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Football Places Two on Big 12 Preseason Team
July 13, 2016 10:24 AM | Football
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia University senior defensive lineman Noble Nwachukwu and senior center Tyler Orlosky have been named to the Big 12 Preseason All-Conference Team, today, as selected by media representatives who cover the league.
The honorees include nine seniors, 11 juniors and 11 sophomores with only one holdover from last year’s preseason squad in running back Samaje Perine (Oklahoma). Five players were chosen to the 2015 All-Big 12 First Team while 10 were on the second team.
Nwachukwu, the Big12 Conference’s returning sack leader in conference games only, finished with 47 tackles, including 37 solo stops and a team-leading 8.5 sacks and 13.5 tackles for loss. He was ranked No. 5 in sacks and No. 12 in tackles for loss and he was No. 2 in sacks and No. 3 in tackles for loss in conference games only
Orlosky has been named to the 2016 Rimington Trophy Fall Watch, signifying the top NCAA Division I center in the nation and the Outland Trophy Watch List for the top interior lineman.
He earned the distinction of being the top center in the nation, heading into the 2016 season, by USA Today and has landed on various All-American and All-Big 12 Conference teams by preseason publications.
Orlosky, an All-Big 12 Second Team member from Cleveland, Ohio, started all 13 games last season and saw action on more than 1,000 plays. He helped pave the way for the offense to average 479.7 yards per game of total offense, 34.0 points, 228.2 rushing yards and 251.5 passing yards. The offense ranked No. 17 nationally in rushing offense, No. 18 in first down offense and No. 23 in total offense.
He graded out 90 percent or better in all 13 games last season. The WVU rushing attack produced 200 or more yards in six games, 300 or more yards in three games and a season-high 426 yards at Kansas. In the last six games of 2015, the rushing offense averaged 251 yards per game and 499.3 yards of total offense.
Orlosky is one of only two returning all-conference offensive linemen from 2015 and is the only returning Big 12 lineman listed on the final ranking of the Schneider Scale (ranks the best 25 linemen in the nation and is used for the Outland Trophy).
Selections for the preseason individual awards are quarterback Baker Mayfield (Oklahoma) as Offensive Player of the Year, linebacker Malik Jefferson (Texas) as Defensive Player of the Year and quarterback Kenny Hill (TCU) as Newcomer of the Year.
The Big 12 media preseason poll will be released on Thursday, followed by the annual Big 12 Football Media Days to be conducted in Dallas on July 18-19. Both days will be televised live from 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. CT on FS2 and other FOX Sports affiliates. Exclusive, live coverage from the event will also be available on the Big 12’s digital platforms – Big12Sports.com, Twitter and Instagram (@Big12Conference). The official hashtag for the event will be #Big12FB.
2016 Preseason All-Big 12 Football Team
Offensive Player of the Year: Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma, QB, Jr., Austin, Texas
Defensive Player of the Year: Malik Jefferson, Texas, LB, So., Mesquite, Texas
Newcomer of the Year: Kenny Hill, TCU, QB, Jr., Southlake, Texas
Offense
Pos Name School Ht Wt Cl/Exp Hometown
QB Baker Mayfield1 Oklahoma 6-1 212 Jr./1L Austin, Texas
RB Mike Warren Iowa State 6-0 205 So./1L Lawton, Okla.
RB Samaje Perine^1 Oklahoma 5-11 237 Jr./2L Pflugerville, Texas
FB Winston Dimel1 Kansas State 6-1 235 So./1L Manhattan, Kan.
WR KD Cannon2 Baylor 6-0 180 Jr./2L Mount Pleasant, Texas
WR Allen Lazard Iowa State 6-5 223 Jr./2L Urbandale, Iowa
WR James Washington2 Oklahoma State 6-0 205 Jr./2L Stamford, Texas
TE Mark Andrews1 Oklahoma 6-5 244 So./1L Scottsdale, Ariz.
OL Kyle Fuller2 Baylor 6-5 310 Sr./3L Wylie, Texas
OL Orlando Brown Oklahoma 6-8 357 So./1L Duluth, Ga.
OL Patrick Vahe Texas 6-3 326 So./1L Nyack, N.Y.
OL Connor Williams Texas 6-6 288 So./1L Coppell, Texas
OL Tyler Orlosky2 West Virginia 6-4 295 Sr./3L Cleveland, Ohio
PK Clayton Hatfield Texas Tech 5-10 170 So./1L Boerne, Texas
KR/PR KaVontae Turpin TCU 5-9 153 So./1L Monroe, La.
Defense
Pos Name School Ht Wt Cl/Exp Hometown
DL Will Geary Kansas State 6-0 297 Jr./2L Topeka, Kan.
DL Jordan Willis Kansas State 6-5 250 Sr./3L Kansas City, Mo.’
DL Charles Walker2 Oklahoma 6-2 299 Jr./2L Garland, Texas
DL Vincent Taylor Oklahoma State 6-3 310 Jr./2L San Antonio, Texas
DL Josh Carraway1 TCU 6-4 250 Sr./3L Flower Mound, Texas
DL James McFarland TCU 6-3 250 Sr./3L West Monroe, La.
DL Noble Nwachukwu West Virginia 6-2 275 Sr./3L Wylie, Texas
LB Elijah Lee2 Kansas State 6-3 218 Jr./2L Blue Springs, Mo.
LB Jordan Evans2 Oklahoma 6-2 233 Sr./3L Norman, Okla.
LB Malik Jefferson Texas 6-3 238 So./1L Mesquite, Texas
DB Dante Barnett Kansas State 6-1 193 Sr./3L Tulsa, Okla.
DB Steven Parker Oklahoma 6-1 208 Jr./2L Tulsa, Okla.
DB Jordan Thomas2 Oklahoma 6-0 187 Jr./2L Klein, Texas
DB Jordan Sterns2 Oklahoma State 6-0 200 Sr./3L Cibolo, Texas
DB Davante Davis Texas 6-2 199 So./1L Miami, Fla.
P Austin Seibert2 Oklahoma 5-10 214 So./1L Belleville, Ill.
A tie in voting at DL created two additional spots.
^ 2015 Preseason Team
1 2015 All-Big 12 First Team selection
2 2015 All-Big 12 Second Team selection
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