UC Davis Punter Daniel Whelan Earns First Team Honors
May 10, 2021, 2:33 PM | Updated: May 11, 2021, 3:30 pm
DAVIS, Calif. — UC Davis punter Daniel Whelan earned a spot on the 2020-21 Stats Perform FCS All-America first team, announced Monday morning. The sustainable environmental design major from Rancho Mirage becomes the first Aggie specialist to earn first-team All-America status since kicker Eric Friend earned such honors from the AFCA in 2000.
Originally a Dublin, Ireland product who attended high school in the Coachella Valley, Whelan posted 17 punts for 815 yards for a 47.9 average – a rate that led the Big Sky Conference and would have topped the NCAA leaderboard had he met the minimum of 3.6 attempts per game. Of those attempts, seven went for 50 or more yards, eight pinned opponents inside their 20-yard lines, and another seven resulted in fair catches. Opponents amassed just 56 return yards, resulting in UC Davis leading all FCS teams with a 43.47 net punting average.
Whelan, who also took over kickoff duties during the 2021 spring season, launched a career-long 67-yarder in the March 27 home game against Idaho State. That marked the longest punt by a UC Davis player since Colton Schmidt booted one for 68 yards in 2012.
Whelan will return for a fifth season this fall with a career average of 43.20, putting him well on pace to eclipse Schmidt (41.12) for the school’s career record. He is a three-time All-Big Sky honoree, garnering first-team distinction this spring. Additionally, Whelan was selected as a finalist for the FCS Punter of the Year award for the second straight season.
UC Davis went 3-2 in the shortened 2021 spring season, finishing 13th in the final Stats Perform media poll.
2020-21 STATS PERFORM FCS ALL-AMERICA TEAM
FIRST TEAM
OFFENSE
QB – Eric Barriere, senior, 6-0, 200, Eastern Washington
QB – Cole Kelley, senior, 6-7, 260, Southeastern Louisiana
RB – Percy Agyei-Obese, senior, 6-0, 204, James Madison
RB – Julius Chestnut, junior, 6-1, 215, Sacred Heart
RB – Otis Weah, sophomore, 5-9, 195, North Dakota
FB – Hunter Luepke, sophomore, 6-1, 245, North Dakota State
WR – Avante Cox, junior, 5-10, 170, Southern Illinois
WR – Jakob Herres, junior, 6-4, 211, VMI
WR – Tyler Hudson, sophomore, 6-2, 185, Central Arkansas
TE – Trae Barry, senior, 6-7, 245, Jacksonville State
OL – P.J. Burkhalter, senior, 6-3, 330, Nicholls
OL – Garrett Greenfield, sophomore, 6-6, 295, South Dakota State
OL – Drew Himmelman, senior, 6-10, 315, Illinois State
OL – David Kroll, senior, 6-7, 315, Delaware
OL – Cordell Volson, senior, 6-7, 310, North Dakota State
OL – Ty Whitworth, senior, 6-4, 300, Weber State
DEFENSE
DL – Jared Brinkman, senior, 6-2, 290, Northern Iowa
DL – Isaiah Chambers, grad, 6-5, 250, McNeese
DL – Mike Greene, senior, 6-3, 285, James Madison
DL – Jahari Kay, senior, 6-2, 255, Sam Houston
DL – Jordan Lewis, junior, 6-3, 195, Southern
LB – Colby Campbell, senior, 6-0, 210, Presbyterian
LB – La’akea Kaho’ohanohano-Davis, junior, 6-1, 215, Southern Utah
