Hope College's Justin Fairfield is drawing national recognition prior to the 2017 football season.

The senior offensive lineman from North Muskegon, Michigan (North Muskegon HS) has been named a NCAA Division III Preseason First Team All-American by two publications: D3football.com and College Football America.

Fairfield is one of two first-team guards by D3Football and five first-team offensive linemen by College Football America in its 2017 Yearbook.

"I see it as a huge honor. I definitely didn't expect to get this," Fairfield said. "The team I'm a part of is a large part of why I got put in this position. I'm very grateful for the teammates I have and the coaches I have around me. I think his team is going to do great things. There's still a lot of work to be done."

Fairfield is one of three returning starters on an offensive line that helped the Flying Dutchmen rush for a school-record 2,738 yards last season.

Hope also featured two 1,000-yard rushers for the first team in team history in 2016 — Brandan Campbell and Mike Miklusicak — en route to its biggest single-season turnaround with a 7-3 overall record.

Fairfield was an honorable mention All-America offensive guard as a junior.

In 2016, Fairfield was one of the Flying Dutchmen's record four D3football North Region honorees and six first-team All-Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association selections.

Hope kicks off the 2017 season on Saturday, Sept. 2 at Monmouth, Illinois.

D3Football release

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