ITHACA, N.Y. — Cornell football seniors Ryder Kurtz and Sam Musungu have been named to the 2026 Stats Perform FCS Preseason All-America Team, the organization announced Monday. Kurtz earned First-Team honors, while Musungu was tabbed to the Third Team.

Kurtz, a tight end and 2025 All-American, has been one of the Big Red's most consistent playmakers over the past two seasons. He has hauled in 80 career receptions for 964 yards and eight touchdowns across 19 games, averaging 50.7 receiving yards per contest. In 2025, he caught 44 passes for 523 yards and four scores, following a 2024 campaign in which he posted 36 receptions for 441 yards and four touchdowns. His career-high performances include nine receptions at Dartmouth on Nov. 15, 2025, a 101-yard outing against Penn on Nov. 9, 2024, and a two-touchdown game at Princeton on Nov. 2, 2024, when he also produced his longest reception of the season at 68 yards against Yale on Sept. 28, 2024.

Musungu, a wide receiver, has been a dynamic weapon for Cornell's offense in his first two seasons before sitting out the 2025 season due to injury, totaling 108 receptions for 1,167 yards and 11 touchdowns over 20 games. He broke out in 2024 with 83 catches for 960 yards and 10 touchdowns, good for 96.0 receiving yards per game, after a 25-catch, 207-yard, one-touchdown campaign as a sophomore in 2023. Musungu's career highlights include a 14-reception game both at Bucknell on Oct. 19, 2024, and against Penn on Nov. 9, 2024, a 165-yard receiving performance at Princeton on Nov. 2, 2024, a three-touchdown showing against Penn, and an 82-yard reception, his longest, also at Princeton. He has also contributed 1,209 all-purpose yards for his career, averaging 60.5 per game.

The Stats Perform FCS Preseason All-America Team recognizes the top players in the country entering the 2026 season, as selected by a panel of media members, coaches and sports information directors from across the FCS. For the full list of preseason All-Americans, CLICK HERE.