Griz linebacker Dante Olson named to 8th All-America list

Montana linebacker Dante Olson has been named to the Athlon Sports All-America Team, his eighth All-America honor since finishing the 2018 regular season with a national best and school record 151 tackles.

The Buck Buchanan Award finalist was one of just five players from the Big Sky Conference to make the one-team list.

Olson was flown to Frisco, Texas, last week for the STATS FCS Awards Banquet where he took third in the voting for the Buchanan Award. He was named the FCS Defensive Player of the Year by Phil Steele Magazine.

He will enter the 2019 season as the most decorated junior in program history.

Olson's 2018 Awards and Accolades

• Finalist for the STATS FCS Buck Buchanan Award
• Phil Steele 2018 FCS Defensive Player of the Year
• Phil Steele Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year
• Phil Steele First-Team All-American
• Athlon Sports All-American
• AFCA First-Team All-American
• STATS FCS First-Team All-American
• Walter Camp Foundation All-American
• Associated Press First-Team All-American
• American Football Coaches Association First-Team All-American
• HERO Sports First-Team All-American
• First-Team All-Big Sky
• Steve Carlson Team MVP
• Grizzly Defensive MVP
• 2018 GoGriz.com Person of the Year
• 3x ROOT Sports Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week
• STATS FCS National Defensive Player of the Week (9/8)
• Fall 2018 University of Montana President's List (4.0 GPA)
• FCS Athletic Directors Association (FCS ADA) Academic All-Star

Athlon Sports' 2018 Postseason FCS All-America Team

Offense

Defense

Specialists

MORE ON OLSON

2018: Finalist for the STATS FCS Buck Buchanan Award ... Athlon Sports All-American ... Phil Steele 2018 FCS Defensive Player of the Year ... Phil Steele Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year ... Phil Steele First-Team All-American ... AFCA First-Team All-American ... STATS FCS First-Team All-American ... Walter Camp Foundation All-American ... Associated Press First-Team All-American … American Football Coaches Association First-Team All-American ... HERO Sports First-Team All-American ... Led Division I football in total tackles (FBS and FCS) in the regular season with 151 ... Broke Kendrick Van Ackeren's school record for single-season tackles (130) … Selected as First-Team All-Big Sky Conference by the league's coaches ... Awarded Montana Football's Steve Carlson MVP Award … Awarded Montana Football's Defensive MVP Award ... 2018 GoGriz.com Person of the Year ... FCS ADA Academic All-Star ... 2018 University of Montana President's List (4.0 GPA) ... Named ROOT Sports Big Sky Defensive Player of the week on 9/3 ... Named College Sports Madness Big Sky Defensive Player of the week on 9/3 ... Repeated as ROOT Sports Big Sky Player of the Week on 9/8 ... Was named STATS FCS National Defensive Player of the Week on 9/8 as well .... Repeated as College Sports Madness Big Sky Player of the Week on 9/8 ... Named ROOT Sports Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week for a third time on 10/1 after posting 24 tackles against Cal Poly ... Against UNI (9/1), Olson led the Grizzly defense with 13 total tackles ... Also recorded an interception which he returned 26 yards, a sack for a loss of 9 yards, one PBU and one QB hurry ... Was named the ROOT Sports Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week after the UNI game ...  Against Drake (9/8), Olson recorded 16 tackles, 2 sacks (career high), 3.5 TFL's (career high), one forced fumble and one PBU ... Olson recorded 11 tackles, 1.5 TFLs, half a sack, one QB hit, and an interception that he returned 25 yards in a well-rounded performance vs. Western Illinois (9/15) ... Against Sacramento State (9/22) recorded 15 tackles, 1 sack, 1 PBU, and a QB hit ... Against Cal Poly (9/29) Olson earned Big Sky Conference Defensive Player of the Week honors for the 3rd time in 5 weeks putting up 24 total tackles (career high and 2nd best single-game tackling performance in UM history) ... Against Portland State (10/6) put up 19 tackles, half a sack, 2 TFL's and 2 forced fumbles ... Olson put up 8 tackles and one half of a TFL in a matchup against North Dakota (10/13) ... Olson added to his impressive season totals with a 13 tackle and one sack performance vs. #6 UC Davis (10/27) ... Leading his team in tackling, Olson contributed to his team's road victory over Idaho (11/10) with 10 tackles and a QB hit on the day ... Olson completed his break-out season with an 18 tackle performance against rival Montana State (11/17)

2017: Second Team All-Big Sky on Special Teams… Academic All-Big Sky … Hauck Family Special Teams Player of the Year … Recorded 38 tackles, 16 of them solo … Had 2 TFLs and one sack against Idaho State for a loss of seven yards … Blocked a kick against Northern Colorado … Logged QB hurries against Savannah State and Eastern Washington … Played in all 11 games for UM … Once again awarded the William (Robi) Robertson Memorial Athletic Scholarship at the annual Lindsay Awards Banquet

2016: Academic All-Big Sky... Hauck Family Special Teams Player of the Year … Olson played in 11 games as a redshirt freshman at linebacker … Recorded 29 tackles, seven of them solo … Had two tackles for loss for six yards, also recorded a sack … Had back to back games with seven tackles against Miss. Valley State and Sacramento State … Recorded both tackles for loss and also his only sack in the Miss. Valley State game... Awarded the William (Robi) Robertson Memorial Athletic Scholarship at the annual Lindsay Awards Banquet.

2015: Defensive Scout Team Player of the Year … Was a redshirt freshman

HIGH SCHOOL: Olson was a four-year letterman in football at Cascade Christian HS, where his team won four conference championships (10-3 in 2011; 13-1 in 2012; 12-2 in 2013, and 8-3 in 2014) in a row... Three-year team captain and defensive player of the year.... Also led his team in tackles for three seasons...Voted defensive MVP of his conference and the state two times... His senior year he had 135 tackles, 5 sacks, and 4 forced fumbles; rushed for 583 yards and 8 TDs... named to the state's All-Star Football Game... A three-time all-state selection at linebacker and tight end (as a senior) ... His prep coach was Jon Gettman.... Also lettered in basketball and tennis.

PERSONAL: Olson carries a 3.87 GPA .... A Management major … His parents are Linda and Jeff Olson of Medford … His dad Jeff was the former head football coach at Southern Oregon University … Serves as a pen-pal mentor to a class of underprivileged kids in Northern California