On Tuesday, the Western Athletic Conference announced their first preseason team awards list since 2012, and four Tarleton State Texans were recognized in advance of the 2021 season.
On the 2021 Preseason All-WAC Offense are wide receiver Tariq Bitson and offensive lineman Zach Perry, while defensive back Devin Hafford and linebacker Ronnell Wilson were named to the 2021 Preseason All-WAC Defense.
The teams were crafted by vote of the league’s six head coaches, who could not vote for their own team or players.
“Hafford, Wilson and Perry have all been major parts of our program over these past few years, while Bitson made an immediate impact in his first year with us last season,” head coach Todd Whitten said. “This proves their hard work has not gone unnoticed, and it’s not just myself who expects big things out of them, but the league as a whole. Now it’s time to get on the field and prove it, something I know all four players are eager to do.”
Bitson is one of three wide receivers to make the preseason team after a standout spring in his first season at Tarleton. The senior led the Texans in multiple receiving categories, including touchdowns (7), yards (614), receptions (43) and yards per game (87.7). Perry is one of five offensive linemen to earn the preseason honor. He played in seven of eight games in the spring on an offensive line that allowed just 1.38 sacks per game, a mark that would have put Tarleton 20th in the FCS if not for the reclassification period.
Hafford and Wilson are two of five Texans remaining from the first recruiting class of Whitten’s return in 2016, as both enter their sixth season at Tarleton. Hafford, one of four defensive backs on the preseason team, had five pass breakups, a fumble recovery, and 25 tackles (3.5 TFLs) from the secondary last season in eight games. Wilson is one of four linebackers on the preseason team after leading the Texans in tackles (76), tackles for a loss (10.0) and forced fumbles (3).
Tarleton as a team was picked to finish third in the WAC this season.
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