WASHINGTON – The Georgetown University football team had a record six student-athletes selected to the All-Patriot League Preseason Team, as announced by the league office on Tuesday. The Hoyas were also selected to finish third in the Patriot League Preseason Poll, the highest predicted finish in program history. The preseason team and poll were voted on by the league's head coach and sports information directors who could not vote for their own student-athletes.
 
Junior linebacker Wes Bowers (Fort Washington, Md. / Bishop McNamara), who is this season's No. 35 Joe Eacobacci Memorial Jersey recipient, was an All-Patriot League Second Team selection last season and earned HERO Sports FCS Sophomore All-American honors. He was a central figure in the Hoya defense, playing and starting all 11 games at middle linebacker. He led the team in tackles with 91, which ranks fourth in the Patriot League, and had a team-high four interceptions. Bowers also ranked third on the squad with 4.5 sacks and 8.5 TFL. Two of his interceptions were among Georgetown's season-high four in the season finale against Holy Cross, including one which he returned 20 yards for the pick six. He also returned a blocked PAT attempt for a defensive extra point against Lehigh. Bowers reached double digits in tackles four times in 2018, including a career-high 18 in the home opener against Campbell, a mark that ranks third in GU history.
 
Senior wide receiver Michael Dereus (Hyde Park, Mass / Williston Northampton) led the Georgetown receiving corps in 2018 with 379 receiving yards and an average of 18.1 yards per catch while playing in just eight games. He ranked second on the team with 21 receptions and tied for the team lead with two touchdown receptions - one in the season opener at Marist and one against Lehigh, a 70-yard reception which was part of a 120-yard receiving performance. 
 
Junior defensive lineman Duval Paul (Lynn, Mass. / Everett) played in all 11 games, making 10 starts as a sophomore in 2018 while earning All-Patriot League Second Team honors. He ranked seventh on the defense with 41 tackles and was a force in the backfield with 2.5 sacks, 4.5 TFL and five quarterback hurries. Paul also forced two fumbles and recovered two others, including a 9-yard scoop-and-score in the season opener at Marist. He recorded GU's lone blocked kick in 2018, rejecting a PAT attempt against Lehigh, which was returned by Bowers for a defensive extra point.
 
Senior Isaac Schley (Littleton, Colo. / Chatfield) was selected to the preseason team as a fullback after appearing in 10 games as a junior. A key blocker in the running game, Shley ranked third on the team last year with 19 receptions and sixth with 112 receiving yards. He had four catches in a game on three occasions and had a season-high 37 receiving yards against Columbia.
 
Senior defensive lineman Khristian Tate (Warner Robins, Ga. / Covenant Academy) is the only member of the preseason team that has earned three All-Patriot League selections in his career after being named to the second team as a freshman and the first team each of the past two seasons. He played and started in all 11 games in 2018, ranking fourth on the defense in tackles with 54, while leading the way with 16.5 tackles-for-loss (TFL), 10.0 sacks and nine quarterback hurries. He recorded multiple sacks in each of Georgetown's four league wins, including two each against Lafayette, Lehigh and Bucknell. Tate's 10.0 sacks, which led the Patriot League and ranked eighth in all of FCS, are tied for the ninth most in a single season in program history, and he has already cracked the career top 10 with 16.5 career sacks.
 
Junior safety Ahmad Wilson (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Gateway) was selected to the preseason team as both a defensive back and special teams non-specialist, after earning All-Patriot League recognition in each of his first two seasons as a special teams non-specialist. In 2018, Wilson was a force on both defense and special teams, playing in all 11 games with 10 starts at safety. He finished with 33 tackles, 1.0 TFL and was third on the team with five pass breakups. He had two memorable interceptions in 2018, including a highlight-reel grab at Lafayette and an interception in the season finale against Holy Cross where he lateraled to a teammate for the defensive score.
 
The Hoyas report for preseason camp on Thursday, Aug. 1. Georgetown will travel to Davidson on August 31 for the season opener before hosting Marist in the home opener on Sept. 7. Tickets for the 2019 season will go on sale in early August. For more information and to purchase after tickets become available, please visit WeAreGeorgetown.com/football.