ST. LOUIS—South Dakota senior linebacker Jack Cochrane was voted Missouri Valley Football Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year by league sports information directors and announced Tuesday by the conference office. It is the first such honor by a Coyote.
 
"Jack represents what is great about college athletics," said USD head coach Bob Nielson. "He has achieved at the highest level both in the classroom and on the field. His leadership was a major factor in our team's success during the 2021 season."
 
Cochrane is one of a league-high five South Dakota players on the MVFC All-Academic Team. He, junior long snapper Dalton Godfrey and senior punter Brady Schutt are first-team selections. Senior wide receiver Caleb Vander Esch and junior left tackle Alex Jensen are second-team selections. Senior place-kicker Mason Lorber and third-year freshman wide receiver Carter Bell earned honorable mention.
 
The five selections to the 28-man team are a program high, one more than the Coyotes boasted in each of the last two seasons. Cochrane was the program's first three-time honoree. He's now a four-time pick. Schutt is on the team for the third year in a row. Vander Esch and Godfrey are two-time selections.
 
More on each honoree follows:
 
Cochrane (Mount Vernon, Iowa) was named a HERO Sports All-American earlier Tuesday, the program's first all-American linebacker since 2013. This is the third time he's been named to the first team of the Valley's all-Academic Team. Cochrane led South Dakota with 103 tackles and his 327 career tackles are sixth-most in program history. He was the only Valley player with four interceptions during conference play. He had 2.0 sacks, 10.0 tackles for loss and broke up six passes.
 
Godfrey (Cedar Falls, Iowa) has served as long snapper for each of the last four seasons. In addition to being a two-time academic all-MVFC pick, he is a two-time all-Valley honoree. Godfrey has been the snapper for the best punter in program history in Schutt, and helped Lorber to 10 consecutive made field goals during the season. He helped the Coyotes rank 10^th nationally in net punting after leading the nation in that category last spring.
 
Schutt (Orange City, Iowa) concluded a five-year playing career with a program-record punting average of 43.2 yards per boot. He has ranked fourth in the FCS in punting average each of the last two years and is 10^th this fall with a 44.2-yard average. That's due in part to a league-best 25 punts pinned inside the 20. No other Valley punter had a higher percentage of pins. He also drew a fair catch on 30 of his 58 punts.
 
Vander Esch (San Jose, Calif.) is a two-time all-conference receiver who compiled 126 catches for 1,448 yards and 10 touchdowns in 37 games. The 1,448 yards are 10^th-most in program history and the 126 catches are fifth-most. Vander Esch was the Coyotes' second-leading receiver this season, hauling in 33 passes for 312 yards with two scores.
 
Jensen (Plymouth, Minn.) is USD's first all-conference offensive lineman since 2017. He has started 28 consecutive games at left tackle. He is the top lineman for a team that ranked fourth in the Valley and 32^nd nationally in rushing at 170 yards per game. The Coyotes were the fourth-highest scoring team in Valley play at 27 points per game.
 
Bell (Bettendorf, Iowa) earned honorable mention all-Valley honors after leading the Coyotes with 41 catches for 673 yards and five touchdowns. He also served as the team's punt returner and became the first Coyote since 2006 to return a punt for a touchdown with his 47-yarder against North Dakota State. A former high school quarterback, Bell has surpassed 1,000 yards receiving in just 20 games.
 
Lorber (New London, Iowa) made 13-of-16 field goals this season including 10 in a row from weeks 2-9. He made a program record-tying 54-yard field goal in a 20-13 win against North Dakota. He also had 38 touchbacks on 58 kickoffs and made 39 extra points. Lorber made 39 field goals in 39 games as a Coyote and totaled 242 points.