(Editor's note: University of Montana athletics release)
Montana linebacker Dante Olson picked up his sixth all-American accolade of the 2019 postseason on Monday, earning a place on the prestigious Walter Camp FCS all-America Team –- one of just 25 players nationwide selected for the honor.
A consensus all-American, Olson has been named a first-team all-American by every major FCS publication and organization that publishes an all-America team: HERO Sports, the Associated Press, the FCS Athletic Directors Association, STATS, the American Football Coaches Association, and the Walter Camp Football Foundation.
This is the second-straight season Olson has been named to the Walter Camp all-America Team after leading the FCS in tackles for two years in a row. He is one of just three players to earn back-to-back Walter Camp all-America accolades, and one of only four players from the Big Sky Conference to make this year's team.
Olson posted the second-most tackles in all of college football during his senior season with 179 total stops, breaking the Big Sky Conference record for single-season tackles and his own school record he previously set as a junior.
In just two years as a starter, Olson finished his career at Montana with 397 total tackles to become the leading tackler in UM history, passing Grizzly Sports Hall of Famer Vince Huntsberger's school-record 393 career tackles.
As a reflection of his two seasons of dominance at Montana, STATS also placed Olson on its all-decade team of the best players of the 2010s in FCS football, released on New Year's Eve. He is the only Grizzly to earn a place on the list of the FCS's best of the last 10 seasons.
Olson will be in Frisco, Texas, on Thursday as one of three finalists for the STATS FCS Buck Buchanan Award. He will find out if he is to become the third Grizzly in program history to be named Defensive Player of the Year at the STATS FCS Awards Banquet, held annually on the eve of the FCS national championship game. He finished third in the voting for the 2018 Buchanan Award as a junior after finishing the year with 151 tackles.
The Medford, Ore., native graduated from the University of Montana in December with a 3.91 GPA and a degree in business management and has relocated to California to train for the Grizzlies' annual pro day, where he will showcase his ability for NFL scouts.
In addition to his six all-America honors, Olson was also selected as a National Football Foundation National Scholar-Athlete, and earned a place on the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team for his community service work.
2019 Walter Camp FCS All-America Team
Offense
Pos. Name, School Ht. Wt. Class Hometown
WR Chris Rowland, Tennessee State 5-8 180 Sr. Nolensville, TN
WR Cade Johnson, South Dakota State 5-10 180 Jr. Papillion, NE
TE Adam Trautman, Dayton 6-6 253 Sr. Williamsburg, MI
OL Dillon Radunz, North Dakota State 6-6 298 Jr. Becker, MN
OL Zach Johnson, Fordham 6-5 290 Sr. Blaine, MN
OL PJ Burkhalter, Nicholls State 6-3 330 R-Jr. Franklinton, LA
OL Jackson Scott-Brown, Northern Iowa 6-4 321 Sr. Council Bluffs, IA
C Zach Larsen, Southern Utah* 6-1 301 Sr. Draper, UT
QB Trey Lance, North Dakota State 6-3 221 R-Fr. Marshall, MN
RB James Robinson, Illinois State 5-10 220 Sr. Rockford, IL
RB Pete Guerriero, Monmouth 5-10 190 Jr. Lyndhurst, NJ
PK Luis Aguilar, Northern Arizona 6-1 190 Jr. Nogales, AZ
DEFENSE
Pos. Name, School Ht. Wt. Class Hometown
DL Derrek Tuszka, North Dakota State 6-5 246 Sr. Warner, SD
DL Ron’Dell Carter, James Madison 6-3 269 R-Sr. Baltimore, MD
DL Sully Laiche, Nicholls State 6-2 270 Sr. Gramercy, LA
DL Aaron Patrick, Eastern Kentucky 6-4 245 R-Sr. Dayton, OH
LB Dante Olson, Montana* 6-3 240 R-Sr. Medford, OR
LB Zach Hall, Southeast Missouri State* 6-0 238 Sr. Louisville, KY
LB Christian Rozeboom, South Dakota St. 6-2 230 Sr. Sioux City, IA
DB Kordell Jackson, Austin Peay 5-11 163 Jr. Birmingham, AL
DB Anthony Adams, Portland State 6-0 180 Soph. Newburg, OR
DB Brandon Easterling, Dayton 6-0 203 Jr. Fairborn, OH
DB Greg Liggs, Elon 5-11 198 Sr. Greensboro, NC
P Alex Pechin, Bucknell 6-0 210 Sr. Kennett Square, PA
KR Earnest Edwards, Maine 5-10 175 Sr. Rochester, NY
* 2018 Walter Camp All-American
STATS FCS 2010s All-Decade Team
Offense
Position, Player, School, Final FCS Season
QB - Jeremiah Briscoe, Sam Houston State, 2017
RB - Chase Edmonds, Fordham, 2017
RB - Zach Zenner, South Dakota State, 2014
FB - Eric Breitenstein, Wofford, 2012
WR - Cooper Kupp, Eastern Washington, 2016
WR - Jake Wieneke, South Dakota State, 2017
TE - Dallas Goedert, South Dakota State, 2017
OL - Joe Haeg, North Dakota State, 2015
OL - Ben Ijalana, Villanova, 2010
OL - Brandon Parker, North Carolina A&T, 2017
OL - Collin Seibert, Eastern Illinois, 2014
OL - Billy Turner, North Dakota State, 2013
AP - David Johnson, Northern Iowa, 2014
Defense
DL - P.J. Hall, Sam Houston State, 2017
DL - Javon Hargrave, South Carolina State, 2015
DL - Brent Russell, Georgia Southern, 2012
DL - Davis Tull, Chattanooga, 2014
LB - Nick DeLuca, North Dakota State, 2017
LB - Matt Evans, New Hampshire, 2012
LB - Darius Leonard, South Carolina State, 2017
LB - Dante Olson, Montana, 2019
LB - Christian Rozeboom, South Dakota State, 2019
DB - Dee Delaney, The Citadel, 2016
DB - Jimmy Moreland, James Madison, 2018
DB - Donald Payne, Stetson, 2016
DB - Marcus Williams, North Dakota State, 2013
Special Teams
PK - Aidan O'Neill, Towson, 2019
P - Alex Pechin, Bucknell, 2019
KR - Xavier Roberson, Southeastern Louisiana, 2015
PR - Khris Gardin, North Carolina A&T, 2017
RS - Willie Quinn, Southern, 2016
