Florida Tech Panthers JT Hassel, Romell Guerrier Make Don Hansen All-American Teams
By Daniel Supraner, Florida Tech // January 31, 2019
Both players named to Don Hansen First Team All-Super Region 2 squad earlier this off-season
BREVARD COUNTY • MELBOURNE, FLORIDA – Florida Tech football’s J.T. Hassell and Romell Guerrier have been selected to the 2018 Don Hansen All-American Football Team.
Hassell earned First Team All-American honors while Guerrier was named to the honorable mention team.
The All-American honors come as a result of both players being named to the Don Hansen First Team All-Super Region 2 squad earlier this month.
This is Guerrier’s first career All-American award. He was also selected to the All-GSC First Team for the first time in his career this year, as well as tabbed a First Team All-Region 2 honoree by the D2CCA.
Guerrier, a redshirt-senior wide receiver, finished the season ranking first in the GSC in receptions (59), receptions per game (4.9), receiving yards (1,062), receiving yards per game (88.5), and receiving touchdowns (13).
The Miami, Florida native also ranked eighth in the league in average yards per catch (18.0).
Guerrier broke the program’s single-season record for touchdown receptions this season with 13 in 2018. His 1,062 receiving yards this year rank second all-time in program history, while his 59 receptions rank third in the single-season record book.
Joining Guerrier on the Don Hansen All-American team is linebacker J.T. Hassell, who is coming off arguably the best defensive season in program history.
His impressive performance all year resulted in him being named the GSC Defensive Player of the Year and a First Team All-GSC selection.
Hassell was also tagged a finalist for the 2018 Cliff Harris award, which is awarded to the Small College Defensive Player of the Year.
Hassell has now collected All-American selections from five different organizations this year. In addition to the First Team All-American award from Don Hansen Football, the Titusville-product was selected a First Team All-American by both the AFCA and the D2CCA, as well as a Second Team All-American by the Associated Press and D2Football.com
The red-shirt senior product paced the GSC this season in tackles (124), solo tackles (76), tackles per game (10.3) and forced fumbles (3). Hassell’s totals for tackles and solo stops are both school records.
Additionally, he finished the year ranking sixth in the league in tackles for loss (9.5) and seventh in sacks (4.5). This season, Hassell set program records for tackles in a season (124), solo tackles in a season (76), tackles in a single game (20.0) and sacks in a game (4.0).
The Don Hansen team carries out the legacy of long-time small college football advocate Don Hansen, who passed away at age 75 on Aug. 29, 2010.
Hansen, from Brookfield, Ill., started and published Don Hansen’s National Weekly Football Gazette for three decades, selecting NCAA Division II All-America teams for the first time in 1988.
Don Hansen’s Football Gazette began selecting Division II All-Region squads in 2003.
CLICK HERE FOR BREVARD COUNTY NEWS
