Here’s the press release from the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) that names UConn Huskies redshirt freshman running back Lyle McCombs to the 2011 FWAA Freshman All-America Team.
NEW ORLEANS (FWAA) – The 11th annual Football Writers Association of America Freshman All-America Team has been announced, with all six Bowl Championship Series conferences and Notre Dame well represented on the 26-man roster. A total of 23 players came from the Pac-12, SEC, Big 12, Big Ten, ACC and Big East conferences and the independent Fighting Irish.
Southern California and Kansas State were the only schools with two players on the team. Two of the special teams selections hail from Australia.
West Virginia’s first-year coach Dana Holgorsen claimed the first-year coaching honors after his Mountaineers won the Big East Conference championship and finished with a 10-3 record after routing Clemson, 70-33, in the Discover Orange Bowl.
The team and coach are selected by an 11-person panel of nationally-prominent writers led by Mike Griffith of the Knoxville News Sentinel. Both true freshmen (14 players) and redshirt freshmen (12 players) were considered for the team and are so noted.
To see the 2011 FWAA Freshman All-America Team, click on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.
| 2011 FWAA FRESHMAN ALL-AMERICA TEAM | ||||
| OFFENSE | ||||
| Pos. | Player, School | Ht. | Wt. | Hometown |
| QB | Sean Mannion, Oregon State | 6-5 | 218 | Pleasanton, Calif. |
| RB | Giovani Bernard, North Carolina | 5-10 | 205 | Davie, Fla. |
| RB | Lyle McCombs, Connecticut | 5-8 | 172 | Staten Island, N.Y. |
| WR | Matt Miller, Boise State | 6-3 | 213 | Helena, Mont. |
| WR | • Marqise Lee, USC | 6-0 | 190 | Inglewood, Calif. |
| WR | • Sammy Watkins, Clemson | 6-1 | 200 | Fort Myers, Fla. |
| AP | • De’Anthony Thomas, Oregon | 5-9 | 173 | Los Angeles, Calif. |
| OL | • Reese Dismukes, Auburn | 6-3 | 300 | Spanish Fort, Ala. |
| OL | B.J. Finney, Kansas State | 6-4 | 297 | Andale, Kan. |
| OL | Chaz Green, Florida | 6-5 | 306 | Tampa, Fla. |
| OL | • Kaleb Johnson, Rutgers | 6-4 | 298 | Jacksonville, Fla. |
| OL | Jake Smith, Louisville | 6-4 | 315 | Jacksonville, Ala. |
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DEFENSE |
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| Pos. | Player, School | Ht. | Wt. | Hometown |
| DL | • Jadeveon Clowney, South Carolina | 6-6 | 254 | Rock Hill, S.C. |
| DL | • Timmy Jernigan, Florida State | 6-3 | 297 | Lake City, Fla. |
| DL | • Aaron Lynch, Notre Dame | 6-6 | 265 | Cape Coral, Fla. |
| DL | Marcus Rush, Michigan State | 6-2 | 250 | Cincinnati, Ohio |
| LB | Dion Bailey, USC | 6-0 | 200 | Lakewood, Calif. |
| LB | Jeremy Grove, East Carolina | 6-1 | 230 | Frederick, Md. |
| LB | • A.J. Johnson, Tennessee | 6-3 | 245 | Gainesville, Ga. |
| DB | • Blair Burns, Wyoming | 5-10 | 170 | Plano, Texas |
| DB | Ibraheim Campbell, Northwestern | 5-11 | 205 | Philadelphia, Pa. |
| DB | • Quandre Diggs, Texas | 5-10 | 200 | Angleton, Texas |
| DB | Merrill Noel, Wake Forest | 5-10 | 180 | Pahokee, Fla. |
| DB | • Eric Rowe, Utah | 6-1 | 185 | Spring, Texas |
| SPECIALISTS | ||||
| Pos. | Player, School | Ht. | Wt. | Hometown |
| P | Brad Wing, LSU | 6-3 | 184 | Melbourne, Australia |
| K | Michael Hunnicutt, Oklahoma | 6-0 | 175 | Richardson, Texas |
| PR | • Scott Harding, Hawaii | 5-11 | 195 | Brisbane, Australia |
| KR | • Tyler Lockett, Kansas State | 5-11 | 170 | Tulsa, Okla. |
| HEAD COACH | ||||
| Dana Holgorsen, West Virginia | ||||
| • Denotes true freshman | ||||
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Photo credit: AP Photo
