MONTGOMERY, Ala. | Rising sophomore Nehemiah Hixon of the Alabama State University football team was named a Second-Team Preseason All-American as a kick return specialist by FCS Football Central, the organization announced Wednesday afternoon.

FCS Football Central included the Spanish Fort, Ala., native among its 83 standout student-athletes before the 2026 season gets underway. These players represent 40 schools across 11 conferences, with Montana State leading the way with 10 selections.

Hixon, making the most of his playing time as a true freshman a season ago, is one of just five student-athletes representing an HBCU on the list of many of the nation's best FCS players. Three of the five players compete in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), while Hixon is the first Alabama State player to appear on the preseason publication in its brief existence.

The Spanish Fort High School product was among the most dangerous returners in the nation as a rookie, recording 488 kick return yards, fourth best in the SWAC. His 99-yard kick return touchdown in the first quarter of the team's 42-24 win over Texas Southern was a pivotal early game score, while his other two kick returns in the game put him over 100 return yards on the day.

Hixon's 30.5 yards per kick return placed him second among all SWAC returners and fifth in the FCS, while he also contributed as a wide receiver for the 10-2 Hornets in 2025. For his performance, he earned Second Team All-SWAC honors as a returner, and he will enter the 2026 campaign with preseason recognition on the Phil Steele Preseason All-SWAC Team (First Team), the SWAC All-Conference Team (First Team) and now the FCS Football Central All-America Team (Second Team).

Hixon and the Alabama State football team are set to open the season in Birmingham for the Birmingham Football Classic against Southern University on Saturday, August 29. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. at Legion Field, with the game being televised on ESPNU.

2026 FCS Football Central Preseason All-American Team
First-Team Offense
QB - Beau Brungard (Youngstown State)
QB - Justin Lamson (Montana State)
RB - Eli Gillman (Montana)
RB - Adam Jones (Montana State)
RB - Luke Yoder (Lehigh)
WR - Marquis Buchanan (Rhode Island)
WR - Samuel Gbatu Jr. (UC Davis)
WR - Taco Dowler (Montana State)
TE - Ryder Kurtz (Cornell)
OL - Desmeal Leigh (Youngstown State)
OL - Erik Gray (Stephen F. Austin)
OL - Landon Woodard (Illinois State)
OL - Joshua Sales Jr. (Austin Peay)
OL - Titan Fleischmann (Montana State)
OL - Quinten Christensen (South Dakota State)

First-Team Defense
DL - Joshua Stoneking (Furman)
DL - Lance Rucker (North Dakota)
DL - Michael Wells (Youngstown State)
DL - Camden Byrd (Richmond)
DL - Andrew Huff (Lamar)
LB - Tye Niekamp (Illinois State)
LB - Peyton Wing (Montana)
LB - Porter Connors (UC Davis)
LB - Rohan Davy (Rhode Island)
LB - Mikey D'Amato (Cal Poly)
LB - Jake Dalmado (Southeastern Louisiana)
DB - Abu Kamara (Yale)
DB - Caden Dowler (Montana State)
DB - Rex Connors (UC Davis)
DB - Damien Henderson (Harvard)
DB - Christopher Jean (Central Connecticut State)
DB - Ken Moore Jr. (Western Carolina)
DB - Dylan Rowsey (Murray State)

First-Team Special Teams
K - Luke Barnes (Elon)
P - Ben Shrewsbury (VMI)
KR - DeAndre Buchannon (Tarleton State)
PR - Bugs Mortimer (Stephen F. Austin)
AP - Ja'briel Mace (Villanova)

Second-Team Offense
QB - Keali'i Ah Yat (Montana)
QB - Devin Farrell (Rhode Island)
QB - Chris Parson (Austin Peay)
RB - Charles Pierre Jr. (South Dakota)
RB - Victor Dawson (Illinois State)
RB - Jordan Fisher (UC Davis)
WR - Sam Milligan (Bucknell)
WR - BJ Fleming (Tarleton State)
WR - Lofton O'Groske (South Dakota State)
WR - Brooks Davis (Montana)
WR - Chedon James (Idaho State)
TE - Winston Williams (UC Davis)
OL - Thomas O'Brien (Harvard)
OL - Stryker Rashid (Idaho State)
OL - Tre Alexander (Rhode Island)
OL - Aidan Palmer (Lehigh)
OL - Liam Becher (North Dakota)
OL - Braden Zimmer (Montana State)
OL - Cam Nolan (Holy Cross)
AP - MJ Flowers (Tennessee Tech)

Second-Team Defense
DL - Kaden Vig (North Dakota)
DL - Zac Crews (Montana State)
DL - Dawson Ripperda (South Dakota State)
DL - Chris Dixon (South Dakota)
DL - Logan Green (South Dakota State)
DL - Ike Odimegwu (Brown)
LB - Cole Taylor (Montana State)
LB - Cullen McShane (South Dakota State)
LB - Dexter Niekamp (Illinois State)
LB - Jordan Franklin (South Carolina State)
LB - Eli Ennis (Stephen F. Austin)
LB - Sean Line (Harvard)
DB - Tayden Gray (Montana State)
DB - Eric Zachery (Prairie View A&M)
DB - Jaylon Jenkins (Eastern Washington)
DB - Drew Cofield (UC Davis)
DB - Dev Holman (Youngstown State)
DB - Kam Sallis (Jackson State)
DB - Dillon Williams (Abilene Christian)

Second-Team Special Teams
K - Myles Sansted (Montana State)
P - Max Pelham (South Dakota State)
KR - Nehemiah Hixon (Alabama State)
PR - Elijah Kennedy (North Carolina A&T)
AP - Brayden Smith (Mercer)
AP - TJ Cadden (Bucknell)

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