Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons named first-team AP All-American
Parsons has recorded 85 tackles and 10 tackles for loss for the Nittany Lions.
Penn State, known as Linebacker U, has produced another All-American at that position.
Sophomore Micah Parsons was named to the Associated Press All-American first team.
Parsons is the first sophomore from Penn State to earn first-team All-American status since another linebacker, LaVar Arrington, was honored in 1998.
Wisconsin junior running back Jonathan Taylor, a graduate of South Jersey’s Salem High, also earned first-team honors. Temple junior center Matt Hennessy was a third-team selection.
Parsons is the 101st first-team All-American from Penn State and the first since running back Saquon Barkley in 2017.
This is the latest postseason honor for the 6-foot-3, 245-pound Parsons, who was named the Big Ten Butkus-Fitzgerald linebacker of the year in addition to being a first-team all-Big Ten choice. A graduate of Harrisburg High, Parsons also has been named a first-team All-American by Sports Illustrated, Bleacher Report, and Pro Football Focus.
This season, Parsons has 85 tackles, including 10 tackles for losses and two sacks. He also has three pass breakups and three quarterback hurries.
No. 10 Penn State (10-2) will face No. 17 Memphis (12-1), the American Athletic Conference champion, in the Cotton Bowl on Dec. 28 in Arlington, Texas.
Wisconsin’s Taylor is the only player to repeat as a first-team All-American this season. This year, he has rushed for 1,909 yards (6.4 average) and 21 touchdowns.
Hennessy was among three finalists for the Rimington Trophy, which goes to the nation’s top center. The winner was Wisconsin’s Tyler Biadasz, who was also the AP first-team choice.
This year, Hennessy was named to the All-American Athletic Conference first team for helping Temple to an 8-4 record. The Owls will face North Carolina (6-6) on Dec. 27 in the Military Bowl in Annapolis, Md.