Biography
2014 (Senior)
Started all 12 games for the second year in a row … became just the second NSU defensive player in the Division I era (since 1997) to earn first-team All-MEAC honors and some form of FCS All-America recognition in three straight years (DB Terrell Whitehead was the other, from 2007-09) … voted to the All-MEAC first team at linebacker … named to The Sports Network and Associated Press FCS All-America second team … a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award as the top FCS defensive player for the second straight season … finished the season with 91 tackles (11th in MEAC), 11.5 tackles for loss (17th in MEAC) and 5.0 sacks (tied for 17th in MEAC) … also registered nine quarterback hurries, four pass breakups, two forced fumbles, two blocked kicks and one fumble recovery on the year … helped NSU finish the season ranked No. 2 in the nation in the FCS in total defense and seventh in scoring defense … NSU’s first-ever Senior Bowl invitee … also invited to the 2015 NFL Combine, the first Spartan to be invited to the combine since 2009 … also was invited to participate in the East-West Shrine Game, FCS Senior Scout Bowl and NFLPA Bowl … opened the season with eight tackles, four tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, two pass breakups and a fumble recovery at defending CAA champion Maine … was named the College Football Performance Awards (CFPA) FCS National Defensive Performer and Linebacker of the Week as well as the HBCU Defensive Player of the Week by both Boxtorow and the Batchelor Pad after the Maine game … at Maine, his four tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, two PBU and two forced fumbles all tied single-game career highs … had five tackles and half a sack against Liberty … made seven stops with half a sack, a quarterback hurry and a blocked punt at William & Mary … was in on eight tackles (five solo) with one sack and a quarterback hurry at FBS Buffalo … also had eight tackles in each of his next two games, against Morgan State and Savannah State … made a season-high 12 tackles, including half a sack, and blocked a field goal against Delaware State … had two QB hurries in consecutive games at Hampton (two tackles) and Florida A&M (seven tackles) … recorded 11 tackles, 1.5 for loss, against nationally-ranked Bethune-Cookman … made nine tackles, half for loss, vs. N.C. Central … capped the year with six tackles and a sack at South Carolina State.
2013 (Junior)
Started all 12 games … had one of the more celebrated seasons for a Spartan defender in the Division I era … named a first-team All-American by The Sports Network and the College Sports Journal … was a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award as the top defender at the FCS level … finished eighth in the Buchanan voting … also selected the National FCS Defensive Performer of the Year by the College Football Performance Awards, NSU’s first-ever honoree by that organization … other All-America awards include third team by The Associated Press, honorable mention FCS by Beyond Sports Network and a Black College All-American by Sheridan Broadcast Network … first-team All-MEAC for the second year in a row … also a first-team all-state (FCS and FBS) pick by both the Virginia Sports Information Directors (VaSID) and the Roanoke Times … won the NSU Male Athlete of the Year and the football team’s Defensive MVP … a two-time MEAC Defensive Player of the Week … also earned FCS national honors for two separate performances … tied for the national lead with five forced fumbles during the season … second on the squad with 94 total tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks … ranked fifth in the MEAC and tied for 30th nationally in sacks … also ranked 16th in the conference in tackles, tied for eighth in tackles for loss and tied for ninth in passes defended … made two interceptions on the year (both at Morgan State) and deflected eight passes for a total of 10 passes defended (second-most on team) … also credited with a team-high 10 QB hurries and caught a team-high three TD passes while lining up at receiver in goal-line situations … led the team with four total touchdowns, three receiving plus one on a fumble recovery … also blocked a pair of field goals ... opened the year with five tackles, half a tackle for loss, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery vs. Maine … made seven tackles with half a sack at Rutgers … reached double digits in tackles, with 10, to go with one sack, two QB hurries and two pass breakups against Charleston Southern … that was the first of four double-digit tackle performances by Trail on the year … had six tackles, one tackle for loss, and the two interceptions in the win at Morgan State … one interception came in MSU territory and led to an NSU field goal, while the other came inside the NSU 10 on a “Hail Mary” play in the closing seconds … also caught a 4-yard TD pass in the win at MSU … earned MEAC Defensive Player of the Week and Boxtorow National HBCU Player of the Week honors following the MSU game … enjoyed another all-around stellar game in the win over Savannah State the next week … made 10 tackles, 1.5 for loss, and registered a sack against SSU … in addition, caught a 3-yard touchdown pass, deflected two passes and blocked the potential game-winning field goal by SSU in the closing seconds … named one of five FCS National All-Stars by the College Sporting News following the SSU game … made four tackles with one sack, one pass deflection and two QB hurries at Delaware State … had eight tackles, one for loss, against Hampton … posted another eight-tackle performance, including a sack and one pass breakup, the following week against Old Dominion … scored a defensive TD the following week against Florida A&M, forcing a fumble on a sack and recovering it in the end zone … led NSU’s upset of first-place Bethune-Cookman the following week with perhaps his signature performance of the year … made eight total tackles, 2.5 for loss, with 1.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, a pass breakup and another TD reception … caught a 2-yard TD pass early in the second quarter … on the game’s ensuing possession, Trail forced a fumble by the B-CU quarterback which NSU teammate Natturner Harris returned for a defensive TD … also forced another fumble on a sack later in the game … named the MEAC Defensive Player of the Week and the FCS Co-National Defensive Player of the Week by The Sports Network … posted 11 tackles, a sack and blocked a field goal the next week at N.C. Central … capped the year with a career-high 13 tackles against playoff-bound S.C. State … had a sack and a forced fumble in that one to go with two more quarterback hurries.
