University of Memphis Athletics
Photo by: Joe Murphy
Gainwell, Patterson land on Athlon Sports Preseason All-America Teams
Jul 23, 2020 | Football
Memphis is the only AAC program with multiple players selected
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Running back Kenneth Gainwell and kicker Riley Patterson continued to add to their preseason accolades Thursday as Athlon Sports placed the two Tigers on its preseason All-America teams.
Gainwell, the recipient of numerous accolades in 2019 including FWAA Freshman of the Year, garnered Second Team Offense All-America honors. Patterson, a First Team All-AAC pick in 2019, was named to the specialists third team.
Only two programs in the AAC were recognized as UCF's Otis Anderson was named a fourth team specialist as a punt returner. Memphis is the only AAC program to have multiple representatives on the teams.
Earlier this month, Gainwell was named to the Doak Walker Award Watch List after being the only freshman semifinalist last season. He is one of only three returning Doak Walker semifinalists returning to the field in 2020.
As a redshirt freshman in 2019, Gainwell stepped into the season-opening win over Ole Miss following an injury to senior back Patrick Taylor. In that win, Gainwell carried the ball six times and caught one pass after Taylor's fourth-quarter injury, as part of a six minute and 21 second drive that sealed the victory.
Following a two-touchdown performance in the next game, Gainwell ripped off six consecutive 100-yard rushing games, a Memphis freshman record. In that stretch of games was a 200-yard receiving effort to compliment a 100-yard rushing performance game against Tulane. Against the Green Wave, Gainwell became the first player since 1997 to post a 200-100 effort, finishing with 203 receiving yards and 104 rushing yards.
With 610 yards receiving, Gainwell led the country in all-purpose yards by a freshman, finishing the season ninth with 2,069 yards (147.79 ypg).
He became just the third player in program history to record over 2,000 all-purpose yards in a single season. DeAngelo Williams accomplished that mark three times (2003, 2004 and 2005) while Darrell Henderson set the school record with 2,328 all-purpose yards in 2018, Gainwell's redshirt season at Memphis.
Gainwell's 13 rushing touchdowns helped Memphis to 12-2 overall record, a third consecutive AAC West Division title, an AAC Championship and a Cotton Bowl berth. His 610 receiving yards ranked third on the roster and is second among Memphis returners for 2020, trailing only two-time 1,000-yard receiver Damonte Coxie's 1,276 yards.
Patterson was named to the Lou Groza Award Watch List earlier this week as he is the FBS active leader in scoring by a kicker with 351 points and his career 80.3 percent accuracy (49-for-61) in field goals is the best by any FBS kicker currently entering their fourth season.
He is one of four returning FBS kickers who scored at least 120 points last season and is one of 10 FBS kickers who made more than 20 field goals while connecting at least 80 percent of the time.
Against Penn State in the 84th Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, Patterson individually rewrote the record books. Patterson made a program and NCAA bowl record six field goals and converted on three PATs to score a school and Cotton Bowl record 21 points. His 51-yard field goal in the third quarter against the Nittany Lions was also a Cotton Bowl record.
Patterson's 21 points kicking in the Cotton Bowl broke his previous school record of 18, which he set during the Tigers' ranked victory against SMU earlier in the season. Against the Mustangs, Patterson scored 18 points with a perfect 4-for-4 effort in field goals and 6-for-6 performance in PATs.
After making three PATs in the Cotton Bowl, Patterson broke former Tiger Jake Elliott's school record of 202 made PATs. Patterson is 204-for-209 in career PATs entering the 2020 season.
He finished the 2019 campaign with 23 made field goals, tying the single-season program record set by Elliott in 2015 and Joe Allison in 1992.
Click here for the complete Athlon Sports Preseason All-America Team.
Memphis is set to take on Arkansas State at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium on Sept. 5 to kick-off the 2020 campaign.
Gainwell, the recipient of numerous accolades in 2019 including FWAA Freshman of the Year, garnered Second Team Offense All-America honors. Patterson, a First Team All-AAC pick in 2019, was named to the specialists third team.
Only two programs in the AAC were recognized as UCF's Otis Anderson was named a fourth team specialist as a punt returner. Memphis is the only AAC program to have multiple representatives on the teams.
Earlier this month, Gainwell was named to the Doak Walker Award Watch List after being the only freshman semifinalist last season. He is one of only three returning Doak Walker semifinalists returning to the field in 2020.
As a redshirt freshman in 2019, Gainwell stepped into the season-opening win over Ole Miss following an injury to senior back Patrick Taylor. In that win, Gainwell carried the ball six times and caught one pass after Taylor's fourth-quarter injury, as part of a six minute and 21 second drive that sealed the victory.
Following a two-touchdown performance in the next game, Gainwell ripped off six consecutive 100-yard rushing games, a Memphis freshman record. In that stretch of games was a 200-yard receiving effort to compliment a 100-yard rushing performance game against Tulane. Against the Green Wave, Gainwell became the first player since 1997 to post a 200-100 effort, finishing with 203 receiving yards and 104 rushing yards.
With 610 yards receiving, Gainwell led the country in all-purpose yards by a freshman, finishing the season ninth with 2,069 yards (147.79 ypg).
He became just the third player in program history to record over 2,000 all-purpose yards in a single season. DeAngelo Williams accomplished that mark three times (2003, 2004 and 2005) while Darrell Henderson set the school record with 2,328 all-purpose yards in 2018, Gainwell's redshirt season at Memphis.
Gainwell's 13 rushing touchdowns helped Memphis to 12-2 overall record, a third consecutive AAC West Division title, an AAC Championship and a Cotton Bowl berth. His 610 receiving yards ranked third on the roster and is second among Memphis returners for 2020, trailing only two-time 1,000-yard receiver Damonte Coxie's 1,276 yards.
Patterson was named to the Lou Groza Award Watch List earlier this week as he is the FBS active leader in scoring by a kicker with 351 points and his career 80.3 percent accuracy (49-for-61) in field goals is the best by any FBS kicker currently entering their fourth season.
He is one of four returning FBS kickers who scored at least 120 points last season and is one of 10 FBS kickers who made more than 20 field goals while connecting at least 80 percent of the time.
Against Penn State in the 84th Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, Patterson individually rewrote the record books. Patterson made a program and NCAA bowl record six field goals and converted on three PATs to score a school and Cotton Bowl record 21 points. His 51-yard field goal in the third quarter against the Nittany Lions was also a Cotton Bowl record.
Patterson's 21 points kicking in the Cotton Bowl broke his previous school record of 18, which he set during the Tigers' ranked victory against SMU earlier in the season. Against the Mustangs, Patterson scored 18 points with a perfect 4-for-4 effort in field goals and 6-for-6 performance in PATs.
After making three PATs in the Cotton Bowl, Patterson broke former Tiger Jake Elliott's school record of 202 made PATs. Patterson is 204-for-209 in career PATs entering the 2020 season.
He finished the 2019 campaign with 23 made field goals, tying the single-season program record set by Elliott in 2015 and Joe Allison in 1992.
Click here for the complete Athlon Sports Preseason All-America Team.
Memphis is set to take on Arkansas State at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium on Sept. 5 to kick-off the 2020 campaign.
Players Mentioned
WR
/ Football
PK
/ Football
RB
/ Football
PK
/ FootballFootball: Tim Cramsey Press Conference-October 28, 2025
Tuesday, October 28
Football: Jordon Hankins Press Conference-October 28, 2025
Tuesday, October 28
Football: Cortez Braham Jr. Press Conference-October 25, 2025
Saturday, October 25
Football: Sam Brumfield Press Conference-October 25, 2025
Saturday, October 25