INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) announced Friday the 14 student-athletes who have been selected to attend the 2022 GLVC Football Kickoff, which will take place in Lebanon, Ill., on Friday, July 29.  The GLVC contingent, highlighted by 12 All-Conference returners, will participate in the 10th annual event. The 2022 GLVC Football Kickoff will take place at The Hettenhausen Center for the Arts on the campus of McKendree University from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Central Time, and will serve both the league's media members and passionate fans through several social media outlets.

The coach and two student-athletes from each of the seven GLVC football institutions will be on hand to help promote the Conference's 11th season of intercollegiate football.
 
On hand will be the 2021 GLVC Co-offensive Player of the Year and the lone signal caller at the event in Southwest Baptist's Cooper Callis. The senior from Jackson, Mo., is the only player in league history to have multiple Player of the Year awards and will be looking to add his third award to his resume this upcoming season. Callis is coming off a year where he led the GLVC in seven statistical categories and finished top-three in the country in yards per game (340.8), completion percentage (69.5), and passing yards (3,712).
 
Three skill position players will be in attendance as Indianapolis running back Toriano Clinton, McKendree redshirt junior wide receiver Jacob Bachman (Eureka, Ill./Eureka), and William Jewell wideout Jesse Thomas will be half of their team's representation at the end of the month. Clinton and Bachman were both named First Team All-GLVC a season ago, while Thomas enters his senior season with the Cardinals after finishing second on the team in receiving yards last fall.
 
Three All-GLVC offensive linemen will also be going to the 2022 Kickoff this month. First Team All-GLVC selection Jorge Escalante from Missouri S&T will be in attendance after starting 11 games for the Miners a season ago and helping them finish second in the GLVC in total offense where they averaged 439.5 yards per game. Fellow linemen BJ Wilson of Quincy, who was recently named to the Shrine Bowl 1000 list, and Justin Watson from Truman State will be in attendance, as well.
 
Six All-GLVC selections from the defensive side of the ball will be heading to Lebanon for the 10th annual event. UIndy senior Kiave' Guerrier, McKendree redshirt junior defensive back Kenneth Scarbrough III (East St, Louis, Ill./East St. Louis), Missouri S&T senior Ben Straatmann, and Southwest Baptist senior Coleton Smith return after being First Team selections last fall. Truman State linebacker Ulysses Ross is back after a freshman season that netted him Honorable Mention All-GLVC. Rounding out the defensive players coming to this year's Kickoff event is William Jewell linebacker Jake Hedrick, who played in six games a year ago before injury cut his season short.
 
While the event is for credentialed media only, fans are encouraged to participate in the event through a variety of social media platforms and follow along online with each GLVC school, as they rotate through stations over the course of the 90-minute event. A complete schedule, as well as the official 2022 GLVC Football Kickoff website, will be announced on Wednesday, July 27. 
 
Media unable to attend, or fans who wish to ask players or coaches a question during the Facebook Live portion of the event, can submit a question here.

Media members interested in attending the 2022 GLVC Football Kickoff can apply for credentials by contacting GLVC Assistant Commissioner Lindsey Williams at lindsey@glvc-sports.org.

A complete list of the 2022 GLVC Football Kickoff player attendees follows:
 

 
INDIANAPOLIS
Toriano Clinton, Sr., Running Back (Chicago, Illinois)
Harlon Hill candidate Toriano Clinton returns for a fifth year in 2022. Despite missing the season's final two and a half games due to injury, Clinton racked up a UIndy-record 1,525 rushing yards in 2021. He twice reset the school's single-game rushing record along the way, topping out at 287 yards versus McKendree in week six, seven days after breaking the NCAA Division II record for rushing yards in a quarter (197). Clinton ranked in the nation's top 10 in several categories, including rushing yards per game (second), all-purpose yards per game (third), rushing yards per carry (fouth), total rushing yards (seventh) and rushing TDs (ninth). A standout on both the gridiron and in the classroom, the Chicago native was voted to the AFCA All-America Second Team as well as the CoSIDA Academic All-America® First Team. He enters 2022 just 272 yards shy of UIndy's career rushing record.
 
