JONESBORO (7/9/08) ? Arkansas State senior offensive lineman Matt Mandich (Hattiesburg, Miss.) has been named Honorable Mention All-America and was one of three Red Wolves named All-Sun Belt Conference by Sporting News in its 2008 preseason college football publication.
Mandich joins junior running back Reggie Arnold (Little Rock) and senior defensive end Brian Flagg (Ripley, Tenn.) on Sporting News' preseason All-Sun Belt squad that includes an 11-player offensive team, 11-player defensive team and two specialists.
Mandich is on the preseason watch lists for the Outland Trophy and Rotary Lombardi Award and has also been named Preseason All-Sun Belt Conference by Blue Ribbon, Phil Steele's, Athlon Sports, Lindy's and CollegeFootballNews.com. Mandich has started every game of his career and is a three-time All-Sun Belt selection.
Arnold, the 2006 Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year and a two-time all-conference pick, rushed for over 1,000 yards in each of his first two seasons. His preseason accolades also include All-Sun Belt Conference selections by Blue Ribbon, Phil Steele's, Athlon Sports, Lindy's and CollegeFootballNews.com.
Flagg recorded a career-high 44 tackles to lead all ASU defensive lineman last season and is a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-District VI choice. He helped lead an ASU defense that ranked No. 1 in the Sun Belt Conference in total defense, No. 2 in rushing defense, No. 2 in passing defense and No. 2 in scoring defense last season.
The Sporting News' publication also predicted that “Arkansas State's Corey Leonard will be the SBC's top passer” in 2008. Leonard (Covington, La.) was a 2007 Davey O'Brien Award semifinalist and posted a school-record 2,782 yards of total offense as a sophomore while passing for an ASU-record 16 touchdowns.
The preseason publication predicted Arkansas State to finish second behind Florida Atlantic in the 2008 Sun Belt Conference race. Troy finished third in Sporting News' preseason Sun Belt rankings, while Middle Tennessee was fourth, Louisiana-Lafayette fifth, Louisiana-Monroe sixth, North Texas seventh and Florida International eighth.
