Tag: preseason all-american

Anthony Hill named to On3’s preseason true freshman All-American team

Anthony Hill is a star in the making

Of all of the talented freshmen that Texas brought in from the 2023 class, only one of them was named a preseason true freshman All-American by On3.

Former five-star linebacker Anthony Hill, who they ranked as the No. 4 player in the country, is the sole Longhorn named to the team. When talking about what he brings to the table, On3’s Charles Power raved about his aggressiveness and physicality.

“Aggressive, physical, downhill linebacker with versatility to also be a situational pass rusher. I think that skill set, his level of development, coming from a top HS program … has him set up to really make an impact early on as a freshman for Texas.

Hill has reportedly been emerging as a young star during fall camp, and has even been moved to a couple different spots. He was an elite athlete at the high school level, racking up 303 tackles, 13 sacks, and nine forced fumbles.

Texas’ Xavier Worthy, Kelvin Banks named AP preseason All-Americans

The duo earned second-team honors.

On Monday, Texas wide receiver Xavier Worthy and left tackle Kelvin Banks earned preseason All-American honors from the Associated Press. Continue reading “Texas’ Xavier Worthy, Kelvin Banks named AP preseason All-Americans”

Texas WR Xavier Worthy earns preseason All-American honors

Xavier Worthy is approaching a pivotal year three at Texas. 

Star wide receiver Xavier Worthy is approaching a pivotal year three at Texas. Continue reading “Texas WR Xavier Worthy earns preseason All-American honors”

10 Oklahoma Sooners named to Softball America’s Preseason All-American teams

Led by five first-team selections, 10 Oklahoma Sooners were named to Softball America’s preseason All-American teams.

The Oklahoma Sooners begin their quest for a third-straight national championship at the Mark Campbell Invitational on Thursday, February 9, against Duke.

The unanimous preseason No. 1 team in the country, and back-to-back national champions, the Sooners, are expected to make another run despite the loss of Jocelyn Alo and Hope Trautwein. Patty Gasso has assembled another talented group to take on all comers in the 2023 season.

It won’t be easy, it never is, but the Oklahoma Sooners will be the team to beat for the 2023 national title. With the season under two weeks away, Softball America released their preseason All-American teams. 10 Sooners were selected, including five to the first team. UCLA was the only other team with multiple first-team selections with three and they had just five total selections to the three All-American squads.

Here’s a look at the Sooners’ selections.

The Athletic names Notre Dame’s Olivia Miles preseason All-American

What a preseason for Miles.

[autotag]Olivia Miles[/autotag] is having quite the season, and it hasn’t even started yet. The Notre Dame sophomore point guard already has been named to the Nancy Lieberman Award watch list and the preseason all-ACC team. Now, it’s The Athletic’s turn to honor Miles. The website has named her to its preseason All-American First Team.

Women’s basketball managing editor Shannon Ryan explained the decision to include Miles this way:

“Miles became the first men’s or women’s player in NCAA Tournament history to record a triple-double as a freshman, recording 12 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists against UMass in her tournament debut. A player with a hot hand in the NCAA Tournament is exactly what Irish fans are craving as they hope to make a deep run. Miles, a sophomore, has the court vision and scoring ability to take Notre Dame far. She and (Iowa’s Caitlin) Clark were the only players to average 13 points, five rebounds and seven assists last season.”

Here’s hoping Miles will be the centerpiece of an amazing Irish season.

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Wisconsin RB Braelon Allen named USA TODAY Sports preseason All-American

Wisconsin running back Braelon Allen named as a USA TODAY Sports preseason All-American:

On Wednesday morning, USA Today Sports released their preseason All-America teams ahead of the start of the 2022 college football season. Among those named, is Wisconsin sophomore running back, Braelon Allen, who earned second-team honors.

Related: Wisconsin QB Graham Mertz named to Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award Watch List

It is no surprise to see Allen make the cut after he exploded onto the scene for the Badgers after week 5 of last season. Despite not playing the entire season, the Fond Du Lac, Wis., native rattled off 1,268 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns while averaging 6.8 yards per attempt. He was also named as a second-team preseason AP All-American alongside outside linebacker Nick Herbig.

Although it was a bit surprising to see Herbig not make USA Today Sports preseason All-America teams, it is always outstanding to see Wisconsin Badgers getting national recognition.

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This stat backs up why Notre Dame’s Patterson is so highly thought of

Impressive

The Fighting Irish offensive line is going to be one of their strengths for this upcoming season the leader of the group being [autotag]Jarrett Patterson[/autotag]. The pre-season All-American has left no doubt in many minds that he is one of the best, if not the best, interior offensive lineman in the country.

