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ALL-EVERYTHING: The Pac-12 had multiple unanimous All-Americans for the 2nd straight year placing 2 players on the first team of all 5 major All-American teams (AP, AFCA, FWAA, Sporting News, Walter Camp).
Oregon center Jackson Powers-Johnson became the 5th unanimous All-American in program history and first since Kayvon Thibodeaux in 2021. UCLA DL Laiatu Latu becomes the 13th Bruin to be named unanimous 1st team and the first UCLA player since Maurice Drew in 2005.
3 other Pac-12 stars were listed as consensus All-Americans. Colorado WR/CB Travis Hunter was listed as the 1st team All-Purpose on 4 of the 5 teams while Washington WR Rome Odunze and Utah DL Jonah Elliss made 1st team 3 times.
MAX VALUE: Washington QB Michael Penix Jr., the nation’s leading passer, became the first Washington player to ever win the Maxwell Award as the nation’s top player. It’s the second straight year a Pac-12 QB has won the award (USC’s Caleb Williams). Penix also placed 2nd in the Heisman voting, the highest ever by a Washington player.
BY THE BOOK: Oregon QB Bo Nix, who finished 3rd in the Heisman voting, is the winner of the William V. Campbell Trophy, also known as the academic Heisman. Nix becomes the 1st Pac-12 winner of this award since fellow Oregon QB Justin Herbert took home the honors in 2019.
LIVIN’ ON THE EDGE: UCLA’sLatu cleaned up during the awards season after taking home the Pac-12’s Pat Tillman Defensive Player of the Year. The senior edge rusher took home the Ted Hendricks Award as the nation’s top defensive end as well as the Lombardi Award, given to the player who “best embodies the values and spirit of NFL’s legendary coach Vince Lombardi.
Latu, who leads the nation with 21.5 tackles for loss, becomes the Pac-12 first Hendricks winner since Utah’s Nate Orchard in 2014 and the conference’s first Lombardi winner since Oregon’s Ugo Amadi in 2018. Latu was also named the Polynesian Defensive Player of the Year.
CENTER OF ATTENTION: Oregon’s Powers-Johnson became the first ever Pac-12 player to win the Rimington Award, which began in 2000, as the nation’s top center. Powers-Johnson led all FBS centers in pass-blocking grade, run-blocking grade and overall grae by Pro Football Focus.
DOUBLE DUTY: Colorado’s Hunter, who saw the field on offense (WR) and defense (CB), was named the Paul Hornung Award winners as the nation’s most versatile player. Hunter is the 2nd straight Pac-12 player to win this award after Oregon State’s Jack Colletto last year. This is the first major award by a Colorado player since Mark Mariscal won the Ray Guy Award in 2002. The other 2 finalists were also from the Pac-12, Utah’s Sione Vaki and Arizona State’s Cameron Skattebo, making it the first time in the award’s history that all 3 finalists came from the same conference.
BOWL SCHEDULE
Saturday, December 16
Starco Brands LA Bowl hosted by Gronk
Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl
Saturday, December 23
SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl
Wednesday, December 27
DIRECTV Holiday Bowl
Thursday, December 28
Valero Alamo Bowl
Friday, December 29
Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl
Monday, January 1
Vrbo Fiesta Bowl
CFP Semifinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl
– Pac-12.com –
