FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – Northern Arizona quarterback Michael Herrick was named to Phil Steele’s 2010 Preseason Football Championship Subdivision All-America first team. He was also one of four student-athletes selected to the publication’s preseason All-Big Sky first team.

“Michael is very deserving of the honor based on the numbers he produced last season,” said Head Coach Jerome Souers. “Having him back with the number of returning All-Big Sky players we have on both sides of the ball gives us a great foundation to build around this year.”

Herrick, a 6-foot-1, 205-pound senior from Valencia, Calif., finished ninth in Walter Payton Award voting in 2009 after throwing for 3,356 yards, the fifth-best total in the nation, with 22 touchdowns.

Herrick recorded four of the top 20 single-game passing performances in school history in 2009, including nine games with 200 or more yards on the season and five games with 300 or more yards. He ranked third in the Big Sky and 15th in the nation in passing efficiency at 149.5 and second in the Big Sky and is sixth overall nationally in total offense (298.3).

Herrick, who was named to the Walter Payton Award Watch List for 2010 earlier in the week, joined defensive lineman Isaac Bond, safety Matt Estrada and tight end Brian Riley on the first team. Senior offensive lineman Anthony Williams, senior offensive lineman Kris Poindexter and senior defensive lineman Brandon Vance were chosen for the preseason second-team by the magazine.

The Lumberjacks are listed at No. 9 in the preseason top 25 on the website for the publication. They have announced a new team in the top 25 each day over the last three weeks with the top team announced on July 20. Montana State is listed at No. 20 with the top four teams still to be announced.

“We are very excited by the top 10 prediction,” said Souers. “It is a ranking that supports the positive expectations we have for our team heading into fall camp.”

Preseason Honors by Phil Steele’s College Football Preview

Isaac Bond

Preseason All-Big Sky (First), Phil Steele

Matt Estrada

Preseason All-Big Sky (First), Phil Steele

Michael Herrick

Preseason All-America (First), Phil Steele

Preseason All-Big Sky (First), Phil Steele

Kris Poindexter

Preseason All-Big Sky (Second), Phil Steele

Brian Riley

Preseason All-Big Sky (First), Phil Steele

Brandon Vance

Preseason All-Big Sky (Second), Phil Steele

Anthony Williams

Preseason All-Big Sky (Second), Phil Steele

Phil Steele’s College Football Preview All-America Team (PDF)

Phil Steele's College Football Preview All-Big Sky Team (PDF)

DID YOU KNOW…Northern Arizona senior David McNeill was selected as the Male Academic All-America® of the Year in the University division for the 2009-10 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® Men’s Track and Field and Cross Country Teams, as chosen by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). He is one of 12 student-athletes in the country to earn the title of Academic All-America of the Year in the university division, joining the likes of Florida’s Tim Tebow in football, Kansas’ Cole Aldrich in men’s basketball and Connecticut’s Maya Moore in women’s basketball among the individual sport winners.