Defending national champion South Dakota State returns plenty of star power as the Jackrabbits lead all Football Championship Subdivision programs with seven selections on the 2023 HERO Sports FCS Preseason All-American Team, which was announced Wednesday.

Five of SDSU’s selections to the 39-player squad were from the offensive side of the ball, including linemen Garret Greenfield and Mason McCormick. The senior duo who man the left side of the line at tackle and guard, respectively, were both All-America selections in 2022, when the Jackrabbits averaged 34.2 points and 384.6 yards of total offense per game.

A pair of the Jackrabbits’ top receiving targets also were recognized on the preseason All-America team, with wide receiver Jaxon Janke and tight end Zach Heins honored. A senior from Madison, Janke has been the team’s leading receiver each of the past three seasons, including hauling in 60 receptions for 857 yards and nine touchdowns a season ago.

Heins, a senior from Sioux Falls, ranked third on the team in 2022 with 29 receptions for 347 yards and four touchdowns.

Rounding out the selections on offense was senior running back Isaiah Davis. The Joplin, Missouri, native racked up 1,451 yards and scored 15 touchdowns in 2022, topping the 100-yard mark nine times. Davis also contributed in the passing game with 21 receptions for 173 yards.

On defense, linebacker Adam Bock and cornerback DyShawn Gales received preseason accolades from HERO Sports. A senior from Solon, Iowa, Bock ranked second on the team with 76 tackles, including 7.5 tackles for loss and four sacks, despite missing four games due to injury. He previously was an All-America selection in 2021.

Gales, a senior from North Chicago, Illinois, paced the Jackrabbit defense with four interceptions while adding six pass breakups and 31 tackles.

SDSU is scheduled to open the 2023 season Aug. 31 by hosting Western Oregon.