TXST FOOTBALL
Texas State racked up a number of preseason awards from Dave Campbell’s Texas Football magazine.
Most notable were wide receiver Joey Hobert and kicker Mason Shipley, who were named DCTF Best Wide Receiver and Best Kicker, respectively.
Hobert caught 76 passes for 895 yards and eight touchdowns for the Bobcats last year. Shipley was 58-59 on extra point attempts and was a perfect 15-15 on field goal attempts.
This marked the first time a Bobcat player has taken home a DCTF All Texas Honor for best position since 2017, when Bryan London II was named Best Linebacker. It is also the first time two Texas State players earned 'best of' honors at different positions.
The Bobcats also broke a school record for most first team nominations with four.
Both Hobert and Shipley were named to the First Team All Texas College along with running back Ismail Mahdi and defensive back Caleb Culp.
Mahdi ran for 1,331 yards on 223 carries and scored ten touchdowns for the Bobcats while catching 20 passes for 275 yards and one touchdown. Mahdi also returned a kickoff return for a touchdown en route to his All-American season.
Culp made 81 total tackles including 48 solo last season with five passes defended. Culp also recovered four fumbles.
Ben Bell earned second team honors at defensive end. Bell made 57 tackles with 32 being solo tackles last season. Bell broke the FBS program record for most sacks in the single season with 10.
DCTF also has high expectations for the Bobcats this season, having Texas State finish atop of the Sun Belt West Division and playing for the conference championship against Appalachian State.
Texas State is predicted to finish with a 9-3 record with losses to UTSA, Arizona State and Troy, but DCTF believes the program’s ceiling is with a 11-1 record and a shot to compete for the expanded College Football Playoff.
DCTF is not the only magazine that has predicted major success for the Bobcats. Both Athlon Sports and Lindy Sports also have Texas State winning the Sun Belt West Division and playing App State in the conference championship game.
Texas State returns to the field in August for the start of two-a-days practice.
cmcwilliams @sanmarcosrecord.com Twitter: @ColtonBMc
