USF star defensive end George Selvie was named BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year and five other Bulls, Ben Moffitt, Mike Jenkins, Trae Williams, Tyrone McKenzie, and Ryan Schmidt earned all-conference honors Monday morning.
West Virginia quarterback Patrick White, was chosen as BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year for the second straight season, and Cincinnati punter Kevin Huber earned Special Teams Player of the Year. LeSean McCoy, Pittsburgh’s running back was named BIG EAST Rookie of the Year, and Cincinnati head coach Brian Kelly was named BIG EAST Coach of the Year. The all conference honors are chosen by the league’s eight head coaches.
George Selvie was a terror on the field finishing with an outstanding 31.5 tackles for a loss, a new big east record and just half a TFL shy of the NCAA record of 32. His 14.5 sacks ranked him second in the nation and his 3 forced fumbles led the Big East. Selvie finished with 58 tackles, 46 of them solo, 12 quarterback hits and 1 blocked kick on the season.
Selvie is the first USF player and the first sophomore ever to earn defensive player of the year, was unanimous All-BIG EAST First Team choice. Last year Bulls quarterback Matt Grothe earned freshman of the Year and receiver/return specialist Ean Randolph was named Special Team Player of the Year by the league coaches.
“I never expected any of this,” said Selvie. “I came into the year and I just wanted to help our team. We’ve had a good season and accomplished some unbelievable things. I’m glad I have contributed my part. An award like this says more about our entire defensive unit. I can’t have any success without the other 10 players on defensive, as well as my defensive coaches.”
Joining Selvie on the All-Big East first team are seniors linebacker Ben Moffitt and cornerback Mike Jenkins. Making it the second straight year that three USF players earned first team honors. In the three years since joining the Big East, the Bulls now have seven first team selections. Last year, LB Stephen Nicolas, KR Ean Randolph, and CB Trae Williams all earned first team.
Surprisingly, this is the first ever BIG EAST honor for Moffitt, who is the team leader on defense. This season he finished with 100 tackles, second best on the team, 12 tackles for loss 2 fumble recoveries and 4 quarterback hits. He also snagged 4 interceptions for 136 yards, one for a score, after not having any in his entire college career.
This is the second conference honor for cornerback Mike Jenkins, who was named to the second team in 2005. After a stellar four seasons at USF, the lockdown corner is on pace to be the highest Bull ever drafted into the NFL. This season Jenkins had 3 interceptions and 12 pass breakups. He also had 38 tackles, 4 for a loss and a 100-yard kickoff return for a TD.
Earning all-conference second team honors were senior cornerback Trae Williams, junior linebacker Tyrone McKenzie, and offensive lineman Ryan Schmidt.
This is also the second conference honor for corner Trae Williams, who was a first team selection by the BIG EAST last season. Williams, the perfect counterpart on the other side, had six interceptions, with three returned for touchdowns this season. Combined with the seven picks last year, he has the highest total among all NCAA FBS players. Trae also had 10 pass breakups and 50 tackles with half a sack for the season.
Tyrone McKenzie has been outstanding this season and his 111 tackles this year leads the Bulls. McKenzie who transferred from Iowa State last season also had 7.5 tackles for a loss, 2 fumble recoveries, 2 forced fumbles, 4 quarterback hits, and 1 blocked kick on the year.
Offensive lineman Ryan Schmidt, who was named to the second team, was the only offensive player to earn all-conference honors for a Bulls squad that accumulated 5,059 total yards and 430 points, both school records.
“All of these players are deserving and I am very proud of each of them,” said Leavitt. “They work hard every day and provide a great example for their teammates and young fans everywhere. They go about things the right way and now they are awarded by the coaches of the BIG EAST. That’s quite an honor, one I’m sure they will never forget.”
2007 BIG EAST CONFERENCE FOOTBALL AWARDS
BIG EAST CONFERENCE OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Patrick White, QB, West Virginia (Jr., Daphne, Ala.)
