Crabtree, Trlica Selected to Coaches’ Big 12 Conference First Team

Receiver also shares freshman of the year honors; 16 players represented on teams.

Athletics

Written by Chris Cook

After producing one of the most prolific seasons in NCAA history for a receiver, Texas Tech freshman Michael Crabtree (Dallas, Texas) picked up Big 12 Conference Coaches’ First Team recognition Tuesday and also shares league freshman of the year honor with Missouri wide receiver Jeremy Maclin. Red Raider place kicker Alex Trlica (Friendswood, Texas) was also named to the first team. The team was voted on by the league’s 12 coaches.

Crabtree, anticipated to be listed on several all-America teams in the coming days, shattered several NCAA freshman receiving records, including receptions (125), yards (1,861), and touchdowns (21). With a bowl game to play, he is currently the nation’s leading scorer among receivers with 21 touchdowns and ranks fifth overall. Among his highlights this season are ten 100-yard receiving games and five three-TD games. Crabtree scored two or more touchdowns in seven games. His 244-yard performance at Rice and 237-yard output at Oklahoma State rank as the fourth and sixth best single-game outings, respectively, in college football this season.

Currently the nation’s fourth-leading active career scorer, Trlica set the NCAA career record with 229 career extra points during the season. The total without a miss is also an NCAA record. Trlica finished the regular season with 99 points on 63 extra points and 12 field goals. He needs one point in the bowl game to move into the top ten NCAA scoring list for kickers and become the first Texas Tech kicker with 100 points in a season. Texas Tech’s place kicker the last four seasons, Trlica’s 370 career points rank second on the Texas Tech scoring list, while his 47 field goals are a school record.

Red Raider quarterback and recent Sammy Baugh Trophy winner Graham Harrell (Ennis, Texas) was named to the Big 12’s second team along with Kansas quarterback Todd Reesing. Harrell, the nation’s leading passer from the start of the season, is the sixth player in NCAA history with 5,000 yards in a season after passing for 5,298 yards during the 12-game regular season. He also has 46 touchdown passes and three rushing scores. Additionally, Harrell eclipsed the 10,000-yard career mark during the season.

The following Red Raiders were among those earning honorable mention honors: WR Danny Amendola (The Woodlands, Texas), OL Brandon Carter (Longview, Texas), SS Joe Garcia (Clovis, N.M.), DT Rajon Henley (Galveston, Texas), FS Darcel McBath (Gainesville, Texas), CB Chris Parker (Dallas, Texas), P Jonathan LaCour (Kingwood, Texas), OL Rylan Reed (Dallas, Texas), OL Louis Vasquez (Corsicana, Texas), CB Jamar Wall (Plainview, Texas), NT Colby Whitlock (Noble, Okla.), DE Brandon Williams (Fort Worth, Texas), and LB Marlon Williams (Pflugerville, Texas).

Other honors received Tuesday:

Crabtree – National Freshman Player of the Year and Freshman All-America First Team (Rivals.com, Scout.com)

Whitlock – Freshman All-America First Team (Scout.com)

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