2005 Football Gazette NCAA 1-AA Southwest Region All-America Team Announced
Released on = December 26, 2005, 1:49 pm
Press Release Author = Don Hansen\'s National Weekly Football Gazette
Industry = Small Business
Press Release Summary = The SWAC\'s conference top receiver, Henry Tolbert and the conference leader in tackles-for-loss, Jason Hatcher from Grambling along with Texas State\'s Southland Conference Player of the Year, Barrick Nealy and teammate Thomas Keresztury headline a talented 2005 Don Hansen\'s Football Gazette NCAA 1-AA Southwest All-Region team.
Press Release Body = WESTMONT, Illinois ~~ The SWAC\'s conference top receiver, Henry Tolbert and the conference leader in tackles-for-loss, Jason Hatcher from Grambling along with Texas State\'s Southland Conference Player of the Year, Barrick Nealy and teammate Thomas Keresztury headline a talented 2005 Don Hansen\'s Football Gazette NCAA 1-AA Southwest All-Region team.
Tolbert earned Offensive Receiver of the Year while Hatcher claimed the Defensive Lineman of the Year Award and Nealy is the Offensive Back of the Year while Keresztury garnered the Offensive Lineman of the Year award. Junior Keldrick Holman from Stephen F. Austin State University earned Defensive Back of the Year honors, and Clint Sellers from Eastern Illinois University claimed Linebacker of the Year accolades. Southeast Missouri State\'s David Simonhoff is the Special Teams Player of the Year.
Tolbert, a junior, from Birmingham, Alabama, concluded his junior campaign with season-best performance in the 2005 SWAC Championship game. He caught 11 passes for 184 yards and four touchdowns. The final touchdown gave him the school single-season record for TD catches in a season. He finished the year with 74 catches for 1,391 yards and 19 touchdowns while also rushing for another touchdown. He averaged 18.8 yards per catch and 116.8 all-purpose yards per game in 2005.
Hatcher, a senior, from Jena, Louisiana, was a key component on the Grambling State defensive line. He finished with 71 total tackles (49 solo) with 21.5 tackles for loss and 11.0 sacks. He had one forced fumble, 16 QB hurries, a pass breakup and a blocked kick. He had eight tackles against both Jackson State and Southern while registering three sacks in the season opener against Alabama A&M. First-Team All-SWAC.
Nealy, a senior, from Dallas, Texas, was named the Southland Conference Player of the Year, leading Texas State to an 11-3 record, Southland Conference championship and an appearance in the NCAA Division 1-AA semi-finals to cap his career. For the 2005 season, he completed 208-of-363 passes (57.3-percent) for 2,875 yards and 21 touchdowns, and was a major threat when rushing with the ball, gaining 1,057 yards on the ground on 159 carries (6.6 yards per carry) and scored 13 rushing touchdowns.
Keresztury, a senior, from New Braunfels, Texas, helped lead Texas State to its first ever Southland Conference title and Division I-AA playoff appearance as well as an 11-3 record. He did not give up a quarterback sack during the year. Texas State\'s offense ranked 11th nationally in total offense, averaging 439.1 yards per game and also eighth in scoring offense as the Bobcats averaged 37 points an outing, team averaged 228.4 yards rushing and 210.6 yards passing. Keresztury protected Texas State quarterback Barrick Nealy who was named the league\'s Player of the Year and finished fifth in the voting for the Walter Payton Award. Three-year starter at offensive tackle who started every game the past two seasons.