ITHACA, N.Y. — Cornell football senior Ryder Kurtz has been named a First-Team tight end on the 2026 FCS Football Central Preseason All-American Team, an honor recognizing the best returning players in FCS football across 11 conferences and 40 schools.

The senior tight end has been one of the Big Red's most reliable targets during his career, hauling in 80 career receptions for 964 yards and eight touchdowns, the most-ever by a Cornell tight end, across 19 games, an average of 50.7 receiving yards per contest. He turned in a career campaign in 2025-26, catching 44 passes for 523 yards and four scores, after posting 36 receptions for 441 yards and four touchdowns as a sophomore in 2024-25. Kurtz's top single-game performances include nine receptions at Dartmouth on Nov. 15, 2025, a 101-yard effort against Penn on Nov. 9, 2024, and a two-touchdown game at Princeton on Nov. 2, 2024, where he also posted his longest reception of the season at 68 yards against Yale on Sept. 28, 2024. 

FCS Football Central's Preseason All-American Team is selected annually by the outlet's staff ahead of the college football season, highlighting standout returning talent from across the FCS level.

The 2026 Cornell football season is slated to begin on Saturday, September 19, when the Big Red travel to Hamilton, N.Y. to take on Colgate at 1 p.m. from Andy Kerr Stadium.