Fresh off multiple awards to close out the 2020-21 season, running back Otis Weah can begin preparing his award shelf for the 2021 campaign, as the Moorhead, Minnesota, native earned Athlon Sports Preseason All-America honors on Tuesday morning.

Weah joins fellow running backs Julius Chestnut (Sacred Heart) and Jah-Maine Martin (North Carolina A&T) on the 32-player All-America team is represented by 23 schools and 10 conferences. Schools with multiple selections are James Madison with three, and Delaware, North Dakota State, reigning national champion Sam Houston, South Dakota State, Southern Illinois, VMI and Weber State with two each.

He burst onto the scene last season for the green and white, helping UND advance to the quarterfinal round of the FCS playoffs for the first time in program history. The redshirt sophomore led the conference in rushing yards (730), yards per carry (7.16), rushing TDs (9), yards per game (104.3) and total touchdowns (9). Those numbers all sat inside the top-10 nationally, with the total yards, touchdowns and yards per carry ranking among the top-5 backs in the country.

Weah joins a bevy of returners on the offensive side of the ball for the Fighting Hawks next season, with eight starters returning. UND will also receive the returns of Bo Belquist and Brock Boltmann from injury.