The Capital One Academic All-America® Division I football First and Second Teams were announced today and Toledo senior linebacker Dan Molls and Northern Illinois senior defensive end Alan Baxter were named first teams selections. Second Team selections included Central Michigan senior wide receiver Cody Wilson and Northern Illinois senior tight end Jason Schepler and defensive tackle Nabal Jefferson.
Northern Illinois had the most selections overall on the two teams with three selections and the MAC ranked with the second most overall selections among the 11 FBS football conferences, trailing only the Big Ten's nine overall selections. The Capital One Academic All-America first and second teams were selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) and recognizes the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances athletically and in the classroom.
CAPITAL ONE ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICA FIRST TEAM
Pos. Name, School, Year, Hometown, GPA, Major
LB Dan Molls, Toledo, Senior, North Royalton, Ohio, 3.61 GPA, Exercise Science
DL Alan Baxter, Northern Illinois, Senior, Buffalo Grove, Ill., 3.61 GPA, Finance
CAPITAL ONE ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICA SECOND TEAM
Pos. Name, School, Year, Hometown, GPA, Major
WR Cody Wilson, Central Michigan, Senior, Rochester Hills, Mich., 3.66 GPA, Marketing
TE Jason Schepler, Northern Illinois, Senior, Sycamore, Ill., 3.86, Electrical Engineering
DL Nabal Jefferson, Northern Illinois, Senior, Chicago, Ill., 3.78, Accountancy
An exercise science major with a 3.61 G.P.A., Molls is a three-year starter at inside linebacker for Toledo. The NCAA leader with 166 tackles, he earned All-Mid-American Conference first team honors. A third team All-MAC honoree as a sophomore, Molls has made six tackles for lost yardage and has three interceptions this season. A native of North Royalton, Ohio, he has led Toledo to a 9-3 record. The Rockets will face No. 18 Utah State in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl on Dec. 15. He was the team leader in tackles in all but one game, and has had at least 13 tackles ten times this season. He was also a semifinalist for the National Football Foundation National Scholar-Athlete Award. Molls is Toledo's first Academic All-American since Lance Moore in 2004.
“I could not be more proud of Danny Molls,” said Toledo head coach Matt Campbell. “He is everything you want in a college football player. He has a total commitment to academics and athletics. He is a leader on our football team, both on and off the field, and is great role model for our younger players. He is very deserving to be called an Academic All-American.”
“It’s a great honor to be named Academic All-America,” said Molls. “To be included with some of the best football players in the country is very humbling.”
A finance major with a 3.61 G.P.A., Baxter is a two-year starter at defensive end for Northern Illinois. Honored as a first team All-Mid-America Conference selection, he leads the Huskies with 10.5 tackles for lost yardage and nine quarterback sacks. While leading the Huskies to a 12-1 record and their second straight MAC championship, Baxter has made 54 tackles. A native of Buffalo Grove, Ill., Baxter has been a key to Northern Illinois’ 12-game winning streak. Northern Illinois earned its first BCS appearnence in school and confernece history and will play Florida State in the Discover Orange Bowl on Jan. 1.
“It’s a year of firsts for Northern Illinois football with our first BCS Bowl Bid and first 12-win season, but even more prestigious is to have three Academic All-Americans in the same year when we’ve never even had two [in the same year] before,” said Northern Illinois Head Coach Rod Carey. “I’m extremely proud of this institution and these three young men and how they have represented our program. Our entire university should be proud because this is an elite list and to have three players on it say a lot about our program and the type of student-athlete in our program.”
Baxter is the Huskies’ first first-team Academic All-American since 2001, and is only the second first-team Capital One Academic All-American in school history. Baxter ranks second in the MAC in sacks to lead a Northern Illinois defense that ranks 11th in the country in sacks and ninth in tackles for loss.
“Alan Baxter has had a tremendous year on the field, he’s one of our conference leaders in sacks and the way he represents NIU in the classroom and in everything he does is just as impressive,” Carey said. “I’m very happy to see him receive this honor.”
For the second consecutive year, Central Michigan senior receiver Cody Wilson has been selected to the Capital One Academic All-America® Second Team. A three-time Capital One Academic All-District First Team and two-time Academic All-MAC honoree, Wilson holds a 3.66 grade point average in marketing. He is also a two-time finalist for the Wuerffel Trophy, a national award that honors the college football player who best combines exemplary community service with outstanding academic and athletic achievement.
Wilson has 220 career receptions and 2,628 career receiving yards, he ranks third and fifth, respectively, in the Central Michigan record book. This season, Wilson, a team co-captain, leads the Chippewas with 64 receptions and ranks second with 739 receiving yards. The Rochester Hills, Mich. native has recorded four 100-yard receiving games in 2012, including a season-high 111 yard-effort versus Ball State, a game in which he also caught a career-best two touchdowns. Also the team’s punt returner and holder for extra points and field goals, Wilson has had at least one reception in 41 consecutive games, which is tied for the second longest active streak in the nation.
Jefferson, a senior from Chicago, Ill. and Marist High School, earned a spot on the Capital One Academic All-America second team with his 3.78 GPA in accountancy. Jefferson, who returned from New York City, where he was named one of 15 National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete Award winners for 2012, has 56 tackles and six tackles for loss on the season.
“Nabal’s story has been told a couple of times this year, and it is a great one,” Carey said. “He has overcome so much in his life that it is a credit to him that he has put himself in position to be named Academic All-American.”
Schepler has been a dominating blocker for the Huskies in 2012, helping power the NIU rushing attack to 250.2 yards per game, ninth in the country, and the Huskies rank 15th in total offense. The electrical engineering major from Sycamore, Ill., leads Northern Illinois with 58 pancake blocks and carries a 3.86 GPA.
