HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – Alabama A&M Athletics continues to showcase the academic prowess of its student-athletes as junior defensive end (ABOVE) Marcus Cushine (Broward County, Fla.) has been named to the CoSIDA Football Academic All-District Team as announced by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) on Thursday, June 10.
Cushine’s selection is not only the first by a football player in 29 years, it also marks the first time in program history the Bulldogs have had two such honorees in the same season. He joins junior women’s basketball forward Dariauna Lewis (Omaha, Neb.) who became the first A&M student-athlete to earn that recognition since 1990-91 when she did so last month.
She would go on to become the first Co-SIDA Academic All-America at the NCAA Division I level, joining football’s Tim McCannelly (SecondTeam in 1979-80) and Tracy Kendall (First-Team in 1989- 90 and 1990-91) in that select group. Those individuals comprise the program’s other four Academic All-District selections with each going on to earn Academic All-America honors.
Chosen by position, Cushine is one of just four defensive linemen selected from District 4, which covers all Division I football programs from Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and Florida, and among just 34 selected nationwide. Of those, his sterling 3.8 Grade Point Average (GPA) in Criminal Justice is the fifth highest.
Overall he is one of 28 individuals to be recognized from District 4, a total of 206 nationwide and one of just two from the ranks of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU). The only other such honoree was Alabama State running back Ezra Gray.
A prestigious honor, it is highly competitive as it encompasses both FBS and FCS programs and this year’s District 4 selections included the likes of Alabama, South Carolina, Auburn, Coastal Carolina, Georgia Tech and Georgia.
With the COVID-19 impacted season, CoSIDA made the decision to evaluate nominees by career statistics and accomplishments rather than just the 2020-21 campaign.
Already with his degree in hand, Cushine is a two-time SWAC Commissioner’s Honor Roll selection (2019, 2020) and three time A&M Athletic Directors Honor Roll choice in 2018, 2019 and 2020.