LB – Connor Mortensen, senior, 6-0, 215, Weber State
LB – Stone Snyder, sophomore, 6-3, 225, VMI
LB – Tre Walker, junior, 6-1, 235, Idaho
DB – Chris Edmonds, sophomore, 6-2, 205, Samford
DB – Nicario Harper, sophomore, 6-1, 205, Jacksonville State
DB – Kordell Jackson, senior, 5-9, 188, Austin Peay
DB – Kedrick Whitehead, junior, 5-11, 195, Delaware
SPECIAL TEAMS
PK – Ethan Ratke, senior, 5-10, 185, James Madison
PK – Antonio Zita, senior, 5-9, 170, Tennessee State
P – Garret Wegner, senior, 6-0, 197, North Dakota State
P – DANIEL WHELAN, SENIOR, 6-6, 215, UC DAVIS
LS – Kyle Davis, junior, 5-11, 210, James Madison
LS – Robert Soderholm, sophomore, 6-1, 216, VMI
KR – Christian Watson, junior, 6-4, 200, North Dakota State
PR – Devron Harper, junior, 5-10, 165, Gardner-Webb
AP – Quay Holmes, junior, 6-1, 216, ETSU
AP – Javon Williams Jr., sophomore, 6-2, 245, Southern Illinois
SECOND TEAM
OFFENSE
QB – Eric Schmid, junior, 6-1, 180, Sam Houston
QB – Liam Welch, grad, 6-2, 194, Samford
RB – Juwon Farri, sophomore, 5-10, 195, Monmouth
RB – Karl Mofor, senior, 5-9, 229, Albany
RB – Pierre Strong Jr., junior, 5-11, 210, South Dakota State
FB – Nathan Walker, junior, 6-0, 225, Wofford
WR – Talolo Limu-Jones, senior, 6-5, 220, Eastern Washington
WR – Keith Pearson, senior, 5-9, 175, Presbyterian
WR – DeAngelo Wilson, senior, 5-9, 173, Austin Peay
TE – Ryan Miller, junior, 6-2, 221, Furman
TE – Rodney Williams II, junior, 6-4, 235, UT Martin
OL – AJ Farris, senior, 6-2, 300, Monmouth
OL – Brian Foley, senior, 6-4, 314, Holy Cross
OL – Tylan Grable, sophomore, 6-7, 260, Jacksonville State
OL – Kyle Nunez, junior, 6-2, 340, Stony Brook
OL – Tre’mond Shorts, junior, 6-4, 326, ETSU
OL – Colby Thomas, senior, 6-2, 295, Sam Houston
DEFENSE
DL – D.J. Coleman, junior, 6-6, 265, Jacksonville State
DL – Kevin Glajchen, senior, 6-2, 270, San Diego
DL – Malik Hamm, junior, 6-3, 260, Lafayette
DL – Kobie Turner, junior, 6-3, 285, Richmond
LB – Bryson Armstrong, senior, 5-11, 205, Kennesaw State
LB – Ryan Greenhagen, junior, 6-1, 235, Fordham
LB – Matthew Jackson, junior, 6-2, 205, Eastern Kentucky
LB – Storey Jackson, senior, 6-3, 225, Prairie View A&M
LB – James Kaczor, junior, 6-0, 211, North Dakota State
LB – Tristan Wheeler, sophomore, 6-2, 228, Richmond
DB – Qua Brown, senior, 5-11, 206, Southern Illinois
DB – Don Gardner, senior, 6-1, 185, South Dakota State
DB – Nijuel Hill, senior, 5-10, 185 Delaware
DB – Ferlando Jordan, junior, 6-0, 180, Southeastern Louisiana
DB – Robert Rochell, senior, 6-0, 195, Central Arkansas
SPECIAL TEAMS
PK – Mitchell Fineran, 5-10, 183, junior, Samford
P – Cade Coffey, senior, 6-1, 199, Idaho
P – Noah Gettman, junior, 6-5, 205, Sacred Heart
LS – Ross Kennelly, senior, 5-11, 213, North Dakota State
KR – Rashid Shaheed, senior, 6-0, 180, Weber State
PR – Jequez Ezzard, grad, 5-9, 190, Sam Houston
PR – Tyrin Ralph, senior, 5-8, 170, Arkansas-Pine Bluff
AP – Kevin Brown, senior, 5-9, 204, UIW
AP – Dejoun Lee, senior, 5-7, 185, Delaware