LOGAN, Utah – Utah State football players Dominik Eberle, Savon Scarver and David Woodward have all been named preseason All-Americans by Athlon Sports heading into the 2019 season, which is the most from a Group of 5 team.
 
Scarver was named to the publication's second team, while Woodward was named to the third team and Eberle to the fourth team.
 
Scarver, a 5-foot-11, 190-pound junior from Las Vegas, Nev. (Centennial HS), was named just the third consensus All-American in school history as a returner/all-purpose player and just the 16th in Mountain West history last season as he earned first-team All-America honors from the Walter Camp Football Foundation (WCFF), Football Writers Association of American (FWAA) and Phil Steele's Magazine, and second-team All-America honors from the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) as he returned 22 kickoffs for 742 yards (33.7 ypr) and two touchdowns. His 742 return yards on kickoffs are the most by an Aggie since 2011, while his kickoff return average of 33.7 yards ranks second all-time in school history. In 2018, Scarver led the nation in kickoff returns (33.7 ypr) and tied for second in the nation with his two kickoff returns for touchdowns (0.15 pg). In fact, his two kickoff returns for touchdowns (100 yards vs. New Mexico State, 99 yards vs. Wyoming) are the second-most in a single-season in school history, and he is one of just two players in school history to have multiple kickoff returns for touchdowns in a single-season. Scarver was also named the winner of the 2018 Johnny "The Jet" Award as the nation's top return specialist.
 
Heading into his junior campaign, Scarver has three career kickoff returns for touchdowns, which ranks second all-time in school history, while his career kickoff return average of 28.5 yards ranks as the third-best in school history as he has returned 48 kickoffs for 1,367 yards in his career.
 
Scarver has also been named a preseason first-team All-American by Phil Steele's Magazine and first-team all-Mountain West by both Athlon Sports and Phil Steele's Magazine as a kick returner this summer.
 
Woodward, a 6-2, 230-pound junior linebacker from Olympia, Wash. (Olympia HS), earned first-team All-America honors from Pro Football Focus (PFF) and third-team All-America honors from The Associated Press (AP) as a sophomore in 2018, as he started all 13 games and finished the season with 134 tackles (52-solo, 82-assist), which included 5.0 sacks and 12.5 tackles for loss, to go along with two forced fumbles, two interceptions, three pass breakups and four quarterback hurries. He was also named the PFF Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year as he ranked first in the MW and 11th in the nation with 134 tackles (11.2 pg).
 
Following his sophomore season, Woodward graded out as the top linebacker in the nation, according to PFF, at 91.6 percent as he ranked fourth among linebackers with a 92.4 grade against the run and fourth in coverage at 90.5 and only missed two tackles all season.
 
Woodward has also been named a preseason fourth-team All-American by Phil Steele's Magazine and first-team all-Mountain West by both Athlon Sports and Phil Steele's Magazine, along with being named to the Lott IMPACT Trophy Watch List, which is awarded annually to college football's Defensive IMPACT Player of the Year.
 
Eberle, a 6-2, 195-pounder from Nuremberg, Germany (Redondo Union (Calif.) HS), earned honorable mention all-Mountain West honors from the league's coaches and third-team all-MW honors from Phil Steele's Magazine after serving as the team's placekicker in all 13 games. He was also named a semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award as the nation's top placekicker in 2018 as he set a single-season school record by scoring 141 points. For the season, he was 22-for-28 on field goals and 75-for-75 on extra points, setting the school record for PATs made and attempted in a single season. He also set the single-season school record for points per game (10.8), which ranked fourth nationally.
 
Eberle had the best game of his career against New Mexico State during his junior season as he tied the NCAA record for points scored by a kicker with 24, and 50-yard field goals made in a single game with three.
 
Eberle also earned third-team All-America honors from Phil Steele's Magazine, honorable mention All-America honors from SB Nation and first-team all-Mountain West honors, along with being named a finalist for the Lou Groza Award, as he finished the season scoring a team-best 101 points as he was a perfect 47-of-47 on extra points and 18-of-24 (.750) on field goals.
 
Heading into his senior campaign, Eberle ranks second all-time in school history in field goals made (43) and fourth all-time in field goals attempted (57), and is third all-time in field goal percentage (.754). He has also scored 251 points in his career to rank fourth all-time in school history, including third all-time among kickers and is the only player in school history to have four or more 50-yard field goals in a career.
 
Eberle has also been named preseason second-team all-Mountain West by both Athlon Sports and Phil Steele's Magazine.
 
Utah State returns nine starters (O-2, D-7) as part of 32 letterwinners (O-13, D-17, S-2), including two All-Americans and eight players that earned various all-Mountain West honors, from last year's team that ended the season ranked 21st in the final Amway Coaches poll and 22nd in the final AP poll as it tied the school record for wins and best record with an 11-2 mark following its 52-13 win against North Texas in the New Mexico Bowl.
 
Utah State will open the 2019 season on Friday, Aug. 30, at Wake Forest and begins its home season the following weekend against Stony Brook on Saturday, Sept. 7. Mountain West play begins for USU two weekends later at San Diego State on Saturday, Sept. 21.
 
For Aggie football ticket information, fans can contact the USU Athletics Ticket Office over the phone by calling 1-888-USTATE-1 or 435-797-0305 during regular hours of operation. Fans can also buy their tickets in person at the USU Ticket Office inside the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum or online by clicking on the "Buy Tickets" tab at www.UtahStateAggies.com.
 
Fans can follow the Aggie football program at twitter.com/USUFootball or on Facebook at Utah State Football, as well as on Instagram at instagram.com/USUFootball. Aggie fans can also follow the Utah State athletic program at twitter.com/USUAthletics or on Facebook at Utah State University Athletics.