As the season is set to begin this weekend for a few teams, the greatness of few players is being highlighted by Pro Football Focus and recently it was Patterson’s turn. As PFF pointed out, during his career in South Bend, Patterson has had 1,306 pass block snaps and has not allowed a single sack.

That is one impressive statistic, especially for an offensive lineman. It shows many that not only is the pre-season accolades warranted, that if Patterson continues this trend, some post-season hardware could be headed his way.

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Bijan Robinson and Xavier Worthy named preseason All-Americans

Bijan Robinson and Xavier Worthy are getting lots of preseason respect.

Texas superstars running back Bijan Robinson and wide receiver Xavier Worthy have established themselves as two of the best players in the country on the offensive side of the ball.

The duo returns for the 2022 season with expectations through the roof.

Walter Camp named Robinson (first-team) and Worthy (second-team) to its preseason All-American rosters.

Robinson totaled 1,127 rushing yards and 11 rushing touchdowns in the 10 games before injury in his 2021 campaign. A key element to his game is in the passing attack where he added 295 receiving yards and four scores.

The junior-to-be is a Heisman favorite and a potential first-round NFL draft pick.

Worthy broke out on the scene last season and quickly becomes Texas’ top pass catcher. He enjoyed a freshman All-American season where he hauled in 981 yards and 12 touchdowns. Worthy has the chance to improve on those numbers this season in what should be a more dynamic Texas offense.

Steve Sarkisian has two of the best weapons in college football at his disposal entering the 2022 season.

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Texas running back Bijan Robinson named AP preseason All-American

The national media are beginning to buy into the Bijan Robinson hype as well.

Before spring practice even begun, everybody knew who the best player on Texas’ roster was. It only took a few games for Bijan Robinson to show why he was rated the No. 1 running back in the country as a recruit.

Averaging 8.2 yards per carry, in general, is an insane stat. Doing it as a true freshman is astronomical.

Naturally, a lot of hype is going to carry over into Robinson’s sophomore season. With Steve Sarkisian taking over the offense, his workload is going to be closer than his 86 total carries from last year. Anywhere between 20 to 30 touches, the head coach said.

People from the national media are beginning to buy into the Robinson hype as well. On Monday, the running back was named a preseason All-American by the AP. He joined fellow conference member Breece Hall as the two running backs.

Others to note within the first team

Of course, Oklahoma was going to get their share within the first team. Spencer Rattler holds down the fort at quarterback, while Nick Bonitto gets in as a linebacker.

Iowa State got a lot of love as well on both sides of the ball. Already mentioning Hall, tight end Charlie Kolar beat out Texas A&M’s Jalen Wydermyer.

Linebacker Mike Rose is the singular Cyclone defensive player to be named to the first team.

Second team

West Virginia is the only other Big 12 school to feature in the preseason list. Defensive end Dante Stills was the only conference player to be named to the second team.

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Three Oklahoma Sooners named to Walter Camp preseason All-American team

Three Oklahoma Sooners named to the Walter Camp Football Foundation preseason All-American team.

With the college football season approaching in less than 82 days, the preseason award watch lists and All-American teams are being announced. The Walter Camp Football Foundation has released their first and second-team preseason All-American team with three Oklahoma Sooners being named. Top defensive star for Alex Grinch’s defense, Nik Bonitto is leading the charge as the lone first-team nominee.

First-Team Defense:

Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Nik Bonitto, Linebacker

The top defensive player for the 2021 squad is Nik Bonitto. Last season he led the team in sacks, quarterback pressures and quarterback hurries from his rush linebacker spot. He along with Isaiah Thomas should provide a lot of pressure on quarterbacks for the upcoming season. Bonitto has all the tools to get the job done and could be a top NFL prospect along with Perrion Winfrey on that side of the ball.

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Second-Team Offense:

Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Spencer Rattler, Quarterback

No bigger name on the Oklahoma football team than that of quarterback Spencer Rattler. Viewed as a top NFL draft prospect and Heisman Trophy front-runner. In 2020 he was much better following his benching against the Texas Longhorns in the Red River Rivalry game. The team soared all the way to another Big 12 Championship. With his growth and development under Lincoln Riley, Rattler could prove to be the best quarterback in all of college football when the dust settles in 2021.

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Marvin Mims, Wide Receiver

Marvin Mims broke out in 2020 as a freshman. The team needed him after CeeDee Lamb took his talents to the NFL with the Dallas Cowboys. Mims would finish out the year leading the team in receptions, yards, and touchdowns in his first season. Mims could be the security blanket for Rattler once again as he leads a talented group of wide receivers for the Sooners. Keep your eyes on No. 17 at all times.

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