WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ- The leading rusher in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), Monmouth's Jaden Shirden has been named Second Team All-America by the Associated Press, the organization announced on Tuesday.
 
Shirden is the eighth Monmouth player in the last 30 years to earn AP All-American honors, and the third running back behind David Sinisi (3^rd team '08) and Pete Guerriero (1^st team '19). He was named as a First Team All-American from Hero Sports last week.
 
Monmouth's dynamic sophomore led the entire country in rushing at the end of the regular season, including FBS running backs, with 1,722 yards. His 8.4 yards per carry and 156.5 rushing yards per game were both tops in the FCS, earning him Colonial Athletic Association Offensive Player of the Year honors. Shirden averaged an impressive 52.8 yards on 13 touchdown runs, including eight 50+ yard touchdown runs. The two-time CAA Offensive Player of the Week ranked third in the conference with his 13 rushing scores.
 
Earlier in the year he set the Monmouth record for rushing yards in a game when he had 299 yards on just 12 carries against Fordham, including touchdown runs of 95 and 80 yards. Shirden had four 200-yard games on the season and nine 100+ yard performances. His 8.4 yards per carry was a new Monmouth single-season record while his 1,722 rushing yards was second most in the school annals.
 
The Connecticut native was one of three players invited to the January 7, 2023 announcement of the 2022 Walter Payton Award winner, bestowed upon the nation's top FCS offensive player.