Football | 10/15/2025 4:23:00 PM

RIO GRANDE VALLEY – Sophomore wide receiver Xayvion Noland and senior defensive back Elijah Graham of The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) football team are members of the Phil Steele 2025 FCS Mid-Season All-American Teams released Wednesday, marking the first All-American honors in program history.
 
Noland is part of the third team for offense while Graham is part of the fourth team for defense.
 
Xayvion Noland
 
Noland leads the FCS in yards per reception at 30.17. It's one of three categories in which he leads the Southland along with receiving yards (543) and receiving yards per game (90.5) while ranking 12^th in the FCS in both categories.
 
Noland is also 29^th in the FCS and second in the Southland in all-purpose yards per game (113.67), 33^rd in the FCS and third in the Southland in receiving touchdowns (4), 106^th in the FCS and sixth in the Southland in kick return yards (139), 122^nd in the FCS and seventh in the Southland in total touchdowns (4), and 174^th in the FCS and 11^th in the Southland in receptions per game (3.00).
 
Noland caught the first touchdown pass in program history on a 50-yard connection from senior Sharyland Pioneer alum Eddie Lee Marburger on the opening drive of the inaugural game, a 66-0 victory over Sul Ross State on Aug. 30.
 
Noland is one of 12 wide receivers and 20 sophomores to be honored. Noland is one of four offensive players from the Southland to be honored, along with fellow third teamers Jake Henry (OL, Stephen F. Austin) and Traveon Newsome (OL, Incarnate Word), and fourth teamer Holden Kareokowsky (OL, Southeastern).
 
Elijah Graham
 
Graham ranks second in the FCS and first in the Southland in fumble recoveries (2) and 27^th in the FCS and second in the Southland in interceptions per game (0.33). His two interceptions have led to 65 yards for the Vaqueros. Graham also has 19 tackles (eight solo) and two passes broken up this season.
 
Graham recorded the first interception in program history, a 26-yard pick-six on Sept. 13 in an 80-0 victory over Langston.

Graham is one of 16 defensive backs to be honored. He is also one of four Southland defensive players to be honored, along with first teamers Kaleb Proctor (DL, Southeastern) and Charles Demmings (DB, Stephen F. Austin), and third teamer Jaydon Southard (LB, Stephen F. Austin).
 
In total, UTRGV has two of the nine Southland players to be honored.
 

