Overton Named FOY, Football Places 13 On All-GLVC List

Redshirt freshman Jackson Overton was voted the Great Lakes Valley Conference Freshman of the Year and joined 12 other Truman football players to earn all-league honors this season.

Overton caught 40 passes for 645 yards and 10 touchdowns in his first season on the field for the Bulldogs. His 10 touchdown catches was the second most in a single-season at Truman, one off the school-record of 11 held by Larry Tisdale since 1985. In addition, Overton was named to the second team all-GLVC list.

Four Bulldogs earned first-team accolades: offensive lineman Kody Klingensmith; tight end Christopher Kerr; defensive end Thomas Spaulding; and linebacker Ulysses Ross. It was the first selection for Klingensmith who was joined by fellow offensive linemen Houston Eagan (second team) and Wyatt Bonnett (honorable mention).

Kerr moved up from a second-team choice in 2023 and caught 31 passes for 363 yards and two scores. He surpassed 1,000 receiving yards in his career in the final game of the regular season.

Spaulding also moved up to first-team honors after a second-team selection. He finished with 36 tackles, seven tackles for loss, a quarterback sack, a forced fumble and was credited with a team-high three quarterback hurries.

Ross picked up his fourth all-conference honor and second-straight first-team designation. Ross made 46 tackles, 11 for loss, 2.5 sacks and finished second on the Bulldog career TFL list with 43.5 in 45 career games played. He was an honorable mention pick in 2021 and second-team in 2022.

In addition to Eagan and Overton on the second team, Denim Cook and Dylan Hair were second-team choices by league coaches. Cook led the Bulldogs in rushing with 970 yards on 172 attempts and 10 touchdowns. He also caught 13 passes for 109 yards and an additional score.

Hair was the final GLVC Offensive Player of the Week and led all league quarterbacks with 25 touchdown passes, which ties him for second on the school’s single-season list. He completed 60% of his passes for 2,235 yards while also rushing for 516 yards and four touchdowns.

Honorable mentions went to Bonnett, Jake Closser, Robert LeMaster, Jack McCollum and Brock Jones. LeMaster was selected as a long snapper. Jones and McCollum finished the regular season as the top two tacklers for the Bulldogs with 63 and 53, respectively. Closser was second in Division II in punt return average and set a new Truman single-season mark with 22.1 yards per his 16 returns and two touchdowns. His final return in the regular season broke a school record and was set at 86 yards. Closser was a first-team utility player in 2002 and a second-team defensive back in 2023.

Peyton Carr was designated as Truman’s James Spalding Sportsmanship selection. Carr played in 47 career games and was the active leader in tackles with 247 with 20.5 for loss.