ST. LOUIS—South Dakota placed a conference-high four on the Missouri Valley Football Conference All-Academic Team as voted on by the league's sports information directors and announced Wednesday.
 
The tally includes a program-record three on the 12-person first team. Senior linebacker Jack Cochrane is a three-time first-team pick. Senior punter Brady Schutt is a first-team honoree and a two-time all-academic selection. Senior wide receiver Caleb Vander Esch is a first-team pick while junior long snapper Dalton Godfrey was voted to the second team.
 
In addition to those four, junior offensive lineman Alex Jensen and sophomore linebacker Brock Mogensen earned honorable mention.
 
Nominees must be starters or important reserves; must have participated in at least 50 percent of his team's games and carry a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.20; must have reached sophomore athletic and academic standing; and completed at least one calendar year at their institution.
 
Cochrane of Mount Vernon, Iowa, is majoring in criminal justice and business. He earned all-Valley honors in 2019 when he led the league in tackles. In four games this season, he had 28 tackles (16 solo), a pass breakup and two quarterback hurries. Cochrane is the team's active leader in career tackles with 224.
 
Schutt of Orange City, Iowa, is majoring in kinesiology and sport management. He is a two-time all-Valley honoree. Schutt has the third-best average in the nation this season – a career-best 46.0-yard average – and he leads the nation's top-ranked punting unit with a net of 43.7.
 
Vander Esch is a communications major from San Jose, California. He earned second-team all-Valley honors this season after leading the Coyotes with 23 catches for 273 yards and a touchdown. He ranked fourth in the Valley in both catches and yards per game. He totaled nine catches for a season-high 102 yards in the final game of the season at Youngstown State.
 
Godfrey is a kinesiology and sport management major from Cedar Falls, Iowa. He was an All-Valley pick who has served as the team's long snapper on punts and kicks for each of the last three seasons. In addition to aiding the nation's top-ranked punt team, he was part of a kick team that made 5-of-8 field goals and all eight extra points.
 
Jensen of Plymouth, Minnesota, is majoring in marketing. He has been the Coyotes' starting left tackle in all 16 games over the last two seasons after transitioning from tight end. Jensen helped the Coyotes average 243 yards passing and 80 yards rushing in four games.
 
Mogensen is a kinesiology and sport management major from Farmington, Minnesota. He was the Valley's second-leading tackler during the regular season with 9.2 stops per game. He finished second on the team in both sacks and tackles-for-loss. Mogensen snagged his first collegiate interception at North Dakota.