Five Sycamores honored on 2022 CSC Football Academic All-District team

By Press release submission

Nov 28, 2022

Five Indiana State football players were honored on the 2022 CSC Academic All-District teams as announced by the organization on Tuesday.

Dante Hendrix, Dakota Caton, Jose Vazquez IV, Rylan Cole, and Lucas Hunter all received the honor from the organization. The award was the first recognition from CSC (formerly CoSIDA) for all five athletes.

Hendrix wrapped up his playing career as ISU's all-time leader in career receiving yards (2,500), while finishing second in career receptions (190). The redshirt senior wide receiver posted three 100-yard receiving games in the 2022 season coming against Youngstown State (117), North Dakota State (109), and Illinois State (107). Hendrix wrapped up 2022 with a team-high 50 catches for 719 yards and four touchdowns. He is currently pursuing his MBA.

Caton finished second on the Sycamores in the 2022 season with 291 receiving yards, while finishing third on the team with 23 catches. His first full season since suffering an ACL injury featured a three-catch, 82-yard game with two touchdowns against Youngstown State, while also serving as ISU's primary return specialist throughout 2022. The redshirt junior is currently pursuing his degree in Sport Management and boasts a 4.00 GPA.

Vazquez IV lined up as Indiana State's primary right guard in the 2022 season starting 10 games on the year. The redshirt junior is a three-year starter on the ISU offensive line and posted an average grade of 88.7% throughout the year. This average bumped up to an 89.5% mark in conference play. Vazquez allowed just 1.5 sacks in the 2022 season and just three quarterback hurries, while providing run blocking for Justin Dinka to pick up nearly 900 rushing yards and a 5.8 yard-per-carry average. He is currently pursuing his MBA.

Cole started nearly every game at the safety position for the Sycamores in 2022 and finished tied for the team lead with 84 tackles on the year. A two-time MVFC Defensive Player of the Week, Cole highlighted his year with a season-high 18-tackle effort against North Dakota State. A sophomore on the field, Cole added 6.0 tackles-for-loss and three interceptions, while finishing with a team-best 11 passes defended. He is currently pursuing a degree in Business Administration.

Hunter finished the 2022 season with 35 total tackles, including 4.5 tackles-for-loss and one sack as an interior defensive lineman. Highlighting the season included a career-high 11 tackles, a TFL and 0.5 sacks against North Dakota State. The junior also recorded a scoop-and-score fumble recovery for a touchdown early in the season against Montana. He is also currently pursuing his MBA at Indiana State.

To be nominated, a student-athlete must be a starter or important reserve with at least a 3.50 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) at his current institution. The cumulative grade-point average may NOT be rounded up to 3.50. Nominated athletes must have participated in at least 50 percent of the team's games at the position listed on the nomination form (where applicable).

The 2022 Academic All-District® Football Teams, selected by College Sports Communicators, recognize the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom. The CSC Academic All-America® program separately recognizes football honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA. Academic All-District® honorees advance to the CSC Academic All-America® ballot. First- and second-team Academic All-America® honorees will be announced in late December.