CLEVELAND — UTSA sophomores Sincere McCormick and Lucas Dean and senior Hunter Duplessis have been named to the Phil Steele All-America Teams. McCormick was named to the second team at running back, Dean earned a spot as the fourth team punter and Duplessis received honorable mention recognition at kicker. UTSA's three Phil Steele All-Americans are tied with Marshall for the most in Conference USA.
McCormick, who also earned second-team All-America accolades from the Football Writers Association of America on Dec. 30, enjoyed a record-setting season in 2020. A finalist for the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award, he finished his second campaign as a Roadrunner with 1,467 yards and 11 touchdowns on 249 rushes, all school records. The C-USA Offensive Player of the Year, who led the league and ranks second in the FBS in rushing yards as of Jan. 2, also set the UTSA single-season mark with 133.4 rushing yards per game, good for sixth nationally. The Converse Judson High School product averaged 5.9 yards per carry and also caught 20 passes for 131 yards this fall to break his own UTSA single-season all-purpose yardage record with 1,598. The Dave Campbell's Texas Football Texas College Player of the Year and first-team all-conference performer logged a league-best seven 100-yard rushing games, including five where he topped 150 yards, and he registered the top two and five of the top 10 rushing games in C-USA in 2020. A semifinalist for the Doak Walker Award, McCormick became UTSA's all-time rushing yardage leader after piling up 122 yards in the SERVPRO First Responder Bowl, as he has racked up 2,450 yards and 19 touchdowns on 426 attempts in only 23 career contests.
Dean, who was tabbed a second-team All-American by the Sporting News on Dec. 29, led C-USA and ranks sixth nationally (as of Jan. 2) in punting with a school-record 46.0-yard average. The 2020 Conference USA Special Teams Player of the Year and first-team all-conference pick was a four-time Ray Guy Award Ray's 4 honoree, and he was named Ray Guy Award Punter of the Week after averaging 45.0 yards on six punts with five inside the 20 and three of 50-plus yards versus UAB. A native of Dunsborough, Australia, Dean registered 27 punts that pinned opponents inside the 20-yard line, including 15 inside the 10 and seven inside the 5. He recorded 21 punts of 50-plus yards, including a career-best 67-yarder at FAU. He averaged 45.0-plus yards in eight games this fall and of his 57 total punts, 40 were not returned. Dean currently sits atop the UTSA career punting average list with a 43.2 average on 122 punts, good for third in school history.
A first-team all-conference selection, Duplessis made 17 of 20 field goals and 40 of 41 extra points in 2021, good for second in both categories on UTSA's single-season chart. The San Antonio Cole High School product ranks ninth nationally (as of Jan. 2) in field goals made, 21st in field-goal percentage (.850) and 25th in field goals per game (1.42). A semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award and Campbell Trophy, he scored a UTSA-record 91 points this season, good for second in C-USA and 23rd nationally. He owned an FBS-best consecutive field goals made streak for five weeks until it was snapped at 23 in the win over Louisiana Tech. He was named C-USA Special Teams Player of the Week after making three field goals, including the game winner from 29 yards in the second overtime of the 51-48 win over Texas State. The Burlsworth Trophy nominee also went 3 for 3 including a 35-yarder in the fourth that proved to be the difference in the 37-35 win over Middle Tennessee, and he made a career-best 50-yarder against Army. Duplessis ranks second all-time in UTSA history in points scored (143) and extra points (65) and third in field goals (26).
With Duplessis' honorable mention nod from Phil Steele, UTSA now boasts four All-Americans in its 10-year history. The 2020 trio of All-Americans joins David Morgan II, a USA TODAY second-team selection and SI.com honorable mention performer at tight end in 2015.
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