Three Bengals football players have earned preseason recognition as Brendon Garcia and Donovan Henley were named to the Preseason Watch Lists for College Football Performance Awards at placekicker and defensive back. Rodrick Rumble earned third-team preseason All-American honors by College Sports Madness.
Garcia will be a junior in 2012 and has been the starting kicker for the Bengals since his freshman year and has played in all 22 games of his two-year Bengals career. Last year, he was 9-for-11 from field goals and 16-for-20 on PAT's, kicking a season-long 46-yard field goal at NAU and was named to the Big Sky All-Academic team.
As a freshman he was a perfect 20-for-20 on extra points and 8-for-14 on field goals. He kicked two 50 yard field goals in 2010 and was also named to the conference all-academic team.
Henley led the Big Sky Conference in interceptions with four while earning honorable mention all-league honors. He also recorded 43 tackles and had six pass breakups. The Bengals senior was also named to the Big Sky All-Academic team.
Rumble was named to the preseason all-conference team, the Walter Payton Award Watch List and the Sports Network Preseason All-American team.
The Oak Harbor, Wash., native finished the 2011 season with the second-most receiving yards in Idaho State history with 1,348 and set the ISU and Big Sky Conference single-season record for receptions with 112 during the 2011 season. The 6-foot-2 inch, 201 pound wide receiver is tied for sixth all-time in single season receiving touchdowns with nine and had a season-high 14 receptions on two separate occasions during the season, once against Northern Colorado and again against Weber State. The 14 single-game reception performance is third all-time in program history. Against Washington State, Rumble recorded 218 receiving yards, the third best in ISU history.
Rumble’s accolades for the 2011 season included being named first-team all-conference as well as earning College Sports Madness, Phil Steele, The Sports Network and the Associated Press All-American honors.