Morrissey and Paulison Named Preseason All-America by Street & Smith Magazine

WEST CHESTER, Pa. – A pair of West Chester University football players were each named to the 2018 Street & Smith magazine preseason All-America squad it was announced in the establishiment's annual preseason college football edition recently.
 
Rising senior linebacker, Tyler Morrissey (Springfield, Pa./Springfield-DELCO), and classmate punter, Brendan Paulison (Milford, Pa./Delaware Valley), were each selected to the preseason team.
 
Morrissey enjoyed a breakout season on the defensive side of the ball in 2017 as he registered a team-high 137 tackles, which led the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference and was good enough for third most in a single season in program history, and the most in a season since Lee Woodall recorded 140 tackles in 1993. Morrissey also led the team in tackles for a loss as he registered 14.0 tackles for loss of 38 yards. Seven of these tackles came in the way of sacks, which accounted for a loss of 30 yards.
 
Morrissey collected PSAC East Defensive Player of the Year and ECAC Defensive Player of the Year honors earlier in the season as well as first-team All PSAC East and first-team All ECAC honors. Morrissey was also named to the first team All-Super Region 1 by both the region's sports information directors as well as Don Hansen Football Gazette, before earning DII CCA second team All-America honors. Morrissey's was a three-time All-America pick in 2017.
 
"Tyler has become one of the best linebackers to ever play here," West Chester head coach Bill Zwaan said. "He has excellent athleticism for his size, and his size makes him difficult to block. He plays every play for us. He can play the run, cover backs, and blitz the QB. So, we can use him on all of our special defenses. He is also a great leader and captain."
 
Paulison was one of the best punters in the nation in 2017 as he punted the ball 61 times for 2,692 yards for an average punt of 44.1 yards. Paulison's 2,692 yards and 44.1 yards per punt each set individual school records. His 44.1 yards per punt is the best average since Alex Walsh averaged 42.2 yards per punt back in 2008. His 2,692 yards surpassed the mark previously set by Don Wolf when he punted for a total of 2,430 yards back in 1977.
 
In the final game of the season, during the second round of the NCAA II Playoffs opposite Indiana (Pa.), Paulison punted six times for a total of 275 yards, averaging 45.8 yards per punt. On the year, Paulison also tallied 17 punts over 50 yards, and he forced 16 fair catches, while also downing 23 punts inside the 20-yard line. Paulison was also named first-team All-PSAC East, first-team All-ECAC and first-team All-Super Region 1 by both the region's sports information directors as well as Don Hansen Football Gazette earlier in the season.
 
"Brendan has always had a great leg," Zwaan lauded. "But, we were finally able to allow him to concentrate more on punting this past year, and he was able to really show his talent. He has a ton of confidence to go with that strong leg right now and that makes him an elite punter."
 
West Chester opens its 2018 campaign on the road at Bentley on Thursday, Aug. 30 at 6 p.m. The Golden Rams open their home slate the following Saturday, Sept. 8 against Gannon.