All-American News - MinnesotaSportsFan https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/tag/all-american/ Minnesota sports, but different Wed, 30 Nov 2022 16:52:41 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=32,height=32,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/cropped-cropped-MSF-favicon-1.jpg All-American News - MinnesotaSportsFan https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/tag/all-american/ 32 32 John Michael Schmitz Named PFF All-American, Others Honored https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/john-michael-schmitz-named-pff-all-american-other-gophers-honored/ Wed, 30 Nov 2022 16:42:45 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=41202 The Minnesota Gophers’ 2022 season was both successful and disappointing, depending on who you ask. But there was nothing disappointing about (C) John Michael Schmitz’ senior year.

After an incredible 2021 season, the 6-4, 340 lb entered 2022 with the highest NFL expectations of any player on the Gophers’ roster. And John Michael exceeded all of them, cementing himself as the best center in college football, all but guaranteeing him an early selection in April’s NFL Draft. On Wednesday, he was honored by Pro Football Focus (PFF), who named him a 1st Team All-American.

PFF Loves John Michael Schmitz

Schmitz’ 92.4 offensive grade at PFF is the best of any center in the country but it’s not even his most impressive metric on the site. In 2,945 career snaps, Schmitz has allowed just 2 sacks, 15 hurries and 21 pressures, committing only 10 penalties in the process. His 98.8 efficiency score is nearly impossible.

This is the first of many accolades John Michael will receive over the next couple of months, as the college football season comes to a conclusion.

Mohamed Ibrahim, Brevyn Spann-Ford honored too

Two other Minnesota Gophers found their way into the hearts of Pro Football Focus this season. (RB) Mohamed Ibrahim was named a 3rd Team PFF All American and Brevyn Spann-Ford was listed as an Honorable Mention.

Ibrahim’s 89.1 overall grade was good for 9th among NCAA running backs. Spann-Ford graded out at 90.5, which landed him 5th among qualied tight ends. According to Darren Wolfson (SKOR North), NFL agents are recommending that Brevyn declare for the draft a year early.

It doesn’t seem like Spann-Ford is in a hurry to leave Dinkytown, however, and reportedly loves being a Gopher. So, he’s up in the air. His decision could be one of the most important roster moves of the offseason.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

]]> Wed, 30 Nov 2022 10:52:41 +0000 Minnesota Gophers Football Rashod Bateman Named Preseason All-American by Associated Press https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/rashod-bateman-named-preseason-all-american-by-associated-press/ https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/rashod-bateman-named-preseason-all-american-by-associated-press/#respond Tue, 25 Aug 2020 18:43:37 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=29084

Rashod Bateman has been selected to the Associated Press Preseason All-America – Second Team. This news comes about three weeks after the Minnesota Gophers’ star receiver decided to opt-out of the 2020 football season. Two weeks later, the Big Ten would cancel their fall football season altogether.

Season or no season, it was easy to see Bateman as a top college receiver, following his monstrous 2019 campaign. As a Sophomore, Bateman pulled in 60 receptions for over 1,200 yards and 11 touchdowns. After the AP released their preseason top-25 yesterday, with Big Ten and Pac-12 teams included, it’s no big surprise to see Bateman get honored in their All-American selections.

1st-Team Wide Receivers

Ja’Marr Chase for LSU and DeVonta Smith for Alabama are the only receivers to be deemed above Bateman. Both receivers, who made the first-team, had outstanding 2019’s as well. Alabama and LSU play in the SEC, which is still planning a 2020 Fall season.

As a Sophomore at LSU, Chase led the entire FBS in receiving yards and touchdowns. Smith racked up 1,256 yards and 14 touchdowns, during his Junior season at Alabama. It’s tough to fight those numbers.

Opt-out implications

Bateman isn’t alone as the only player on the list, who won’t be playing this fall. 23 players on the AP Preseason All-America list won’t be playing football this fall.

Alongside Tanner Morgan, Mohamed Ibrahim and a new defense, Bateman was supposed to be a major piece to Minnesota’s Rose Bowl dreams in 2020. Other bowl games (and the BCS Playoff) might need to be adjusted or cancelled, with different football seasons across the NCAA. Flexing the Rose Bowl to a later date could be easier since both representatives are chosen from the PAC-12 and Big Ten.

Minnesota will need some new faces to step up at receiver, if the 2020-21 offense is to be successful. The next time the Gophers step onto a competitive gridiron, they’ll be without both of the record-setting WR’s from 2019.

Bateman won’t be able to showcase himself as an undisputed number one target, in Minnesota, but that won’t stop his urge to become the best player he can be. He’ll be ready, come draft day, to hear his name called in that first round.

Where do you think he will get picked? Is he the best receiver in his class? Now, it’s all “what could’ve been” as we’ll have to wait for 2021 (and a full season off our TV screens), to see where Rashod Bateman’s career goes next.

