Defensive Duo Receives HERO Sports Sophomore All-America Honor

DURHAM, N.H. – Quinlen Dean (Greenbelt, Md.) of the No. 21/20 University of New Hampshire football team was named to the HERO Sports 2017 FCS Sophomore All-America First Team on Tuesday. Isiah Perkins (Williamstown, N.J.) received distinction as a Sophomore All-America Honorable Mention.

This sophomore duo helped lead UNH's defense to a No. 6 national ranking in both red zone defense and interceptions, as well as No. 10 in turnovers gained.

Dean, a CAA Football Second Team honoree, led New Hampshire in unassisted tackles (80), assisted tackles (44) and total tackles (124); in fact, his 80 solo tackles were more than all other 'Cats had total tackles. Dean's other numbers included 11.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, two interceptions and a forced fumble.

With those numbers, he is No. 15 in the nation in solo tackles (5.7 per game) and 42^nd in tackles per game (8.9). Dean is the CAA leader in tackles and is fourth in tackles per game.

The 6-foot-0, 235-pound linebacker backboned the Wildcats' defense to its first shutout in seven seasons – and first ever in postseason play – with a team-high 12 tackles, including three for loss, in a 14-0 victory against Central Connecticut State University in an FCS first round playoff game at Wildcat Stadium. He also had a second-quarter interception vs. the Blue Devils.

Dean was UNH's leading tackler in 9 of 14 games, including a career-high 15 in the regular-season finale at the University at Albany. He recorded double-digit tackles four other games, including 11 stops against Bryant University and at Stony Brook University.

In the season opener, Dean's interception in the last minute of the game sealed the Wildcats' 24-23 victory against the University of Maine in the Thursday Night Throwdown at Wildcat Stadium.

Perkins, who started all 14 games at cornerback, led New Hampshire – and ranked fourth in the CAA – in interceptions (five) and ranked second on the team in pass breakups (eight). He was credited with 42 tackles, including 26 solo stops.

Perkins recorded an interception consecutive weeks against UAlbany (regular-season finale) and Central Connecticut (NCAA first round). In that game at UAlbany, he ended the Great Danes' drive into the red zone in the closing seconds of the second quarter with an interception at the goal line that he returned 52 yards.

In the Sept. 23 game against Rhode Island, Perkins ended consecutive Rams' fourth quarter possessions with an INT to preserve New Hampshire's 28-14 lead. His other season highlights included six tackles and two pass breakups in the win vs. nationally-ranked Elon University. Perkins matched his personal best of seven tackles and also had two pass breakups at Stony Brook University. He ended the 2017 season with five tackles in both the NCAA second round at No. 3 Central Arkansas and NCAA quarterfinal No. 6 South Dakota State.

New Hampshire (9-5) competed in the NCAA Division I FCS playoffs for the 14th consecutive season, which is the longest active streak in the nation. The Wildcats defeated Central Connecticut State in the first round and No. 4 seed Central Arkansas in the second round before falling at No. 5 seed South Dakota State in the quarterfinal round Dec. 9.

The HERO Sports All-America Teams are determined strictly by the regular season.

UNH, in its second season at Wildcat Stadium, saw a 13-percent home attendance increase, highlighted by the all-time largest crowd for a home opener (15,854) and largest on-campus crowd (22,135) in school history. The Wildcats averaged 12,751 fans per home game in 2017, up from the previous high of 11,108 in 2016. The overall attendance of 63,756 for five home dates eclipsed the regular-season attendance of 55,542 in 2016.

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