Dec. 7, 2011
NORFOLK, Va. -- Senior defensive tackle Ronnie Cameron (Westbury, N.Y.), the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Defensive Player of the Year, was named All-America by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) on Wednesday.
Cameron, who joined the Monarchs after Hofstra disbanded its program, was the mainstay of the ODU defense for the last two years helping his team to an 18-6 mark in his two seasons since joining the squad. This season Cameron, who was one of 11 Monarchs to earn All-CAA honors, guided the team to a 10-3 overall record, a second-place 6-2 mark in the CAA after being picked to finish 10th in the preseason polls, a second round playoff berth, and not only ODU's first appearance in the national polls, but a top-10 ranking.
Cameron was second on the Monarch squad with 73 tackles (28 solo, 45 assisted) along with a team-leading 17 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks. He averaged 5.6 tackles per game, which was fourth among defensive lineman in the CAA and finished second in the league in tackles for loss averaging 1.31 per contest. He captured a career-high 11 tackles along with a season-high 3.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks against CAA Champion Towson and also made 10 stops with three for loss against James Madison in ODU's first top-10 victory. His performance on the defensive line helped the Monarchs rank second in the league at the close of the regular season in rushing defense allowing 122.55 yards per contest.
Cameron becomes the third Monarch to earn All-America status joining current punter Jonathan Plisco and former long snapper Dustin Phillips.