BIG EAST CONFERENCE DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
George Selvie, DL, USF (So., Pensacola, Fla.)
BIG EAST CONFERENCE SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Kevin Huber, P, Cincinnati (Jr., Cincinnati, Ohio)
BIG EAST CONFERENCE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
LeSean McCoy, RB, Pittsburgh (Fr., Harrisburg, Pa.) *
BIG EAST CONFERENCE COACH OF THE YEAR
Brian Kelly, Cincinnati
ALL-BIG EAST CONFERENCE FIRST TEAM
OFFENSE
Pos. Player School Cl. Ht. Wt.
WR Harry Douglas Louisville Sr. 5-11 170
WR Tiquan Underwood Rutgers Jr. 6-2 180
OT Jeff Otah Pittsburgh Sr. 6-6 340
OT Jeremy Zuttah Rutgers Sr. 6-4 290
OG Donald Thomas Connecticut Sr. 6-4 290
OG Greg Isdaner West Virginia So. 6-4 315
C Eric Wood Louisville Jr. 6-4 301
TE Gary Barnidge * Louisville Sr. 6-6 234
QB Patrick White * West Virginia Jr. 6-2 190
RB Ray Rice * Rutgers Jr. 5-9 205
RB LeSean McCoy Pittsburgh Fr. 5-11 210
K Art Carmody Louisville Sr. 5-9 180
KR/PR Max Suter Syracuse Fr. 5-11 190
DEFENSE
DL Terrill Byrd Cincinnati Jr. 6-1 270
DL Eric Foster Rutgers Sr. 6-2 265
DL George Selvie * USF So. 6-4 245
DL Keilen Dykes West Virginia Sr. 6-5 295
LB Danny Lansanah Connecticut Sr. 6-0 248
LB Scott McKillop * Pittsburgh Jr. 6-2 240
LB Ben Moffitt USF Sr. 6-2 240
CB Mike Mickens * Cincinnati Jr. 6-0 165
CB Mike Jenkins USF Sr. 6-2 200
S Haruki Nakamura * Cincinnati Sr. 5-10 190
S Eric Wicks West Virginia Sr. 6-1 205
P Kevin Huber Cincinnati Jr. 6-1 210
* unanimous selection
ALL-BIG EAST CONFERENCE SECOND TEAM
OFFENSE
WR Marcus Barnett Cincinnati Fr. 6-1 165
WR Kenny Britt Rutgers So. 6-4 205
WR Mike Williams Syracuse So. 6-2 204
WR Darius Reynaud West Virginia Sr. 5-10 200
OT George Bussey Louisville Jr. 6-4 298
OT Pedro Sosa Rutgers Sr. 6-5 290
OG Trevor Canfield Cincinnati Jr. 6-5 320
OG Ryan Schmidt USF Jr. 6-4 305
C Mike Dent West Virginia Jr. 6-4 285
QB Brian Brohm Louisville Sr. 6-4 228
RB Andre Dixon Connecticut So. 6-1 195
RB Steve Slaton West Virginia Jr. 5-10 190
K Pat McAfee West Virginia Jr. 6-1 220
KR/PR Tyvon Branch Connecticut Sr. 6-0 199
DEFENSE
DL Anthony Hoke Cincinnati Sr. 6-1 230
DL Joe Clermond Pittsburgh Sr. 6-3 250
DL Arthur Jones Syracuse So. 6-4 289
DL Johnny Dingle West Virginia Sr. 6-3 270
LB Lamar Myles Louisville Jr. 6-0 220
LB Tyrone McKenzie USF Jr. 6-2 230
LB Marc Magro West Virginia Sr. 6-3 240
CB DeAngelo Smith Cincinnati Jr. 6-0 185
CB Trae Williams USF Sr. 5-10 185
S Courtney Greene Rutgers Jr. 6-2 210
S Joe Fields Syracuse Sr. 6-1 210
P Rob Long Syracuse Fr. 6-4 175
Note: The All-BIG EAST Second Team includes four wide receivers due to a tie in the voting
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