GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Furman has placed three players on Stats Perform FCS All-America teams announced today.

Named to the first team is defensive end Joshua Stoneking, and collecting third team laurels is offensive guard Luke Petit.  Wide receiver Evan James landed a spot on the Stats Perform Freshman All-America squad.

For Stoneking, today's honor is his third first team All-America selection this week after being named to the FCS Football Central All-America squad on Tuesday and Associated Press team on Wednesday.

A 6-foot-4, 264-pound redshirt sophomore, he posted FCS highs in sacks (14.5), tackles for loss (23.0), and tackle yards for loss (132) for the Paladins this fall.  In addition to his team leading 79 tackles, he also totaled nine quarterback hurries, two forced fumbles, two pass breakups, and one blocked kick.

Stoneking's 14.5 sacks accounted for 56 percent of Furman's 26 total sacks, and his 23 tackles for loss represented 33.3 percent of the Paladins' tackles for loss this season.

The Raleigh, N.C., product was named Southern Conference Defensive Player of the Week a league best three times this fall and was accorded first team all-conference honors in voting by league head coaches.

Stoneking was recently announced among three finalists for the Buck Buchanan Award, which is presented annually by Stats Perform to the top defensive player in the FCS.  This year's winner will be announced on Jan. 3 in Nashville, Tenn.

In becoming the 78th football All-American in Furman history, Petit, a 6-foot-3, 285-pound senior from Akron, Ohio, logged starts in all 12 games and 767 plays this fall.  His recent first first team All-SoCon selection followed last year's second team pick.  He completed the 2025 campaign with a string of 23 consecutive starts and 29 for his career.

James, a 5-foot-11, 170-pound product of Apopka, Fla., caught 65 passes for 796 yards and seven touchdowns — all Furman freshman records — despite missing three games due to injury.  

His 7.22 receptions per game average ranked second in the FCS among all receivers and was easily the top mark among freshmen, his closest class competitor ranking 14th. James' 88.4 receiving yards per game ranked ninth overall, impressively outdistancing the next freshman, which finished 32nd.

James was named to the Southern Conference All-Freshman Team and was also a second team all-conference pick. He recently garnered FCS Football Central Freshman All-America honors.

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