Published on June 10, 2020  
Washington Belltower

HERO Sports recently named Samford's Montrell Washington preseason first team All-American as a punt returner.

Washington, a human development and family science major, returned 15 punts during the 2019 season for an average of 21.9 yards per return. He returned one punt for a 59-yard touchdown late in the first quarter of the team's game at Western Carolina, turning the momentum and helping lead the Bulldogs to a 31-13 win. For his efforts, Washington was named the Southern Conference's Special Teams Player of the Week.
 
Washington also returned kickoffs for Samford, returning seven kicks for an average of 22.1 yards per return. As a wide receiver, Washington caught 28 passes for 405 yards and three touchdowns.
 
At the conclusion of the season, Washington was named All-American by STATS and HERO Sports. He also earned second team All-SoCon honors as a return specialist.

 
Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 6,101 students from 45 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks 6th nationally for its Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.