DES MOINES, Iowa--Drake defensive end Brandon Coleman has earned preseason recognition from the College Football Performance Awards as one of the top defensive linemen to watch in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) in 2012.

The senior from Cary, Ill. (Cary-Grove) is coming off a stellar junior season in which he earned second-team All-Pioneer Football League honors and second-team Academic All-PFL. In his first year as a starter, Coleman recorded a team-high 12.0 sacks (-76) and led all Bulldogs defensive linemen with 51 tackles (31 solo).

Coleman ranked fourth in the PFL and 10th in the nation (FCS) in sacks, and added 16.5 tackles for loss. He earned PFL Defensive Player of the Week for Drake's win at Butler, Sept. 24, 2011, with 1.5 sacks and 2.5 tackles for loss.

The College Football Performance Awards strive to provide the most scientifically rigorous assessments in college football, according to information on their official website. Recipients are selected exclusively based upon objective scientific rankings of the extent to which individual players increase the effectiveness of their teams.