Wilson a first-team all-American; Wilson, Waters first-team All-Big 12
One of the keys to a successful Texas Tech football season has been the Red Raiders’ propensity to wreak havoc in opponents’ backfields.
The Red Raiders have 82 tackles for loss, 20th on the FBS. More than any of the four college football playoff teams. More than Rose Bowl-tied Utah. More than Sugar Bowl-tied Alabama. More than Southern California tied to Cotton Bowl.
The tech players who caused the most trouble behind the line of scrimmage were defensive end Tyree Wilson and safety Marquis Waters, and now they have credit for their efforts. On the teams released Friday, Wilson was named First-Team All-American by the Football Writers Association of America, and Wilson and Waters became first-team honorees in The Associated Press’ All-Big 12 team.
The FWAA’s is one of five All-America teams recognized and used by the NCAA to determine players who are designated as unanimous or consensus All-Americans. The other four recognized teams are those of the Walter Camp Football Foundation, the American Football Coaches Association, The Associated Press and The Sporting News.
Before Wilson, the last Tech player to be named a First-Team All-American by any of the five recognized organizations was wide receiver Antoine Wesley in 2018 by the FWAA.
Wilson, a 6-foot-6, 270-pound senior from New London West Rusk, was credited with 61 tackles in 10 games before suffering a broken foot that ended his season. Wilson has seven sacks and still leads the Big 12 in tackles for loss with 14. Waters has 12 1/2 tackles for loss, the most among FBS defenders.
First-year Red Raiders defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter deployed Waters near the line of scrimmage, letting him come forward more often than take cover. The 6-1, 219-pound senior made 55 tackles, a sack and seven quarterback rushes.
Wilson and Waters were the only tech players to make up the AP All-Big 12 team, chosen by a voting panel of 18 sportswriters and sports commentators who regularly cover the conference.
TCU quarterback and Heisman Trophy finalist Max Duggan is unanimously The AP Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, as well as picking Sonny Dykes for Coach of the Year after his first season with the Horned Frogs.
Kansas State defensive end Felix Anudike-Uzomah was voted Defensive Player of the Year, and Oklahoma quarterback Dillon Gabriel, a transfer from central Florida, was Newcomer of the Year.
Nine TCU players — six on offense, three on defense — were first-team favorites after the Frogs became the first Big 12 team since Texas in 2009 to finish the regular season 12-0. They made the four-team playoffs with a Fiesta Bowl berth against Michigan even after losing to Kansas State in overtime in the conference championship game.
Duggan is one of the nation’s most efficient passers with 3,321 yards, 30 touchdowns and just four interceptions. He also has 404 yards rushing with six other TDs. He lost his starting job earlier in the season but returned to that role after injuring Chandler Morris in the opener and has now made 41 career starts.
The Big 12’s top rusher and pass catcher were both chosen unanimously while again being first team picks. Texas running back Bijan Robinson has rushed 131.7 yards per game with 18 TDs, and Iowa State receiver Xavier Hutchinson has 107 catches for 1,171 yards and six TDs.
Three offensive linemen were in the first team for the second straight year: Kansas State guards Cooper Beebe and TCU’s Steve Avila, and Baylor is fighting Connor Galvin.
On the defensive end, Anudike-Uzomah and tackles West Virginia’s Dante Stills and Baylor’s Siaki Ika repeated as first-team picks, as did TCU cornerback Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson. Anudike-Uzomah and Stills were selected unanimously.
Associated Press sportswriter Stephen Hawkins contributed to this report.
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
ALL BIG 12 SOCCER TEAM
The 2022 AP All-Big 12 team, selected by a panel of 18 sportswriters and sportscasters who regularly cover the league, with players listed alphabetically by name, school, height, weight, class and hometown. (“u-” means unanimous choice):
FIRST TEAM
offense
Wide receiver: u—Xavier Hutchinson, State of Iowa, 6-3, 210, Sr., Jacksonville, Florida; Quentin Johnston, TCU, 6-4, 215, Jr., Temple. Short end: Ja’Tavion Sanders, Texas, 6-4, 242, Sun., Denton Ryan.
tackles: Connor Galvin, Baylor, 6-7, 302, Sr., Katy; Anton Harrison, 6-5, 315, Jr., Washington, DC Guards: Steve Avila, TCU, 6-4, 330, Sr., South Grand Prairie; Cooper Beebe, State of Kansas, 6-4, 322, Jr., Kansas City, Kansas. Center: Alan Ali, TCU, 6-5, 300, Sr., Keller Timber Creek.