Kiave' Guerrier, Sr., Linebacker (Evansville, Indiana)
Senior linebacker Kiave' Guerrier enters his fifth and final season this fall. The Evansville, Ind., product racked up a team-high 77 tackles in 2021 on the way to earning All-GLVC First Team accolades. Guerrier finished fourth in the Conference with 14 tackles for loss, adding two forced fumbles. He notched three games with double-digit tackles, including a career-high 13 at Saint Xavier in the opener, and recorded 1.5 sacks and a QB hurry versus eventual GLVC Champion Lindenwood in week seven.
 
 
MCKENDREE
Jacob Bachman, R-Jr., Wide Receiver (Eureka, Illinois)
A first-team All-GLVC selection, Bachman led the league in receptions (80), was third in the league in receiving yards (857), fifth in receiving yards per game (77.9), ninth in NCAA Division II in receptions per game (7.4), while also hauling in three touchdown receptions. His 80 receptions were a new single-game school record, while his 857 receiving yards are second-most in a season in school history. During the 2021 season, he had three games with 10 or more receptions, including a season-high 11 receptions against Truman State, had four games with 100 or more receiving yards, including a team-best 141 yards on nine receptions against Missouri S&T. Additionally, Bachman was fifth in the league in all-purpose yards per game, as he averaged 105.6 per game and had a high game of 181 all-purpose yards at Walsh that earned Bachman the GLVC Special Teams Player of the Week honor. Bachman enters this season second on the school's all-time list for career receptions (116) and seventh in career receiving yards (1,339). He is a two-time All-GLVC selection and a four-time member of the GLVC All-Academic Team.
 
Kenneth Scarbrough III, R-Jr., Defensive Back (East St. Louis, Illinois)
Scarbrough is one of the Bearcats' top returning defensive players from a season ago, as he was named an Honorable Mention All-GLVC selection in 2021 after recording 16 tackles, including 12 solo stops, and tallying one tackle for a loss, picking up one interception and recording a team-best eight pass break ups. He has played over 10 games over the past two seasons and is a key cog in the pass defense for the Bearcats. He enters this season having played in 21 games and has recorded 33 total tackles, including 21 solo stops, and has had nine tackles for a loss, three interceptions, and has defended 13 passes in his McKendree career.
 
 
MISSOURI S&T
Jorge Escalante, Sr., Offensive Line (Fresno, California)
A First Team All-GLVC offensive lineman in 2021, Escalante started in all 11 games last year for the Miners. Missouri S&T ranked second in total offense in the GLVC in 2021 where it averaged 439.5 yards per game. Escalante help four different running backs record a 100-yard rushing game last season and ranked fourth in the Conference in rushing.

Ben Straatmann, Sr., Linebacker (Washington, Missouri)
Straatman was named to Don Hansen's All-America team and as a member of D2Football.com's Elite 100, following the 2021 season. A First Team All-GLVC selection at linebacker in 2021, Straatman led all of NCAA Division II with 14 quarterback sacks (1.27 per game) and ranked third with 24 tackles for a loss (2.1 per game). He holds the school records for sacks and tackles for a loss on both a single-game and season basis in 2021 when he had five sacks and six tackles for loss against Quincy. The Washington, Mo., product led Missouri S&T in tackles with 92 and also had two forced fumbles and a pass breakup in the 2021 campaign. He was also named as D2Football.com National Player of the Week and GLVC Defensive Player of the Week during the 2021 season.
 
 
QUINCY
BJ Wilson, Sr., Offensive Line (Florissant, Missouri)
Wilson was also a Second Team All-GLVC selection in 2021. The lineman started all 11 games on the offense line and helped pave the way for Quincy's offense, which ranked third in the Conference in yards per game. Just recently, the Florissant, Mo., native was named to the Shrine Bowl 1000 List.
 
