3 KU football players named to AP’s All-Big 12 first team

By Staff     Dec 7, 2018

West Virginia quarterback Will Grier (7) is tackled by Kansas linebacker Joe Dineen Jr. (29) during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Kansas in Morgantown, W. Va., Saturday Oct. 6, 2018. (AP Photo/Craig Hudson)

Three Kansas football players were named first-team All-Big 12 by the Associated Press on Friday, including star running back Pooka Williams, who also was unveiled as the conferee’s newcomer of the year mere hours after news of his Thursday arrest broke.

As expected, redshirt seniors Daniel Wise and Joe Dineen were selected for the AP’s first team, too. Williams made the first team at the all-purpose position.

The ballots from 20 voters were submitted before Williams’ arrest on suspicion of domestic battery.

KU coach Les Miles announced Williams, who was also named to the AP’s all-league second team as a running back, was suspended from team activities pending further investigation.

Wise, a defensive tackle from Lewisville, Texas, led the KU defense with 12.5 tackles for loss and five sacks, and finished with 34 total tackles and five quarterback hurries.

Dineen, a linebacker from Lawrence, led both the Big 12 and FBS in solo tackles (108) for the second year in a row and made a career-high 147 total tackles, the sixth-best mark in program history.

A sophomore punter, Kyle Thompson also made the All-Big 12 second team. The second-year specialist from El Cajon, Calif.,averaged 43.3 yards per punt, sent 17 of his attempts 50 yards or longer and placed 26 inside the opponent’s 20-yard line

Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray was the unanimous pick for Big 12 offensive player of the year, the fourth consecutive season a player from the conference champion Sooners has won the honor.

Murray, a Heisman Trophy finalist who this week was also named the AP’s national player of the year, was one of a league-high six first-team picks from Oklahoma.

West Virginia junior linebacker David Long Jr. was selected as the league’s top defensive player. Long has 97 tackles, including 18 1/2 tackles for loss and eight sacks in his 11 games so far.

Long got 12 first-place votes for the defensive player honor, with KU linebacker Dineen and Texas defensive end Charles Omenihu each receiving three.

Oklahoma’s Lincoln Riley was named Big 12 coach of the year in a split vote. Riley received nine of the 20 votes for coach of the year, while Iowa State’s Matt Campbell got seven and Baylor’s Matt Rhule got the final four.

2018 AP Big 12 Honors

Coach of the year — Lincoln Riley, Oklahoma.

Offensive player of the year — u-Kyler Murray, QB, Oklahoma.

Defensive player of the year — David Long Jr., LB, West Virginia

Newcomer of the year — Pooka Williams Jr., RB/KR, Kansas.

First Team

Offense

QB – Kyler Murray, Oklahoma, 5-10, 195, Jr., Allen, Texas.

RB – Alex Barnes, Kansas State, 6-1, 225, Jr., Pittsburg, Kansas.

RB – David Montgomery, Iowa State, 5-11, 216, Jr., Cincinnati.

T – Yodny Cajuste, West Virginia, 6-5, 323 Sr., Miami.

T – Dalton Risner, Kansas State, 6-5, 308, Sr., Wiggins, Colorado.

G – Ben Powers, Oklahoma, 6-4, 313, Sr., Wichita, Kansas.

G – Dru Samia, Oklahoma, 6-5, 303, Sr., Sacramento, California.

C – Zach Shackelford, Texas, 6-4, 295, Jr., Belton, Texas.

TE – Grant Calcaterra, Oklahoma, 6-4, 221, So., Rancho Santa Margarita, California.

WR – Marquise Brown, Oklahoma, 5-10, 168, Jr., Hollywood, Florida.

WR – Tylan Wallace, Oklahoma State, 6-0, 185, So., Fort Worth, Texas.

WR – Antoine Wesley, Texas Tech, 6-5, 200, Jr., Las Vegas.

All-purpose – Pooka Williams, Jr., Kansas, 5-10, 170, Fr., New Orleans.

K – Austin Seibert, Oklahoma, 5-9, 214, Belleville, Illinois.

Defense

DE – Ben Banogu, TCU, 6-4, 249, Sr., McKinney, Texas.

DE – Charles Omenihu, Texas, 6-6, 275, Sr., Rowlett, Texas.

DT – James Lynch, Baylor, 6-4, 285, So., Round Rock, Texas.

DT – Daniel Wise, Kansas, 6-3, 290, Sr., Lewisville, Texas.

LB – Dakota Allen, Texas Tech, 6-1, 235, Sr., Humble, Texas.

LB – Joe Dineen Jr., Kansas, 6-2, 235, Sr., Lawrence, Kansas.

LB – David Long Jr., West Virginia, 5-11, 223, Jr., Cincinnati.

CB – Kris Boyd, Texas, 6-0, 195, Sr. Gilmer, Texas.

CB – Adrian Frye, Texas Tech, 6-0, 190, Fr., Houston.

S – Kenny Robinson Jr., West Virginia, 6-2, 198, So., Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania.

S – Caden Sterns, Texas, 6-0, 205, Fr., Cibolo, Texas.

P – Drew Galitz, Baylor, 6-0, 221, Sr., Rowlett, Texas.

Second Team

Offense

QB – Will Grier, West Virginia, 6-2, 223, Sr., Charlotte, North Carolina.

RB – Justice Hill, Oklahoma State, 5-10, 190, Jr., Tulsa, Oklahoma.

RB – Pooka Williams Jr., Kansas, 5-10, 170, Fr., Marrero, Louisiana.

T – Bobby Evans, Oklahoma, 6-5, 301, Jr., Allen, Texas.

T – Cody Ford, Oklahoma, 6-4, 338, Jr., Pineville, Louisiana.

G – Jack Anderson, Texas Tech, 6-5, 321, So., Frisco, Texas.

G – Josh Sills, West Virginia, 6-6, 331, So., Byeville, Ohio.

C – Creed Humphrey, Oklahoma, 6-5, 325, Fr., Shawnee, Oklahoma.

TE – Trevon Wesco, West Virginia, 6-4, 272, Sr., Martinsburg, West Virginia.

WR – Hakeem Butler, Iowa State, 6-6, 225, Jr., Baltimore.

WR – David Sills V, West Virginia, 6-4, 203, Sr., Wilmington, Delaware.

All-purpose – CeeDee Lamb, Oklahoma, 6-2, 189, So., Richmond, Texas.

K – Clayton Hatfield, Texas Tech, 5-10, 185, Sr., Boerne, Texas.

Defense

DE – Jordan Brailford, Oklahoma State, 6-3, 250, Jr., Tulsa, Oklahoma.

DE – L.J. Collier, TCU, 6-4, 276, Sr., Munday, Texas.

DT – Kenny Bigelow Jr., West Virginia, 6-4, 304, Sr., Wilmington, Delaware.

DT – Ray Lima, Iowa State, 6-3, 302, Jr., Los Angeles.

LB – Gary Johnson, Texas, 6-0, 225, Sr., Douglas, Alabama.

LB – Clay Johnston, Baylor, 6-1, 226, Jr., Abilene, Texas.

LB – Kenneth Murray, Oklahoma, 6-2, 238, So., Missouri City, Texas.

CB – Jeff Gladney, TCU, 6-0, 183, Jr., New Boston, Texas.

CB – Brian Peavy, Iowa State, 5-9, 194, Sr., Houston.

S – Greg Eisworth, Iowa State, 6-0, 198, So., Grand Prairie, Texas.

S – Ridwan Issahaku, TCU, 6-1, 196, Sr., Norcross, Georgia.

P – Kyle Thompson, Kansas, 6-4, 210, So., El Cajon, California.

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