general purpose: Deuce Vaughn, Kansas, 5-6, 176, Round Rock Cedar Ridge.
foosball: Griffin Kell, TCU, 6-0, 193, Sr., Arlington.
defense
ends: u-Felix Anudike-Uzomah, Kansas State, 6-4, 255, Jr., Kansas City, Missouri; Tyree Wilson, Texas Tech, 6-6, 275, Sr., New London West Rusk. tackles: u—Dante Stills, West Virginia, 6-4, 290, Sr., Fairmont, West Virginia; Siaki Ika, Baylor, 6-4, 358, Jr., Salt Lake City, Utah.
Cornerbacks: Julius Brents, Kansas, 6-4, 202, Sr., Indianapolis; Cobee Bryant, Kansas, 6-0, 170, Sun., Evergreen, Alabama. Collateral: Aubrey Burks, West Virginia, 5-11, 201, So., Oakridge, Fla.; Al Walcott, Baylor, 6-2, 219, Sr., Wilmington, North Carolina.
gamblers: Ty Zentner, Kansas, 6-2, 200, Sr., Topeka, Kansas.
Coach of the Year: u- Sonny Dykes, TCU. Offensive Player of the Year: u-Max Duggan, QB, TCU. Defender of the Year: Felix Anudike-Uzomah, DE, State of Kansas. Newcomer of the Year: Dillon Gabriel, QB, Oklahoma.
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AP All-Big 12 Voting Panel: Ryan Aber, The Oklahoma; Eric Bailey, Tulsa World; Kirk Bohls, Austin-based American statesman; Chuck Carlton, Dallas Morning News; Arne Green, Salina Journal; Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram; Travis Hines, Register Des Moines; Eric Kelly, KWKT-TV, Waco; Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City star; Chuck Landon, Charleston Gazette-Mail; Randy Peterson, Register Des Moines; Kellis Robinett, Wichita Eagle; Carlos Silva, Jr., Lubbock Avalanche Journal; Matt Tait, Lawrence Journal World; Jacob Unruh, The Oklahoma; John Werner, Waco Tribune-Herald; Don Williams, Lubbock Avalanche Journal; Scott Wright, The Oklahoman.
Linemen: Steve Avila, Sr., TCU; Paris Johnson, Jr., Ohio State; John Michael Schmitz, Sr., Minnesota; Peter Skoronski, Jr., Northwest; Olusegun Oluwatimi, Sr., Michigan.
Linebacker: Will Anderson, Jr., Alabama; Jack Campbell, Sr., Iowa; Ivan Pace, Sr., Cincinnati.
The back: Emmanuel Forbes, Jr., State of Mississippi; Clark Phillips, So., Utah; Chris Smith, Sr., Georgia; Devon Witherspoon, Jr., Illinois.
specialists
foosball: Christopher Dunn, Sr., State of North Carolina. gamblers: Tory Taylor, Jr., Iowa. Kickoff Return: Lideatrick Griffin, Jr., State of Mississippi. Point return: Derius Davis, Sr., TCU. general purpose: Zach Charbonnet, Sr., UCLA.
SECOND TEAM
offense
Quarterbacks: Max Duggan, TCU. Running backs: Israel Abanikanda, Pittsburgh; Mohammed Ibrahim, Minnesota.
Wide receiver: Josh Downs, North Carolina; Rashee Rice, SMU. Tight end: Michael Mayer, Notre Dame.
Linemen: Joe Alt, Notre Dame; Nick Broeker, Mississippi; O’Cyrus Torrence, Florida; Andrew Vorhees, Southern California. Center: Alex Forsyth, Oregon.
defense
Linemen: Felix Anudike-Uzomah, State of Kansas; Tyler Davis, Clemson; Isaiah Foskey, Notre Dame; Mike Morris, Michigan.
Linebacker: Tommy Eichenberg, Ohio State; Jason Henderson, Old Dominion; Drew Sanders, Arkansas.
The back: Erick Hallett, Pittsburgh; Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson, TCU; Joey Porter, Pennsylvania; John Torchio, Wisconsin.
specialists
foosball: Joshua Karty, Stanford. gamblers: Bryce Baringer, Michigan State. Kickoff Return: Milan Tucker, Appalachia. Point return: Kool-Aid McKinstry, Alabama. general purpose: Chase Brown, Illinois.
