WICHITA FALLS, Texas - Carson-Newman linebacker Rondrow Peebles (Knoxville, Tenn.) and corner Desmond Fairell (Miami, Fla.) have been presented All-America honors by both the Division II Conference Commissioners Association and the Associated Press.
Peebles made the Associated Press first team and the second team from the D2CCA, while Fairell was lauded with second team honors from the AP and first team accoladed from the D2CCA. Fairell was already named to the AFCA All-America team. Should he be named an All-American by Don Hansen's Football Gazette and D2Football.com, he'll become Carson-Newman's ninth all-time consensus All-American.
Andy Hibbett ('14), Kevin Day ('12), Steve Mellon ('95), Mike Clowney ('96), former Washington Redskin and Houston Texan Cedric Killings ('99), Clay Clevenger ('00), Michael Rigdon ('01) and Reggie Perkins ('03) are the other Eagles landing on five All-America teams.
Peebles is Carson-Newman's first All-American linebacker since Jaycob Coleman garnred the honor in 2013.
Peebles earned a pair of SAC Defensive Player of the Week awards this year. He was Carson-Newman's leading tackler with 93 stops.
Peebles also had 18.0 tackles for loss and 9.0 sacks. He tallied a game-changing interception against Limestone. Peebles was named national player of the week following his 12-tackle, 3.5-tackle for loss, 1.5-sack performance on opening night against West Florida. The 12 tackles are one of four double-digit tackle efforts on the year. He had 11 stops against Catawba, Newberry and Limestone.
Peebles tied Temoris Coats for the third most TFL in a single season in program history with 18. His nine sacks are the most by a Carson-Newman linebacker in a single season.
Fairell has put his name in the record books on Carson-Newman's all-time interceptions list. Fairell finished his Carson-Newman career with 19 career picks, that's the third most all-time.
The seven interceptions Fairell has this year are tied for the third most for a single-season in school history. Fairell led the South Atlantic Conference in interceptions, he is eighth nationally.
Fairell has also broken up 11 passes this year and is ninth nationally in passes defensed.
He helmed a secondary that picked off 22 passes this season, the fifth most in a single season in school history.
