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Bridgewater, NJ — The start of the 2026 NEC football season might be 45 days away, but the preseason honors are already beginning to roll in for two of the conference’s returning all-stars. 
 
Central Connecticut redshirt junior defensive back Chris Jean (Rochester, NY/Rochester) and LIU redshirt senior defensive back Trey Watkins (Rahway, NJ/St. Joseph Regional (Lafayette)) were named Stats Perform FCS Preseason All-Americans, the organization announced on Monday. 

The preseason squad boasts 26 returning postseason All-Americans, including 10 from the first team. All 13 conferences and 53 schools are represented on the 101-player squad.
 
Coming off a redshirt sophomore campaign that saw him walk away with Stats Perform All-America Third Team laurels for the two-time NEC regular season champs, Jean was pegged to Stats Perform FCS Preseason All-America First Team while Watkins landed a spot on the Preseason All-America Third Team.
 
Jean’s second season in New Britain saw him earn a reputation as one of the most tenacious pass defenders in the FCS. The Rochester, NY native averaged 1.31 passes defended per game in 2025, a mark that ranked sixth in the nation, after he broke up a league-leading13 passes and recorded four interceptions. In addition, Jean, a two-time NEC Defensive Player of the Week recipient, contributed 69 tackles, fourth-most among all Blue Devils. 
 
The two-time All-NEC first teamer and 2024 NEC Defensive Rookie of the Year also added All-America distinction from the Associated Press (Honorable Mention) and FCS Football Central (Third Team) to his stacked résumé a year ago. At season’s end in 2025, Jean was tied for seventh among all active FCS defenders with 31 passes defended while among all underclassmen in the nation, he led the way in the category. 
 
Watkins picked off five passes in 2025 to league all NEC defenders and land a spot on the All-NEC First Team in his debut campaign in the conference. He was one of just 16 FCS players to register five-or-more interceptions last season and with 0.42 picks per contest, he closed out the year tied for fourth in the nation in the category. In addition, he tallied 51.0 tackles (36 solo), 1.0 tackle-for-loss, two pass breakups and a forced fumble.
 
Watkins, a product of the Garden State, garnered NEC Defensive Player of the Week distinction on two occasions.