Texas A&M-Commerce’s Miklo Smalls and Dominique Ramsey were chosen as the Lone Star Conference Football Preseason Players of the Year for 2021 league officials announced Monday at media day.
 
      The Lions Smalls earned Offensive Player of the Year honors, while Ramsey received Defensive Player of the Year recognition. 
 
      The league’s preseason awards were selected by a vote of LSC head coaches and sports information directors, plus various media representatives from throughout the region.
 
      Smalls, a 6-2 redshirt junior quarterback from Plano, Texas, played in all 13 games in 2019 with 244 completions, 3,010 passing yards, and 23 touchdowns.  He also rushed a team-high 124 times for 488 yards and three touchdowns to garner second-team All-LSC acclaim.
 
      With 13 votes, Smalls was the top choice in front of six others who received votes.
 
      Ramsey, a 5-9, redshirt senior defensive back from Converse, Texas, earned three All-American honors and was named first-team All-LSC as a safety and return specialist in 2019.  He ranked first in the LSC and sixth in Division II in kickoff return average at 32.4 yards per return, and third in the LSC and 13th in the nation in punt return average at 12.6 yards per return. Ramsey also had 39 tackles, three interceptions, two pass breakups, and two tackles for loss on defense.  He was also named to the 2020-21 Academic All-America® Football Team.
 
      Ramsey received five votes for preseason acclaim over eight others that collected votes.