COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – The Saint John's University football team was ranked in NCAA Division III's top 15 by a pair of preseason college football magazines, Street & Smith's and Lindy's, on sale at newsstands now.

The Johnnies were ranked No. 6 by Street & Smith's and No. 14 by Lindy's.

In addition, junior wide receiver Ravi Alston (Lake Elsinore, Calif./Vista Murrieta) was named to Lindy's preseason All-America first team, the MIAC's lone honoree in either of the two publications. 

Street & Smith's noted this about SJU:

"Wide receiver Ravi Alston lit up defenses for Saint John's (12-2) last year, but that was with 2018 Gagliardi Trophy winner Jackson Erdmann at quarterback. Alston, T.J. Hodge and Matt Mohr are junior wideouts now, and the leading candidate to throw to them is holdover Chris Backes, though he might get a challenge from FBS transfer Graydon Kulick. Of the top five tacklers, only linebacker Danny Pietruszewski returns."

This is what Lindy's said about Saint John's:

"Wide receiver Ravi Alston and center Nick Neumann return, but there are holes to fill on the offensive line."

Lindy's also showcased this year's Johnnie-Tommie showdown as one of the five national games to watch: "Potentially the final meeting between these two MIAC powerhouses will be played at U.S. Bank Stadium."

St. Thomas was ranked as high as No. 10 by Lindy's (No. 23 by Street & Smith's), while Bethel was listed at No. 15 by Street & Smith's. Elsewhere within the state, Martin Luther was ranked No. 18 by Lindy's.

Alston was named to the Associated Press (AP) Division III All-America second team, one of seven Johnnie All-Americans last fall, after he finished with 88 receptions for 1,444 yards and 13 touchdowns. The 1,444 receiving yards were third-most in Division III in 2019 and fell 40 yards shy of the program's single-season record of 1,484 (Blake Elliott '03 in 2002).  Alston caught 36 passes for 554 yards and five touchdowns in SJU's four postseason games.

SJU (12-2, 7-1 MIAC) won a share of its MIAC-record 34th conference title and made its sixth consecutive postseason appearance (30th overall, 26th in Division III), advancing to the national semifinals, last fall. 

The Johnnies open the 2020 season against Aurora (Ill.), a rematch of last year's 51-47 shootout win in the first round of the NCAA playoffs, at 1 p.m. Sept. 5 in Clemens Stadium.