 p.m. in Northwestern's annual Homecoming game.