McLeod, Hollander Ranked Among Top FCS Players

June 19, 2007

The top players at each position in FCS (I-AA) were ranked by footballworld.com heading into the 2007 season and Yale TB Mike McLeod and DT Brandt Hollander made the list.

McLeod, a 2006 first-team All-Ivy selection who ran for 1,364 yards and scored a school-record 20 TDs, was ranked No. 4 among all FCS running backs. Appalachian State's Kevin Richardson (1,676, 30 TDs) earned the top spot followed by Donald Chapman (UT-Martin) and Lex Hilliard (Montana).

Yale's junior All-America candidate broke the school record for consecutive games with 100 yards when he notched eight straight last fall during an 8-2, Ivy League Championship campaign. The 5-foot-11, 200-pound speedster ranked sixth among FCS runners with a 136.4 rushing average.

Hollander, rated fifth at defensive tackle, was first-team All-Ivy and All-New England last fall after leading the Bulldog defense with four sacks. The 6-foot-3, 280-pound senior lineman was named 2007 captain last spring.

McLeod and Hollander lead a Bulldog squad that has been picked No. 25 in the first national (FCS) collegiate football poll of 2007. AnyGivenSaturday.com recently came out with its top 25 and Yale was the only Ivy League school on the list. Princeton and Harvard received votes for the top 25. No. 23 Lehigh is the only Bulldog opponent to make the rankings.

Any Given Saturday Poll Preseason Top 25

(First place votes in parenthesis)

1. Appalachian State (97)

2. Montana (16)

3. North Dakota State

4. Youngstown State

5. Massachusetts (1)

6. Northern Iowa (1)

7. New Hampshire

8. James Madison

9. Furman

10. Cal Poly

11. Illinois State

12. McNeese State

13. Southern Illinois

14. Portland State

15. Hampton

16. Wofford

17. Tennessee-Martin

18. Delaware

19. Eastern Illinois

20. Sam Houston State

21. Montana State

22. South Dakota State

23. Lehigh

24. Coastal Carolina

25. Yale

Others receiving votes (minimum of 5 votes): Towson (61), UC Davis (59), Lafayette (40), Princeton (39), Maine (33), Harvard (26), San Diego (26), South Carolina State (22), Georgia Southern (17), Eastern Kentucky (14), Northern Arizona (14), Richmond (12), Central Arkansas (10), Liberty (10), Northwestern State (8), Western Illinois (8), Delaware State (7), Northeastern (7), Albany (6), Colgate (6), Texas State (6), The Citadel (6), Alabama A&M (5), Jacksonville State (5).