DSU’s Cody Brown Named AFCA-NAIA Honorable Mention

The NAIA officially announced its America Football Coaches Association (AFCA)-NAIA All-America list Thursday, and Cody Brown of Dakota State was listed as an Honorable Mention.

It marked the eighth time in the past nine years that DSU recorded at least an athlete listed on the NAIA All-America list (First Team, Second Team, Honorable Mention).

Brown received numerous awards this past fall, such as being named a North Star All-Conference First Team defensive line, 2022 College Sports Communicators (CSC) All-District Team, and NAIA Scholar-Athlete award. 

He is also a scholar-athlete recipient for the NSAA conference.

Brown led Dakota State with 16.5 tackles-for-loss of 78 yards, including nine quarterback sacks of 56 yards loss. He is fourth in school single season history for quarterback sacks, as well as 17th most sacks in the NAIA. Brown also tallied 54 tackles (27 solo, 27 assists). 

He also had two interceptions during the season.

Brown was one of the seven recipients to be named to AFCA-NAIA All-America Honorable Mention in the defensive line position. 

Dakota State finished their 2022 season with an overall record of 6-4, their second straight winning season. The Trojans finished in a two-way tie for second place in the NSAA football standings with Valley City State, with both teams with a 4-2 record in conference play.

It was the first time since 2017 that Dakota State placed second in the North Star football standings.