Irving, Texas – The Big 12 Conference has announced its 2016 Preseason All-Big 12 Football Team and individual awards, chosen by media representatives who cover the league.
The honorees include nine seniors, 11 juniors and 11 sophomores with only one holdover from last year’s preseason squad in running back Samaje Perine (Oklahoma). Five players were chosen to the 2015 All-Big 12 First Team while 10 were on the second team.
Selections for the preseason individual awards were quarterback Baker Mayfield (Oklahoma) as Offensive Player of the Year, linebacker Malik Jefferson (Texas) as Defensive Player of the Year and quarterback Kenny Hill (TCU) as Newcomer of the Year.
Mayfield was named the 2015 Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year and to the All-Big 12 First Team while leading the Sooners to the Big 12 Championship and an appearance in the College Football Playoff semifinals. Last season’s accolades include the Sporting News Player of the Year and the Burlsworth Trophy as the nation’s top player who began his career as a walk-on. The redshirt junior completed 68.1 percent of his passes in 2015 for 3,700 yards and 36 touchdowns against just seven interceptions.
Jefferson claimed the 2015 Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year award and was named All-Big 12 Honorable Mention while starting nine games as a true freshman. He was recognized on several Freshman All-America teams, finishing second for the Longhorns with 61 tackles. Jefferson led the team with six quarterback pressures and was fourth with seven tackles-for-loss.
After sitting out last year as a transfer, Hill begins his first season as a junior signal caller for TCU. He started eight games for Texas A&M in 2014 with 2,649 yards and 23 touchdowns. Hill completed 214-of-321 attempts for a 66.7 completion percentage, passing for a career-high four TDs in four games.
The Big 12 media preseason poll will be released on Thursday, followed by the annual Big 12 Football Media Days to be conducted in Dallas on July 18-19. Both days will be televised live from 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. CT on FS2 and other FOX Sports affiliates. Exclusive, live coverage from the event will also be available on the Big 12’s digital platforms – Big12Sports.com, Twitter and Instagram (@Big12Conference). The official hashtag for the event will be #Big12FB.
2016 Preseason All-Big 12 Football Team
Offensive Player of the Year: Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma, QB, Jr., Austin, Texas
Defensive Player of the Year: Malik Jefferson, Texas, LB, So., Mesquite, Texas
Newcomer of the Year: Kenny Hill, TCU, QB, Jr., Southlake, Texas
Offense
Pos Name School Ht Wt Cl/Exp Hometown
QB Baker Mayfield1 Oklahoma 6-1 212 Jr./1L Austin, Texas
RB Mike Warren Iowa State 6-0 205 So./1L Lawton, Okla.
RB Samaje Perine^1 Oklahoma 5-11 237 Jr./2L Pflugerville, Texas
FB Winston Dimel1 Kansas State 6-1 235 So./1L Manhattan, Kan.
WR KD Cannon2 Baylor 6-0 180 Jr./2L Mount Pleasant, Texas
WR Allen Lazard Iowa State 6-5 223 Jr./2L Urbandale, Iowa
WR James Washington2 Oklahoma State 6-0 205 Jr./2L Stamford, Texas
TE Mark Andrews1 Oklahoma 6-5 244 So./1L Scottsdale, Ariz.
OL Kyle Fuller2 Baylor 6-5 310 Sr./3L Wylie, Texas
OL Orlando Brown Oklahoma 6-8 357 So./1L Duluth, Ga.
OL Patrick Vahe Texas 6-3 326 So./1L Euless, Texas
OL Connor Williams Texas 6-6 288 So./1L Coppell, Texas
OL Tyler Orlosky2 West Virginia 6-4 295 Sr./3L Cleveland, Ohio
PK Clayton Hatfield Texas Tech 5-10 170 So./1L Boerne, Texas
KR/PR KaVontae Turpin TCU 5-9 153 So./1L Monroe, La.
Defense
DL Will Geary Kansas State 6-0 297 Jr./2L Topeka, Kan.
DL Jordan Willis Kansas State 6-5 250 Sr./3L Kansas City, Mo.
DL Charles Walker2 Oklahoma 6-2 299 Jr./2L Garland, Texas
DL Vincent Taylor Oklahoma State 6-3 310 Jr./2L San Antonio, Texas
DL Josh Carraway1 TCU 6-4 250 Sr./3L Flower Mound, Texas
DL James McFarland TCU 6-3 250 Sr./3L West Monroe, La.
DL Noble Nwachukwu West Virginia 6-2 275 Sr./3L Wylie, Texas
LB Elijah Lee2 Kansas State 6-3 218 Jr./2L Blue Springs, Mo.
LB Jordan Evans2 Oklahoma 6-2 233 Sr./3L Norman, Okla.
LB Malik Jefferson Texas 6-3 238 So./1L Mesquite, Texas
DB Dante Barnett Kansas State 6-1 193 Sr./3L Tulsa, Okla.
DB Steven Parker Oklahoma 6-1 208 Jr./2L Tulsa, Okla.
DB Jordan Thomas2 Oklahoma 6-0 187 Jr./2L Klein, Texas
DB Jordan Sterns2 Oklahoma State 6-0 200 Sr./3L Cibolo, Texas
DB Davante Davis Texas 6-2 199 So./1L Miami, Fla.
P Austin Seibert2 Oklahoma 5-10 214 So./1L Belleville, Ill.
A tie in voting at DL created two additional spots.
^ 2015 Preseason Team
1 2015 All-Big 12 First Team selection
2 2015 All-Big 12 Second Team selection