KINGSTON, R.I. - For the first time since 2019, multiple players from the Rhode Island Football team earned All-American honors from the Associated Press as linebacker A.J. Pena landed on the First Team and running back Malik Grant received honorable mention.

Pena is the first Ram to earn First Team recognition since Darren Rizzi did so in 1992. In total, just five players in program history have achieved the feat. The last time any URI player earned All-American status from the AP was in 2021 when defensive back Jordan Jones was named to the Second Team. 

This is the third All-American team that Pena has been tabbed to in 2024 as he was named a First Team All-American by both Stats Perform and FCS Football Central earlier this week. A First Team All-CAA Football outside linebacker, Pena was a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award as a true junior and ranked among the nation's best in tackles for loss (22.5, seventh) and sacks (12.5, 10th). He totaled 82 tackles while racking up five QB hurries, two fumble recoveries and a pair of pass breakups. The Montclair, N.J. product has the second-most career TFLs (44.5) and sacks (27) in Rhode Island history and helped lead the defense to a top-20 ranking in both sacks (38, 13th) and TFLs (98, 15th). 

A 2021 Hero Sports Third Team All-American at Sacred Heart, Grant earned his recognition from the Associated Press after a record-setting campaign at URI. In just one year with the Rams, the graduate student broke the single-season rushing yards record (1,426) while tying the mark for rushing touchdowns (13). His rushing yardage was the fourth-most of any player in the nation and led CAA Football. A Third Team All-Conference selection, Grant topped 100 rushing yards in seven different games in 2024 and surpassed 200 in back-to-back games against Bryant (Nov. 23) and Central Connecticut State (Nov. 30). He was the first player in program history to run the ball for 200 yards in consecutive appearances and just the sixth player to reach the mark at all. 

Both Pena and Grant helped the Rams break a 39-year playoff drought with their respective play. Rhode Island received an at-large bid to the 2024 NCAA FCS Championship field as the No. 10 seed after capturing a share of the CAA Football title. Rhody players have now earned All-American recognition from two different outlets in 2024, as Buchanan (Second Team) joined Pena on the Stats Perform list. 

Rhode Island Associated Press All-Americans 
Tom Ehrhardt - First Team (1984)
Brian Forster - First Team (1985)
Tom Erhardt - First Team (1985)
Brian Forster - First Team (1985)
Bob White - First Team (1985)
Mike Cassidy - Honorable Mention (1985)
Darren Rizzi - First Team (1992)
Dustin Bayer - Third Team (2004)
Kyle Murphy - Second Team (2019)
Aaron Parker - Second Team (2019)
Jordan Jones - Second Team (2021)
A.J. Pena - First Team (2024)
Malik Grant - Honorable Mention (2024)