Princeton Football Players Earn Preseason All-American Honors

A pair of Princeton University football players have each been selected to at least one preseason all-American team for the upcoming season, according to the University’s website.

Senior quarterback Quinn Epperly and junior cornerback Anthony Gaffney, of Columbus, NJ, were both named all-conference last season and have high expectations heading into the fall campaign.

The Sports Network (TSN) named Gaffney a second team selection and Beyond Sports Network (BSN) named him to the third team. Epperly was named to BSN's third team.

Gaffney became the seventh player in Princeton history to be named to the all-conference first team three times, even though he has played just two seasons. He is a two-time all-conference player at cornerback, and was named to the 2012 all-conference first team as a return specialist.

He’s started every game of his college career, and has 57 tackles, 12 breakups and five interceptions.

This season, he, junior John Hill, junior Matt Arends and junior Khamal Brown bring experience to the defensive backfield.

Earlier this week, Epperly was named to the initial 2014 Walter Payton Award Watch List.

Epperly was named the Ivy League Offensive Player of the Year in 2013.

Epperly threw a single season record-tying 25 touchdown passes and rushed for another 19 as he led the Tigers to their first conference crown since 2006 and 10th overall.

He was the first quarterback in the history of the conference to account for 40 or more touchdowns in a season.

He set an NCAA all-divisions record with 29 consecutive completions in the Tigers' 53-20 win over Cornell last season, and was named Ivy League Offensive Player of the Week six times, including five weeks in a row.

Epperly has thrown for 2,876 yards in his first three years, good enough for ninth on Princeton’s career passing list. He’s accounted for 3,975 total yards of offense.

BSN named seven Tigers to their preseason all-conference team, including Gaffney, Epperly, wide receivers Seth DeValve and Connor Kelley, offensive tackle Spenser Huston, running back Di Andre Atwater and return specialist Max Lescano.