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Bridgewater, NJ — Central Connecticut football standout Chris Jean (Rochester, NY/Rochester) added another accolade to his count on Monday when he was named to the FCS Football Central All-America Third Team. The award comes one year after the sophomore defensive back was named a Freshman All-American by the organization.

Jean, who garnered All-New England Team accolades a week ago, walked away with an All-NEC First Team award for the second-straight season in 2025. One of the top pass defenders in the FCS, Jean averaged 1.31 passes defended per game this season, a mark that is currently ranked sixth in the nation. He broke up 13 passes this past season and recorded four interceptions.

Jean is second among active FCS players with 31 career passes defended and among all active NCAA players, he is 17th in the category.

A native of Rochester, NY, Jean finished his redshirt sophomore campaign with 69 tackles, fourth-most on the team. His 52 solo stops tied for the team league. The 2024 NEC Defensive Rookie of the Year also forced one fumble and recovered a fumble for the Blue Devils.

Jean has played 23 games in the past two seasons and come away with 104 tackles, 74 solo stops, 23 pass breakups and eight interceptions. He adds five career fumble recoveries and three forced fumbles. 

Jean and the Blue Devils have won at least a share of the NEC regular season crown in back-to-back years and for the second-straight year, they claimed the conference's AQ to the NCAA Division I FCS Playoffs. It marked the first time in program history that Central Connecticut earned postseason berths in consecutive seasons.  

The fourth annual FCS Football Central All-American Team featured 127 players representing 59 schools across all 13 conferences.

North Dakota State led all programs with eight selections, followed by Stephen F. Austin, Montana and Lehigh with six selections. Illinois State, Youngstown State, Montana State, Rhode Island and Yale each had five selections.