AJ Condon | Minnesota Sports Fan

]]> https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/rashod-bateman-named-preseason-all-american-by-associated-press/feed/ 0 Thu, 01 Jul 2021 14:24:20 +0000 Minnesota Gophers Football Antoine Winfield Jr Named Unanimous 1st Team All-American; 7th in Gopher Football History https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/antoine-winfield-jr-named-unanimous-1st-team-all-american-7th-in-gopher-football-history/ https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/antoine-winfield-jr-named-unanimous-1st-team-all-american-7th-in-gopher-football-history/#respond Thu, 19 Dec 2019 21:25:27 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=20045 [et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.0.9″][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.0.9″][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.0.9″][et_pb_code _builder_version=”4.0.9″]

[/et_pb_code][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.0.9″ hover_enabled=”0″]

It’s official, Antoine Winfield Jr. is the first unanimous 1st-Team All-American for the Minnesota Gophers since 2005. Winfield joins a brotherhood that included just 6 men before he got there. He and Greg Eslinger (C-2005) are the only two Gophers in the modern age to earn this national distinction. The others all received their honor sometime (in the GOLDEN Gopher ages) from 1936-1962. In other words… This is a BIG deal.

We shouldn’t be surprised though, since his dad did the same thing for Ohio State in 1998. Remember though, even with his impeccable lineage, Winfield was NOT a high-profile recruit. According to 247Sports.com, Antoine Jr. was only a mediocre 3-star (.8285) recruit back in 2016. 

As for the season that got him this unanimous 1st-team selection, it was insane…

[/et_pb_text][et_pb_code _builder_version=”4.0.9″]

[/et_pb_code][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.0.9″]

In order to be considered a “unanimous” 1st-Team All-American, you need to be awarded the honor by all 5 accredited associations:

Set your notifications for our LIVE (you don’t want notifications for all of them…) Twitter streams if you’d like to hear from Antoine Winfield Jr. tomorrow around lunch time, when he is set to meet with media after practice.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]

]]> https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/antoine-winfield-jr-named-unanimous-1st-team-all-american-7th-in-gopher-football-history/feed/ 0 Thu, 01 Jul 2021 14:26:26 +0000 Minnesota Gophers Football Winfield Jr. Named 1st-Team All-American, Fleck Gets 6th Coach of the Year Nom. https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/winfield-jr-named-1st-team-all-american-fleck-gets-6th-coach-of-the-year-nom/ https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/winfield-jr-named-1st-team-all-american-fleck-gets-6th-coach-of-the-year-nom/#respond Fri, 13 Dec 2019 02:29:31 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=19889 [et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.0.9″][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.0.9″][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.0.9″][et_pb_code _builder_version=”4.0.9″ hover_enabled=”0″]

[/et_pb_code][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.0.9″]

It’s another day gone and another day full of awards and award nominations for the Minnesota Gophers. Again, we are seeing Antoine Winfield do things that Gophers haven’t done for years. We haven’t had a Walter Camp All-American since 2005, let alone a 1st-teamer. The Redshirt Freshman had 83 tackles and 7 interceptions. He is a hawk in the back of this defense… one that quarterbacks fear evertime they release the football.

Whether he comes back for his RS JR season is yet to be seen… but I just can’t imagine he does. I just hope he does..

Meanwhile, PJ Fleck racked up his 6th Coach of the Year nomination/award, this time as a “Bear Bryant Coach of the Year” finalist. Here is the list, as it now stands:

  1. George Munger COY Finalist
  2. Eddie Robinson COY Finalist
  3. Bobby Dodd COY Trophy Finalist
  4. Big Ten’s Hayes-Schembechler Coach of the Year
  5. AFCA Region 3 Coach of the Year
  6. Bear Bryant COY Finalist

It isn’t just PJ Fleck and Antoine Winfield Jr. who are racking up awards for this historic Minnesota Gophers football team. Nah, we have Big Ten All-Americans litering the field. Rashod Bateman was also named the Big Ten WR of the year and Winfield won the Big Ten DB of the year, not to mention a couple of Academic All-Americans. Tanner Morgan got some national honors at QB too… What an incredible season in so many different aspects.

And it’s only the beginning.

Lastly… but certainly the opposite of least, is Casey O’Brien, who was just honored with the “Disney Spirit Award” on ESPN tonight for his couragous battle with cancer. A battle in which he has won 4-5 times, depending on whether or not you count his last surgery a couple of weeks ago, in which he had a spot removed from his lungs. What an inspiration.

[/et_pb_text][et_pb_code _builder_version=”4.0.9″]

[/et_pb_code][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]

]]> https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/winfield-jr-named-1st-team-all-american-fleck-gets-6th-coach-of-the-year-nom/feed/ 0 Thu, 01 Jul 2021 14:26:29 +0000 Minnesota Gophers Football