Going into the 2020 season, there was one player who was a home run on Texas’ defense, Joseph Ossai. The junior broke out during the 2019 Alamo Bowl game against Utah when he moved from outside linebacker to Jack. Throughout the year, he was consistently the best player for the Longhorns.
Ossai was named to the Football Writers Association of America All-America First Team. He finished with 15.5 tackles for a loss, 5.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery before opting out of Texas’ bowl game to prepare for the NFL Draft.
JaQuan Bailey of Iowa State was the only other Big 12 player to make the first team. He and Ossai were two of the best pass rushers within the conference this season, combining for 28.5 tackles for a loss and 12.5 sacks.
Here is the full first-team defense:
| DL | JaQuan Bailey, Iowa State | 6-2 | 261 | Sr | Jacksonville, Fla. |
| DL | Tarron Jackson, Coastal Carolina | 6-2 | 260 | Sr | Aiken, S.C. |
| DL | Daviyon Nixon, Iowa | 6-3 | 305 | Jr | Kenosha, Wis. |
| DL | Rashad Weaver, Pitt | 6-5 | 270 | Sr | Fort Lauderdale, Fla. |
| LB | Zaven Collins, Tulsa | 6-4 | 260 | Jr | Hominy, Okla. |
| LB | Joseph Ossai, Texas | 6-4 | 253 | Jr | Conroe, Texas |
| LB | Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Notre Dame | 6-1 | 215 | Sr | Hampton, Va. |
| DB | Ahmad Gardner, Cincinnati | 6-2 | 188 | So | Detroit, Mich. |
| DB | Kyle Hamilton, Notre Dame | 6-4 | 219 | So | Atlanta, Ga. |
| DB | Tiawan Mullen, Indiana | 5-10 | 176 | So | Fort Lauderdale, Fla. |
| DB | Patrick Surtain II, Alabama | 6-2 | 202 | Jr | Plantation, Fla. |
Along with the Football Writers Association of America, Ossai was named to the AP’s first-team All-American team. Even when the Texas defense was struggling early in the year, the future first-round draft pick was able to excel against team’s best pass blockers.
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