Stearns named second team Academic All-American

INDIANOLA, Iowa — Simpson senior football player Jake Stearns has been named to the 2017 CoSIDA Academic All-America Second Team, as announced by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) on Wednesday.

2017 NCAA Division III Academic All-America® Football Team

A standout defensive end for the Storm, Stearns earned first team All-Iowa Conference honors in 2017 after leading the league with 14 tackles for loss. He added 7.5 sacks on the season and finished with 70 total tackles. He amassed 14 sacks and 28 tackles for loss throughout his career, both good for sixth in school history.

The Knoxville, Iowa native boasts a 3.89 GPA as an Athletic Training major. He is a four-time All-IIAC Academic pick and a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team selection.

Stearns is the fifth Academic All-American in school history and first since Jordan Beem in 2015. All of Simpson's Academic All-Americans have been second team selections.

Simpson CoSIDA Academic All-Americans
Jake Stearns, DE — 2017, second team
Jordan Beem, RB — 2015, second team
Alex Severn, DL — 2014, second team
Mark Cronin, LB — 2012, second team
Guy Leman, RB — 1998, second team