By WJBC Staff

NORMAL - A pair of Illinois State football players were listed among the top 50 players in the Football Championship Subdivision Monday, when Colton Underwood and Ben Ericksen were named to the College Sporting News 2012 Fabulous Fifty FCS All-America Team.

The honor for Underwood caps off a busy postseason of award wins for the junior defensive lineman. The Washington, Ill., native was named a First-Team All-American by the Walter Camp Football Foundation, The Associated Press and The Sports Network. He finished sixth overall in the voting for the 2012 Buck Buchanan Award, which is awarded to the best defensive player in the FCS by The Sports Network and was given the 2012 College Football Performance Awards (CFPA) FCS Defensive End Award for his stellar 2012 campaign.

Underwood led the Missouri Valley Football Conference in sacks (10.5) and tackles-for-loss (19.5) and ranked second on the team with 95 tackles. 

Ericksen was previously named a Third-Team All-America selection by The Associated Press and The Sports Network, marking the first time the Redbirds had two players named to an all-America list since 2006, when Cameron Siskowic and Pierre Rembert were both named all-Americans by several organizations.

In his final season with the Redbirds, Ericksen started all 13 games at free safety, and finished the season randed No. 4 in the country in interceptions per game. An All-Missouri Valley Football Conference First-Team selection, he ranked sixth on the team with 67 tackles, one sack and 3.5 tackles-for-loss to go along with his team and league-leading seven interceptions.