Mercer Trio Lands on PFL All-Academic Team

MACON, Ga. (MERCER RELEASE) – A trio of Mercer football players were among the 50 Pioneer Football League student-athletes selected to the 21st annual Academic All-PFL teams the conference announced Wednesday afternoon.

John Russ (QB), Caleb Brown (RB) and Rob East (P) appeared on the second-team for their contributions on the field in Mercer’s historic season and commitment to academic excellence in the classroom.

Russ, a Sports Management major with a 3.71 grade point average, was named the PFL Offensive Freshman of the Year and is a finalist for the Jerry Rice Award as the top freshman in the country at the FCS Level. He completed 122-of-233 passes for 1,916 yards and 21 touchdowns, but was a two-way threat behind center, carrying the ball 160 times for 903 yards and another 12 touchdowns.

Brown, a Psychology major with a perfect 4.0 grade point average, proved to be a dynamic short-yardage back for the Bears in 2013, averaging 4.9 yards per carry and recording eight rushing touchdowns to rank second on the team. He scored five touchdowns in the first three games of the year and rushed for a season-high 81 yards at Davidson.

East, an Accounting major with a 3.93 grade point average, came up big for the Bears in the special teams game, averaging 39.1 yards per punt. He was called on 43 times and recorded three touchbacks, seven fair catches and pinned the opponent inside the 20-yard line 11 different times. He recorded a season-long 58-yard punt against Berry on Sept. 21, part of a 43.2 average for the contest.

Pioneer Football League athletic directors established the Academic All-PFL squads in 1993 as a way to recognize the league’s outstanding student-athletes. To be eligible for Academic All-PFL consideration, a student-athlete must be a starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative grade-point average of 3.00 on a scale of 4.00 and reached their second season both athletically and academically at his current institution.