Peyten Chappel, Sr., Linebacker (Mt. Zion, Illinois)
Chappel made Second Team All-GLVC for his performance in the 2021 season after leading the GLVC in solo tackles with 63. Chappel also had 4.5 tackles for loss, two sacks and six interceptions. The Mt. Zion native made nine starts for the Hawks after missing the first two games of the 2021 season. 
 
 
SOUTHWEST BAPTIST
Cooper Callis, Sr., Quarterback (Jackson, Missouri)
Coming off his second consecutive GLVC Offensive Player of the Year award, Cooper Callis looks to lead the Bearcat offense in his final campaign. The Harlon Hill nominee led league quarterbacks in pass attempts (285), completions (198), completion percentage (69.5), efficiency (163.5), yards (2,463), yards per game (351.9), and touchdowns (24). Overall, the senior ranks in the top three in NCAA Division II with 340.8 yards per game (second), 337.5 passing yards per game (second), 69.5% completion percentage, and 3,712 passing yards (third). In the season finale, Callis set four new program single-season records for total passing yards, passing yards per game, passing touchdowns (35), and completion percentage (69.2). Callis was named D2Football.com National Player of the Week on October 21st after his record setting day at William Jewell, throwing for 512 yards and six touchdowns vs. the Cardinals. The Jackson, Mo., native also received the GLVC Scholar-Athlete of the Year award, the first to be awarded to a student-athlete at Southwest Baptist for his efforts both on the field and in the classroom.
 
Coleton Smith, Sr., Linebacker (Appleton City, Missouri)
Smith returns for his senior campaign after finishing as the nation's leading tackler in all divisions in 2021. Bouncing back from injuries that cut previous seasons short, Smith recorded a staggering 162 tackles last season with the Bearcats on his way to being named D2CCA First Team All-Region and Second Team All-American before being named one of D2Football.com's Elite 100 players in the country at the end of the year and was a finalist for the Cliff Harris Award, which goes to the National Defensive Player of the Year. Coleton received GLVC Player of the Week honors twice during the 2021 season with his most impressive game coming against Truman State where he recorded 21 tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack, and two pass breakups.
 
 
TRUMAN STATE
Justin Watson, So., Offensive Line (Eureka, Missouri)
In his first season with the Bulldogs, Watson was an Honorable Mention All-GLVC player and started all 12 games at left tackle, aiding the Truman State offense to the second-most total yards gained and total yards per play in a season. The Bulldogs set a school record for yards gained per play, rushing at over 5.78, and were first in Conference games in scoring at 24 points per outing. Truman was second in rushing yards in league games, averaging 226, and third in fewest sacks allowed. Watson started two of the three spring games in 2021, including at Division I Lehigh (Pa.) University at right tackle.
 
Ulysses Ross, So., Linebacker (St. Louis, Missouri)
The honorable mention All-GLVC linebacker led the Conference as a freshman in quarterback sacks and tackles for loss. Ross notched 5.5 sacks and 14.5 tackles for loss in 12 games started. He finished the season with 69 total stops to go along with two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. His single-game high in tackles was nine against Lindenwood. The Truman State defense was second overall in yards allowed and first against the run last season, allowing 337 yards overall and 77 yards on the ground per game.
 
 
WILLIAM JEWELL
Jesse Thomas, Sr., Wide Receiver (Boynton Beach, Florida)
Thomas finished second on the Cardinals squad in receiving last year with 313 receiving yards coming on 24 receptions and scoring 3 touchdowns. The wideout went for a career0high 110 yards on five catches receiving against Quincy.
 
Jake Hedrick, R-Jr., Linebacker (Columbia, Missouri)
Hedrick played in six games in 2021 before an injury cut his season short. He totaled 18 tackles during the fall season after having 19 tackles with 3.5 for loss and one sack in spring of 2021, forcing one fumble.