Phil Steele 2025 FCS Mid-Season All-American Teams
OFFENSE
	1st TEAM	2nd TEAM	3rd TEAM	4th TEAM
QB	Cole Payton, North Dakota St, Sr.	Derek Robertson, Monmouth, Sr.	Kekoa Visperas, Tennessee Tech, Jr.	Jaden Craig, Harvard, Sr.
RB	Rodney Nelson, Monmouth, So.	Eli Gillman, Montana, Jr.	Luke Yoder, Lehigh, Jr.	Josh Pitsenberger, Yale, Sr.
RB	L.J. Phillips Jr., South Dakota, Jr.	Kente Edwards, Lafayette, Jr.	Joshua Dye, Southern Utah, So.	Tre Page III, Tarleton St, Fr.
WR	Josh Derry, Monmouth, Jr.	Treyvhon Saunders, Colgate, Sr.	Sam Milligan, Bucknell, Jr.	Daniel Sobkowicz, Illinois St, Sr.
WR	Marquis Buchanan, Rhode Island, Jr.	Vinson Davis III, Southern Illinois, Sr.	Xayvion Noland, UTRGV, So.	Michael Shulikov, Idaho St, Sr.
WR	Bryce Lance, North Dakota St, Sr.	Jared Richardson, Penn, Sr.	Geoffrey Jamiel, Lehigh, Sr.	Michael Briscoe, Cal Poly, Sr.
TE	Ryder Kurtz, Cornell, Jr.	Chris Corbo, Dartmouth, Sr.	Travaunta Abner, Alabama A&M, Sr.	Connor Finer, Rhode Island, Sr.
OL	Sam Hagen, South Dakota St, Sr.	JT Cornelius, Monmouth, Sr.	Jack Ziebell, Northern Colorado, Jr.	Jordan Herman, Sacramento St, Sr.
OL	Seth Anderson, North Dakota, Sr.	JT Reed, Montana St, Sr.	Gavin Hulet, Lindenwood, Sr.	Cameron Smith, Alabama St, Sr.
OL	Jake Picard, Villanova, Sr.	Stryker Rashid, Idaho St, Jr.	Jake Henry, Stephen F. Austin, Sr.	Dillon Botner, Montana, Sr.
OL	Titan Fleischmann, Montana St, Jr.	Langston Jones, Lehigh, Sr.	Traveon Newsome, UIW, Sr.	Jean German, Towson, Sr.
OL	Jake Pope, Illinois St, Sr.	Griffin Empey, North Dakota St, So.	Xavier Jennings, Mercer, Sr.	Holden Kareokowsky, Southeastern, Sr.
DEFENSE
	1st TEAM	2nd TEAM	3rd TEAM	4th TEAM
DL	Joshua Stoneking, Furman, So.	James Stewart, Tennessee St, Sr.	Quincy Ivory, Jackson St, Jr.	Josh Griffis, Tarleton St, Sr.
DL	Ckelby Givens, Southern, Sr.	David Hoage, West Georgia, Sr.	Lando Brown, Southern Utah, Sr.	Toby Anene, North Dakota St, Jr.
DL	Andrew Zock, Mercer, So.	Jacob Psyk, UC Davis, Sr.	Dylan Hampsten, Sacramento St, So.	Matt Spatny, Lehigh, Sr.
DL	Kaleb Proctor, Southeastern, Sr.	Balansama Kamara, UAlbany, Jr.	AJ Pena, Rhode Island, Sr.	Michael Lunz II, South Carolina St, Sr.
LB	James Conway, Fordham, Sr.	Jaden Mosley, Samford, Sr.	Yasir Holmes, Tarleton St, Sr.	Nathaniel Staehling, North Dakota St, Jr.
LB	Luke Banbury, William & Mary, Sr.	Porter Connors, UC Davis, Sr.	Brycen Edwards, Lehigh, Sr.	Aaron Swafford, Tennessee Tech, Sr.
LB	Logan Kopp, North Dakota St, Sr.	Christian Thomas, Maine, Sr.	Jaydon Southard, Stephen F. Austin, Sr.	Mikey D'Amato, Cal Poly, Jr.
LB	Tye Niekamp, Illinois St, Jr.	Rohan Davy, Rhode Island, So.	Peyton Seelmann, Richmond, So.	Justin Waters, Charleston Southern, Sr.
DB	Jeremiah McClendon, Southern Illinois, Sr.	Rex Connors, UC Davis, Sr.	Tim Coutras, Tennessee Tech, Sr.	Elijah Graham, UTRGV, Sr.
DB	Charles Demmings, Stephen F. Austin, Sr.	Christopher Jean, Central Conn St, So.	Nate Robinson Jr., Marist, So.	Inumidun Ayo-Durojaiye, Yale, Sr.
DB	Shadwel Nkuba II, Illinois St, Jr.	C.J. Coombes, Wofford, So.	Landon Sylvie, Southeast Missouri St, So.	Cam'Ron Dabney, Western Carolina, Sr.
DB	Abu Kamara, Yale, Jr.	Ishmel Atkins, Elon, Jr.	Dylan Rowsey, Murray St, Jr.	Mekhai Smith, Lehigh, So.
SPECIAL TEAMS
	1st TEAM	2nd TEAM	3rd TEAM	4th TEAM
K	Trajan Sinatra, Idaho St, So.	Luke Barnes, Elon, So.	Brett Starling, Hampton, So.	Nick Reed, New Hampshire, Jr.
P	Jeff Yurk, Elon, Sr.	Brady Braun, Gardner-Webb, Sr.	Ben D'Aquila, Northern Arizona, Sr.	James Platte, The Citadel, Sr.
KR	Alijah Cason, Holy Cross, So.	Makhi Green, Monmouth, Sr.	TJ Thomas Jr., Elon, So.	Dominic Dutton, Western Carolina, Sr.
PR	Julien Stokes, Penn, Sr.	Kyndon Fuselier, Lamar, Sr.	Tre' Holloway, Tennessee Tech, Jr.	Chris Rhone, Charleston Southern, Sr.
AP	Michael Wortham, Montana, Sr.	Julien Stokes, Penn, Sr.	Beau Brungard, Youngstown St, Jr.	Jaden Green, Lehigh, So.
LS	Jonathan Ward, Hampton, Sr.	Blake Shirley, Wofford, Jr.	Brian Catanzarite, Richmond, Sr.	Alex Applefield, Samford, Sr.
	FCS MID-SEASON OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: QB Cole Payton, North Dakota St, Sr.
	FCS MID-SEASON DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: LB James Conway, Fordham, Sr.
	FCS MID-SEASON FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: RB Tre Page III, Tarleton St
	FCS MID-SEASON OFFENSIVE LINEMAN OF THE YEAR: OT Sam Hagen, South Dakota St, Sr.

 
Receiving Top 25 Votes
 
The Vaqueros are receiving 10 points in the week 7 American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) FCS Coaches Poll, presented by Hudl after previously receiving five in the week 4 poll and four in the week 6 poll. UTRGV is 5-1, with the lone loss coming to No. 22 Southeastern.
 
The Vaqueros are off to one of the best 6-game starts by a brand new Division I FCS program since 2008, matching Kennesaw State (5-1 in 2015) and one game behind South Alabama (6-0 in 2009), who did not play any Division I competition that season.
 
UTRGV is one of four Southland Conference institutions ranked or receiving votes, along with its next opponent, No. 18 Lamar, No. 22 Southeastern, and (RV) Stephen F. Austin.
 
Up Next
 
UTRGV resumes action on Saturday at 3 p.m. at No. 18 Lamar. Fans can watch online domestically on ESPN+ and internationally on Southland International. Fans can also listen locally on Ultra 90.1 FM, in Laredo on Pure Country 95.7 FM, and online via the Radio Para Mi app.

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