2012 (Sophomore)
Played in all 11 games and started three times in his rookie season at NSU … started the Bethune-Cookman, N.C. A&T and Savannah State games at outside linebacker … also saw time at defensive end in certain situations and served as a gunner on NSU’s punt coverage team … named to the All-MEAC first team … selected the Virginia Sports Information Directors (VaSID) State Rookie of the Year among university division teams (FBS or FCS programs) … named to the all-state second team … selected to the Beyond Sports Network (FCS) FCS All-America honorable mention list and named a black college All-American by the College Sporting News … led the Spartans in total tackles (70, good for 20th in the MEAC) and 17 tackles for loss (second in the MEAC) … tied with Terrence Pugh for the team-lead in sacks, with 6.0 (tied for third in the MEAC) … tied for eighth nationally in TFL and 58th ationally in sacks … also credited with a team-high eight QB hurries, deflected four passes, recovered two fumbles and forced another … opened the season with six tackles, three tackles for loss, one sack and two QB hurries against Virginia State … notched six tackles and one sack while also forcing a fumble at Liberty … the fumble he caused was recovered and returned by teammate Marcell Coke for a 41-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter … made four stops and one sack and recorded two QB hurries against Howard … made seven tackles at Ohio and six at S.C. State … tallied 2.5 tackles for loss, one sack and a fumble recovery against Delaware State … broke up one pass and had 1.5 tackles for loss at Hampton … made his first career start the next week at Bethune-Cookman, where he amassed a season-high 12 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and a sack … followed that up with 11 tackles and a season-best 4.0 tackles for loss at N.C. A&T … broke up two passes, had two quarterback pressures and made five tackles in the win over Savannah State … closed the season with four tackles, one sack, one fumble recovery and one pass breakup in the victory over Morgan State.
At Florida
Redshirted 2010 and did not see any game action in 2011 for UF … enrolled at NSU in the spring of 2011 with three years remaining.
High School
A four-star recruit according to Rivals.com and Scout.com … rated the No. 7 defensive end in the nation by Rivals.com and No. 15 by Scout.com … rated the No. 123 overall high school recruit in the nation by Rivals … notched 95 tackles, a league-high 22 sacks, a school-record 15 pass deflections and two interceptions as a senior … first-team All-Dade County, all-league and all-state selection … second-team Florida Sportswriters Association 4A all-state selection as a junior, when he posted 77 tackles and 14 sacks … also ran track at Booker T. Washington … chose Florida offers from LSU, Florida State, Purdue, Georgia, Miami, Michigan, Tennessee and USC, among others.
Personal
Lynden Antonio Trail was born on March 19, 1991 … son of Dorothea Williams … majoring in mass communication.
Trail’s Career Highs
Tackles: 13 (vs. S.C. State, 11-23-13)
TFL: 4.0 (2x, last vs. Maine, 8-30-14)
Sacks: 1.5 (2x, last vs. Maine, 8-30-14)
FF: 2 (2x, last vs. Maine, 8-30-14)
FR: 1 (5x, last vs. Maine, 8-30-14)
PD: 2 (4x, last vs. Maine, 8-30-14)
