* 2013 Phil Steele FCS Preseason All-America team (as selected by Josh Buchanan at JBScouting.com)
ITHACA, N.Y. – Cornell senior quarterback Jeff Mathews has been named to Phil Steele's 2013 preseason FCA All-America team as selected by Josh Buchanan of JBScouting.com. He was one of two Ivy League players on the first team and three conference representatives overall.
Mathews was named the first team quarterback and joined Princeton defensive lineman Caraun Reid on the first team, while Harvard defensive lineman Zach Hodges was a second-team pick.
Already one of 20 players on the Walter Payton Award Watch List for national player of the year, Mathews has also been chosen a preseason third-team All-American by Beyond Sports Network and was named to the College Football Performance Awards Quarterback Watch List. He was named a candidate for the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team.
One of the most exciting and productive quarterbacks in the history of the Ivy League, Mathews enters his final season on East Hill on the cusp of history. Already Cornell's career passing leader, he is a two-time Bushnell Cup finalist for Ivy League Player of the Year, and became the first sophomore to ever win the award in 2011. Despite playing through numerous injuries that limited him in 2012, Mathews was one of 20 players on the Walter Payton Award Watch List and a preseason first-team FCS All-American by Beyond Sports College Network. He was a two-time conference Offensive Player of the Week in 2012 and led the Ivy League in passing attempts (405), completions (251) and yards (3,196). He also finished second in passing touchdowns (18), completion percentage (.620) and pass efficiency (137.5) for players with at least five starts despite missing a game. Mathews finished on the All-Ivy second team and was runner-up for the Bushnell Cup. He ranked second nationally in passing yardage (355.1), third in total offense (338.4), 21st in points responsible for (13.8) and 32nd in pass efficiency (137.5). He is again on the Walter Payton Award Watch List to begin the 2013 campaign.
