AUSTIN, Texas – For the second consecutive season, the University of Dayton football program has three of its student-athletes named CoSIDA Academic All-Americans.  Junior safety David Leisring and senior running back Tucker Yinger were named to the first team, while redshirt sophomore defensive tackle Isaac Sexton was named to the second team.

Dayton is the only Division I school to have three Academic All-Americans the last two years.  Dayton, Oklahoma State and SMU are the only ones to have three this season.  Dayton and Boise State were the only two in 2016.

A 2016 Second Team Academic All-American, Leisring led the Flyers in total tackles (87) and solo tackles (54) this season, even though he missed one game.  He was tied for second in the PFL in interceptions per game (0.40, tied with teammate Tim Simon), fourth in passes defended (1.10) and sixth in tackles (8.7).  The Cincinnati St. Xavier product has a 3.94 cumulative grade point average while majoring in Finance.  He is also Vice-President of UD's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

Yinger was a 2016 Second Team Academic All-American and has been an academic all-district selection for the last three years.  He was named First Team All-Pioneer Football League in 2017 after his first 1,000 yard season this year.  He was third in the PFL in rushing (98.9 yards a game) with seven 100-yard games.  He is now sixth in career rushing at Dayton with 2,417 yards and has a yards-per-carry average of 5.8.  A Mechanical Engineering major, the Columbus St. Francis de Sales product has a 3.81 GPA.

Sexton just completed his first season as a starter.  The redshirt sophomore from Findlay, Ohio's Van Buren High School had 13 tackles this season, with 1.5 behind the line.  He has also batted down a pass and had a quarterback hurry.  A member of the PFL Academic Honor Roll, he has a 3.96 cumulative grade point average in Chemical Engineering.

The trio brings the total for Dayton football Academic All-Americans to 59 since the first one in 1970.  The Flyers have had 29 since 2000.

 This is also the 33rd and 34th times a Flyer football player has been named a First Team Academic All-American.  The others are Tim Quinn, Scott Terry, Greg French, David Kemp, Jeff Slayback, Gerry Meyer, Brett Cuthbert, Dan Rosenbaum, Steve Lochow, Brad Mager, David Overholser, Josh Lemmon, Jacob jones, Jimmy Lee, Mark Kasmer, Mary McNamara, Doug Jones, Nick Sellett, Brandon Cramer (twice), Bart Bergfeld, Patrick McCormick, Brandon Wingeier (three times), A.J. Kaltenbach, Steve Wirkus and Chris Beaschler (twice).

 Among schools playing Division I football, only Nebraska (107) and Penn State (64) have had more Academic All-Americans than Dayton's 59.  The Flyers are tied with Notre Dame at 59.  Ohio State (54) and Oklahoma (52) are next.

 In order for a student-athlete to be eligible for Academic All-American recognition, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve and maintain a cumulative G.P.A of 3.30 (on a scale of 4.00).