MISSOULA, MONTANA (6/4/14) – The University of Montana's Matt Hermanson has been placed on the 2014 College Football Performance Awards (CFPA) FCS Awards Watch List for defensive backs, that organization announced recently.
Hermanson, a 6-1, 202-pound senior free safety, is the second Montana player to earn a spot on the 2014 watch list. Recently senior defensive end Zack Wagenmann was named to the CFPA’s watch list for defensive linemen.
From Sioux Falls, S.D., Hermanson will be starting for the third season in a row in 2014. He is Montana’s leading returning tackler. He begins his senior year ranked 29th in school history with 239 career tackles.
Last season Hermanson was the Grizzlies’ second leading tackler with 107, including 53 solo stops. He tied for the team lead with three forced fumbles and in fumble recoveries with two. He was ranked 13th in the Big Sky Conference averaging 8.9 tackles a game, which ranked him 51st in the FCS. He was a second team all-league selection.
The initial watch list includes 38 returning defenders, vying for the top defensive back award in the FCS. All players are eligible for awards at their respective positions; players are not preemptively eliminated from consideration.
Last season linebacker Jordan Tripp earned the CFPA Elite Linebacker Award, while cornerback Trumaine Johnsonearned the CFPA Elite Defensive Back Award in 2011. Twenty-eight CFPA winners have been first-round NFL Draft selections.
Hermanson is an anthropology major. His parents are Mary and Brian Hermanson of Sioux Falls.
