BEAUMONT, Texas – Lamar University seniors Garrett Bowery and Davon Jernigan have been named to the 2018 AP All-American team. Bowery is a first-team selection while Jernigan garnered third-team recognition.

It marks the first All-America honors for LU since former Cardinal Brendan Langley was named to several All-American squads following the 2016 campaign. Langley would go on to be a third-round draft selection of the Denver Broncos.

“We are very excited for both Garrett and Davon,” said LU head coach Mike Schultz. “They bought into our new system from the moment I arrived on campus. It is great to see their hard work and dedication to this program pay off.”

Bowery was a driving force behind the team’s “bigger, faster, stronger” mantra in 2018. A member of Schultz’s first signing class, Bowery was brought into address needs along the Cards’ offensive line. A workhorse on the offensive front, Bowery started all 12 games for the Cardinals and helped spark an offense that led to one of the largest single-season turnarounds in the country. Big Red led the Southland Conference in rushing averaging nearly 250 yards per game and closed the regular season by winning six straight to advance to the NCAA FCS playoffs for the first time in program history. The All-America honor adds to a growing list of accomplishments for the Union Grove native who was also named first-team All-Southland and league offensive lineman of the year following the season.

One of only six league players to record at least 100 tackles this season, Jernigan led the Cards and finished third in the league with 111 total tackles, including 76 solo stops. Jernigan had his biggest impact when opposing offenses attempted to throw the ball against the Red and White. Jernigan finished tied for second in the Southland with four interceptions and tied for first in the league with 15 pass breakups.

Jernigan played in 42 games during his career earning 21 starts but he saved his best for his senior season. He posted career numbers in his final year in a Red and White uniform to garner first-team all-conference honors and lead the Cardinals to their first appearance in the NCAA FCS Playoffs. The Navasota native posted four double-figure tackle efforts in 2018 but none bigger than his career-high 16 in the team’s upset victory over nationally ranked Sam Houston State. The victory over the Bearkats was one of three over top 25 opponents for LU in 2018.