“Jason Schepler is probably the quietest, toughest, strongest leader I’ve ever been around,” Carey said. “He has had a fine year on the field, and it’s great to see him finally get recognized for what he has done.”
2012 Capital One Academic All-America® Division I Football Team
FIRST TEAM
Pos. Name, School, Year, Hometown, GPA, Major
QB Nick Florence, Baylor , Gr., Garland, Texas, 3.79, Economics
WR Pat Kelly, Liberty, Sr., New Orleans, La., 4.00, Exercise Science
WR Chris Looney, Colgate, Sr. Verona, N.J., 3.90, International Relations, History
TE Cameron Brate, Harvard, Jr., Naperville, Ill., 3.39, Economics
RB Rex Burkhead, Nebraska, Sr., Plano, Texas, 3.45, History
RB Ray Holley, Louisiana Tech, Gr., Orange, Calif., 3.50, Counseling
OL Mike Golic Jr., Notre Dame, Gr., West Hartford, Conn., 3.42, Film, Television & Theatre
OL Gabe Ikard, Oklahoma, Jr., Oklahoma City, Okla., 4.00, Multidisciplinary Studies
OL Barrett Jones, Alabama, Gr., Germantown, Tenn., 4.00, Accounting (UG & Grad)
OL John Urschel, Penn State, Gr., Williamsville, N.Y., 4.00, Mathematics
OL Patrick Ward, Northwestern, Sr., Homer Glen, Ill., 3.94, Mechanical Engineering
K Dustin Hopkins, Florida State, Gr., Houston, Texas, 3.76, International Affairs (MS)
DB McKade Brady, Utah State, Sr., Cove, Utah, 3.57, Human Movement Science
DB Cody Davis, Texas Tech, Gr., Stephenville, Texas, 3.70, Management Information Systems
DB Luke Ruff, Wyoming, Sr., Castle Rock, Colo., 3.60, Civil Engineering
DB Cooper Taylor, Richmond, Sr., Atlanta, Ga., 3.63, Business Admin., Management
LB Dan Molls, Toledo, Sr., North Royalton, Ohio, 3.61, Exercise Science
LB Manti Te'o, Notre Dame, Sr., Laie, Hawaii, 3.32, Design
LB Keegan Wetzel, U.S. Naval Academy, Sr., Palos Heights, Ill., 3.90, Systems Engineering (honors)
DL Alan Baxter, Northern Illinois, Sr., Buffalo Grove, Ill., 3.61, Finance
DL Pete Massaro, Penn State, Gr., Newtown Square, Pa., 3.85, Finance
DL Nolan Nearhoof, Robert Morris (Pa.), Sr., Gibsonia, Pa., 3.74, Biology
DL Adam Replogle, Indiana, Sr., Centerville, Ohio, 3.68, Criminal Justice, Psychology
P Dylan Breeding, Arkansas, Sr., Hoover, Ala., 3.80, Marketing
SECOND TEAM
Pos. Name, School, Yr., Hometown, GPA, Major
QB Aaron Murray, Georgia, Gr., Tampa, Fla., 3.30, Psychology
WR Tanner Bleskin, Montana State, Jr., Great Falls, Mont., 3.90, Microbiology
WR Cody Wilson, Central Michigan, Sr., Rochester Hills, Mich., 3.66, Marketing
TE Jason Schepler, Northern Illinois, Sr., Sycamore, Ill., 3.86, Electrical Engineering
RB Zach Barket, Lehigh, Sr., Schuylkill Haven, Pa., 3.46, Accounting
RB Zach Zenner, South Dakota State, So., Eagan, Minn., 3.78, Biology/pre-medicine
OL Trey Clark, South Alabama, Gr., Prattville, Ala., 3.91, Exercise Science
OL Dalton Freeman, Clemson, Gr., Pelion, S.C., 3.52, Communications
OL Ty Frix, Georgia, Gr., Calhoun, Ga., 3.77, Biological Engineering
OL Khaled Holmes, Southern California, Gr., Santa Ana, Calif., 3.31, Communication Management (MA)
OL Perry Simmons, Duke, Jr., Raleigh, N.C., 3.87, Civil Engineering (architecture)
K John Bonano, Arizona, Sr., Salinas, Calif., 3.92, Physiology
DB Lyle Dankenbring, Central Florida, Gr., Palm City, Fla., 3.75, Teacher Education
DB Jeff Minnerly, Eastern Washington, Sr., Spokane, Wash., 3.78, Finance & Electrical Engineering
DB Caleb Schaffitzel, Missouri State, So., Fair Grove, Mo.,3.97, Wildlife Conservation & Management
DB Jayme Szafranski, Butler, Jr., Barrington, Ill., 3.81, Finance
LB Brad Banas, Robert Morris (Pa.), Sr., Houston, Pa., 3.95, Engineering
LB Max Bullough, Michigan State, Jr., Traverse City, Mich., 3.73, Finance
LB Sean Fisher, Nebraska, Sr., Omaha, Neb., 4.00, Business Administration
DL Brian Arnfelt, Northwestern, Gr., Lake Elmo, Minn., 3.52, Comm.Stud.(UG), Sports Adm. (G)
DL Nabal Jefferson, Northern Illinois, Sr., Chicago, Ill., 3.78, Accountancy
DL Travis Johnson, San Jose State, Sr., San Jose, Calif., 3.35, Kinesiology
DL Matt Milner, East Carolina, Sr., Raleigh, N.C., 4.00, Physics
P Mike Sadler, Michigan State, So., Grand Rapids, Mich., 4.00,Applied Engineering Sciences
Capital One Academic All-America® of the Year: Barrett Jones, Alabama