KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Colorado State University Pueblo redshirt junior defensive backs
Daniel Bone (Colorado Springs, Colo./Pine Creek) and
Eli Pittman (Peoria, Ariz./Liberty) each garnered preseason recognition on Friday afternoon as both of them were named to the D2Football.com Elite 100 Watch List for the 2023 season.
Bone was named a First-Team Elite 100 Watch List selection, while Pittman was named a Second-Team Elite 100 Watch List selection. The Elite 100 Watch List was chosen by the D2Football.com staff with input from James Buchanan.
Bone, who was named a Preseason Division II First-Team All-American by
Lindy's Sports 2003 National College Football Magazine, earns his First-Team D2Football.com Elite 100 Watch List accolade after totaling 68 tackles, including 39 solo stops in 12 games last season for the Pack. He also picked off six passes, forced one fumble, had one fumble recovery and tallied thee tackles for a loss of 12 yards. He had three games in 2022 with eight or more tackles and picked off two passes against South Dakota School of Mines en route to earning First-Team All-America honors from the D2CC, Honorable Mention All-America
honors from
Don Hansen's Football Gazette and First-Team All-Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference honors.
Pittman, who was a First-Team All-RMAC selection and a First-Team NFF Colorado Chapter All-Colorado Team selection, earns his Second-Team D2Football.com Elite 100 Watch List accolade after recording 46 tackles, including 28 solo stops and also tallying a team-best eight pass break-ups, two interceptions and a tackle for a loss. He had five or more tackles in a game five times, including a career-high six tackles at Colorado Mesa and returned one of his interceptions 45 yards for a touchdown in the season opener at Midwestern State.
Bone and Pittman were two of nine players named to the D2Football.com Elite 100 Watch List as joining the Pack duo were Colorado Mines senior quarterback John Matocha (First Team), Colorado Mines senior receiver Max McLeod (First Team), Colorado Mines senior offensive lineman Levi Johnson (First Team), Chadron State junior defensive lineman Hunter O'Connor (First Team), South Dakota Mines junior quarterback Jayden Jorgensen (Squad), South Dakota Mines graduate student offensive lineman Grant Smith (Squad) and Colorado Mines senior defensive lineman Zach Hester.
The Pack, who will conduct its final scrimmage of preseason fall camp on Saturday, Aug. 19 at 2 p.m. in the CSU Pueblo ThunderBowl, will kick off its 2023 slate at home on Saturday, Sept. 2 as they host Midwestern State for a 6 p.m. contest. Last season, the Pack opened the 2022 campaign with a 59-27 win in Wichita Falls, Texas, over Midwestern State.
