Ace Hunt
GoSycamores.com
ST. LOUIS -- Indiana State true freshmen Jameer Thurman and LeMonte Booker have been named to the Missouri Valley Football Conference All-Newcomer Team as announced today (Dec. 3) by the league office. The MVFC All-Newcomer Team is selected by a postseason vote of conference head coaches, sports information directors as well as a media panel.
Thurman was selected as a linebacker on the defensive side of the ball while Booker earned the nod as a return specialist and running back on the offensive side.
Thurman finished second in the league's Freshman Of The Year balloting with 23 votes and was third in the MVFC Newcomer Of The Year race with 19 votes. He was the Sycamores' leading tackler with 91 stops, including nine tackles for a loss and four quarterback sacks and was credited with one pass breakup. Thurman recorded at least four tackles in all 12 games and had two double digit tackle performances, including a season-best 17 stops at nationally-ranked South Dakota State. He had three tackles for a loss at South Dakota with a pair of quarterback sacks and ranked eighth in the league in total tackles, tops amongst all freshmen. In MVFC only contests, he ranked tied for ninth in total tackles and was the top freshman. Thurman also ranked tied for 13th in quarterback sacks and was the league's top freshman in MVFC games. He finished 16th in MVFC games only for tackles for a loss and was also the league's top freshman in that category.
Booker was the Sycamores' leader with 25 kickoff returns for 578 yards, averaging 23.1 yards per return. He owned a 97-yard kickoff return for a touchdown against No. 1 North Dakota State. Booker was the team's third-leading rusher with 42 rushes for 175 yards, averaging over four yards per carry and one touchdown and caught seven passes for 39 yards. He returned five kickoffs against Youngstown State and North Dakota State and had a season-best 173 yards of returns versus the Bison, which was the highest single-game total in the MVFC this season.
He tallied a season-best 56 rushing yards at Missouri State and caught four passes against Youngstown State. Booker finished the season with 792 all-purpose yards and ranked second in the MVFC with 23.1 yards per kickoff return as well as second in league games only with 22.3 yards per kickoff return. Booker was also ninth in the league in MVFC contests with a 98.7 all-purpose yards per game average.
