Five Wildcats earned 2022 All-America honors

After another great season, Weber State collected multiple All-America honors.

A total of five Wildcats were named to at least one All-America team with one standout earning consensus All-America honors.

Abraham Williams, Maxwell Anderson, Noah Atagi, Eddie Heckard, and Winston Reid were all named to at least one All-America team.

Sophomore kick returner Abraham Williams earned consensus All-America honors as he was named to six different All-America teams, and earned first-team honors on each team.

Williams led the nation in kickoff returns and set a new FCS record with four 100-yard kickoff return touchdowns. The four kickoff returns are the most in a season in Big Sky Conference history and he is the only player in all divisions of NCAA football with four kickoff return touchdowns this season. No other player in any division (FBS, FCS, Division II or Division III) had more than two kickoff return touchdowns this season. He is also the first player to have all four returns be 100 yards. He had return touchdowns against Eastern Washington, Montana State, Sacramento State and Northern Arizona.

The Salt Lake City native also led the nation in kickoff return average at 37.4 yards per return, which is a school and Big Sky single-season record. Defensively, he also had two interceptions with 65 return yards and had two fumble recoveries.

The four return touchdowns are already the second-most in a career in WSU history. Williams has played in 16 games in two seasons at Weber State.

Maxwell Anderson, a junior cornerback from Hayward, California, was named to four different All-America teams, including first-team honors from the Associated Press and Bluebloods. Anderson played in all 13 games for the Wildcats and led the Big Sky with 16 passes defended. He was third in the conference with 11 pass breakups. He finished sixth in the nation with five interceptions this season. He returned those five interceptions a total of 43 yards.

He has played in 41 career games in four seasons at Weber State and ranks third in school history in career pass breakups with 29. He also has seven career interceptions.

Junior offensive lineman Noah Atagi earned All-America honors by Stats Perform and Phil Steele. The South Ogden, Utah native started all 13 games at Weber State and earned first-team All-Big Sky honors for the third-straight season. He has played in 45 games in his Wildcat career.

Junior cornerback Eddie Heckard earned All-America honors for the first time in his career and was named a first-team All-American by Stats Perform and Phil Steele, and the second-team by the Associated Press.

Heckard started all 13 games for the Wildcats and served as a team captain this season. He earned first-team All-Big Sky honors for the third-straight season and was third on the team in tackles. He had 65 total tackles with 2.5 tackles for loss and one sack. He also had two interceptions, seven pass breakups and three quarterback hurries.

Heckard has played in 49 career games over the last five years at Weber State. He ranks second in career history in pass breakups with 30 and has seven interceptions. He also has 13 tackles for loss and six forced fumbles.

Winston Reid was named a third-team All-American by The Bluebloods, his first All-America honors. Reid earned first-team All-Big Sky honors and started all 13 games for the Wildcats.

The junior out of West Jordan, Utah, led Weber State's defense with 113 tackles and had 12.5 tackles for loss, fifth-most in the Big Sky. He finished . He was sixth in the conference at 8.5 per game and had four sacks on the season. He was also second in the nation in forced fumbles with five. He also had an interception and a fumble recovery.

Reid was named the National Player of the Week on November 14 after recording three sacks, including two strip sacks, with one leading to a Wildcat touchdown.

Weber State won 10 games for the fourth time in the last five full seasons as the Wildcats finished 10-3 overall. WSU also advanced to the FCS Playoffs for the sixth time in the last seven years. The season also included an FBS win over Utah State, Weber State's first FBS win in 29 years.

Weber State University Athletics

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Players Mentioned

Maxwell Anderson

Noah Atagi

Eddie Heckard

Winston Reid

Abraham Williams

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