Nov. 11, 2008
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Commodore starting linebackers Patrick Benoist and John Stokes have been named to the Academic All-District IV Team as selected by the College Sports Information Directors and sponsored by ESPN The Magazine.
Benoist (Jr., Southlake, Texas) and Stokes (So., Memphis, Tenn.) will advance to the national ballot for the Academic All-America team, which will be announced in December. To be nominated for the Academic All-America process, a student-athlete must have a cumulative grade-point average of at least 3.30, be a sophomore or higher in academic and athletic standing, and be a starter or key reserve.
Benoist has a 3.38 GPA with a major in economics. He has been one of the SEC’s leading tacklers all season, currently ranking second in the conference with 78 total tackles. He also shares the Commodore team lead with 41 solo tackles, and has 5.5 tackles for loss, a pair of sacks and three defensed passes.
Stokes has a 3.73 GPA and is undeclared, though he plans to pursue postgraduate studies in medicine. Stokes has six starts at OLB and has 19 total tackles. He also serves as the snapper on special teams.
The Academic All-District IV team is comprised of players from the states of Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee and Alabama.
