McLean County Times

Illinois State football players Amir Abdullah and Mason King have been recognized as two of the top returning athletes in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). On Monday, the duo was named to the 2024 Stats Perform FCS Preseason All-America Team.

Abdullah was selected for the First-Team, while King was named to the Third-Team. They are among 24 Missouri Valley Football Conference players honored this year.

In his first season with Illinois State after transferring from Nebraska-Kearney, Abdullah earned Third-Team All-America honors from Stats Perform, FCS Football Central, and the Associated Press last season. He was also selected as a Second-Team All-American by Phil Steele. The Chicago native finished ninth in voting for the Buck Buchanan Award, which is presented by Stats Perform to honor the national defensive player of the year in FCS football.

Abdullah received All-MVFC First-Team and All-Newcomer Team honors at linebacker in 2023. He ranked sixth in the FCS in sacks per game (0.86) and 26th in tackles for loss per game (1.3). He tied for the league lead with 9.5 sacks and led the MVFC with 14 tackles for loss during the season. His 64 total tackles (34 solo) ranked fourth on Illinois State's defense, including three games with two or more sacks.

King was named the 2023 MVFC Newcomer of the Year and earned All-MVFC First-Team honors at running back in his first season with Illinois State after transferring from Northern Illinois. The Centralia native played in ten games, leading his team with 983 rushing yards, 14 rushing touchdowns, and scoring 84 points.

King's performance included leading the MVFC with an average of 98.3 yards per game and averaging 6.6 yards per carry, placing him in the top ten within FCS rankings. He recorded five games with over 100 rushing yards, including a season-high of 170 yards and three touchdowns against Western Illinois and another game with 169 yards and three scores against Murray State.

Tickets for the 2024 Redbird Football season are available online at GoRedbirds.com/Tickets or through ISU Athletics Ticket Office at (309) 438-8000.

GoRedbirds.com and the Illinois State Redbirds App offer resources for tickets, Weisbecker Athletic Fund gifts, multimedia content, merchandise, photos, and more.