Three Rattlers make All-American teams
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Special to the Outlook
Three FAMU football players have been named Hero Sports All-Americans, making the program one of three with multiple players named to the first-team defense.
The three players — Markquese Bell, Isaiah Land and Keenan Forbes – were pivotal to the Rattlers having the top FCS defense this past season. Bell and Land made the first team defense, while Forbes was named to the third team offense.
Linebacker Land, one of the best defensive players in the nation, leads the trio of FAMU invited to Frisco, Texas, for the Buck Buchanan Award announcement.
Land leads the nation with 25.5 tackles for loss and 19 sacks. He also had three forced fumbles, two pass breakups and a fumble recovery.
During the season, Land was named week four BOXTOROW Player of the Week after a three-sack performance against Alabama State. Then he was named week five SWAC Defensive Player of the Week after setting a Rattlers’ record five sacks versus South Carolina State. Land earned another SWAC Defensive Player of the Week in week eight after recording six tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, and 1.5 sacks in a win at Mississippi Valley State.
Land recorded a sack or tackles for loss in 10 of the 11 games this past season and recorded two or more sacks in five games and did the same for tackles for loss in six games.
Bell, a defensive back, finished 17th for the Buck Buchanan Award.
Bell led the Rattlers with 79 tackles (fourth most in SWAC), adding 6.5 tackles for loss, four forced fumbles, two sacks, one interception, and one pass breakup.
He was also ranked eighth in the nation in forced fumbles.
Bell was named the week three SWAC Defensive Player of the Week and Reese’s Senior Bowl Defensive Player of the Week after a 15 tackle, sack and forced fumble performance at USF.
Forbes is an offensive lineman who played at an elite level all season long, finishing with 92 knockdowns and allowed only one sack.
Forbes and the rest of the offensive line allowed only 14 sacks, which was No. 1 in the conference and the 18th in the country. They also led the way for the conference’s leading rusher Bishop Bonnett.
