Preseason honors are starting to trickle in for Southeast Missouri running back Geno Hess. Hess was named to the Lindy's Sports Preseason All-America Team this week.
 
A native of Peoria, Illinois, Hess is one of three Ohio Valley Conference players recognized in the annual magazine published recently. He claimed second-team accolades joining UT Martin offensive lineman Matthan Hatchie (first-team) and Murray State offensive lineman Levi Nesler (second-team) out of the OVC.
 
Lindy's tabbed defending OVC Champion UTM #22 in its Preseason Top-25 Poll. In its breakdown of the OVC, Lindy's picked UTM as the preseason favorite followed by MSU, SEMO, Tennessee Tech, Tennessee State, newcomer Lindenwood and Eastern Illinois.
 
The prediction further named Hess as the OVC Preseason Offensive Player of the Year and UTM safety Deven Sims OVC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year.
 
Hess is among the top five returning Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) running backs in 2022 along with Central Arkansas' Darius Hale, Montana State's Isaiah Ifanse, Sacred Heart's Malik Grant and South Dakota State's Isaiah Davis.
 
Hale (1,021, 17 TD), Ifanse (1,623, 10 TD), Grant (1,347, 9 TD), Hess (1,116, 14 TD) and Davis (701, 7 TD) combined for 5,808 yards and 57 touchdowns last season.