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With the 2017 college football regular season in the rearview mirror and bowl games still a few weeks away, we’ve reached peak awards season. What would this time of year be without naming the All-American Team?
On Thursday morning, Sports Illustrated released its First-Team All-American list, highlighting the top performers of the 2017 season. Five B1G players were mentioned on this list, two offensive, two defensive and one all-purpose.
Here were the five B1G players to earn First-Team recognition:
- Beau Benzschawel, Wisconsin OL
- Billy Price, Ohio State OL
- Josey Jewell, Iowa LB
- Josh Jackson, Iowa CB
- Saquon Barkley, Penn State AP
As odd as it may seem, Iowa had more First-Team selections than any other B1G team on this list.
Obviously there is some room for debate with the selections. Most would probably tab Saquon Barkley as a First-Team running back, and players like Ohio State’s Nick Bosa or Michigan’s Maurice Hurst could make an argument along the defensive line.
Sports Illustrated also went on to select a Second-Team, which included a handful of B1G selections. You can view the full list for both First-Team and Second-Team All-American selections here.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB