WVU's Crawford Named to Big 12 Preseason Football First Team; QB Grier Named Newcomer of the Year
By Connect-Bridgeport Staff on July 12, 2017 via Connect-Bridgeport.com
West Virginia University senior running back Justin Crawford has been named to the Big 12 Preseason All-Conference team and redshirt 
junior quarterback Will Grier was named the preseason Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, today, as selected by media representatives who cover the league.
junior quarterback Will Grier was named the preseason Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, today, as selected by media representatives who cover the league.
The honorees include 14 seniors, 12 juniors and three sophomores. Only three players were unanimous selections at their position with Kansas defensive lineman Dorrance Armstrong, Oklahoma offensive lineman Orlando Brown and Oklahoma State receiver James Washington. Fourteen were named to the 2016 All-Big 12 First Team, while eight were on the second team.
Crawford returns as the Big 12’s leading rusher from 2016, finishing with 1,184 yards and four touchdowns. The 2016 Big 12 Newcomer of the Year and All-Big 12 Conference performer, Crawford ran for 331 yards against Oklahoma and 201 more against Baylor.
Grier transferred to West Virginia from Florida and sat out in 2016 to fulfill NCAA residency requirements. As a redshirt freshman at Florida in 2015, he played in six games, started five and led the Gators to a 6-0 record and a Top-10 ranking. He completed 106-of-161
passes for 1,204 yards and 10 touchdowns. He threw for a season-high 283 yards and two touchdowns against Tennessee.
passes for 1,204 yards and 10 touchdowns. He threw for a season-high 283 yards and two touchdowns against Tennessee.
Selections for the preseason individual awards were quarterback Baker Mayfield (Oklahoma) as Offensive Player of the Year, lineman Dorrance Armstrong (Kansas) as Defensive Player of the Year and Grier as Newcomer of the Year.
The Big 12 media preseason poll will be released on Thursday, followed by the annual Big 12 Football Media Days to be conducted in Frisco, Texas, on July 17-18. Both days will be televised live from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. ET on FS2 and other FOX Sports affiliates. Exclusive 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.
2017 Preseason All-Big 12 Football Team
Offensive Player of the Year: Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma, QB, Sr., Austin, Texas
Defensive Player of the Year: Dorrance Armstrong, Kansas, DE, Jr., Houston, Texas
Newcomer of the Year: Will Grier, West Virginia, QB, Jr., Davidson, N.C.
Offense
Pos Name School Ht Wt Class Hometown
QB Baker Mayfield 1 Oklahoma 6-1 218 Sr. Austin, Texas
RB Justice Hill 2 Oklahoma State 5-10 185 So. Tulsa, Okla.
RB Justin Crawford 2 West Virginia 6-0 202 Sr. Columbus, Ga.
FB Winston Dimel 1 Kansas State 6-1 235 Jr. Manhattan, Kan.
WR James Washington* 1 Oklahoma State 6-0 205 Sr. Stamford, Texas
WR Allen Lazard 1 Iowa State 6-5 222 Sr. Urbandale, Iowa
WR Keke Coutee 3 Texas Tech 5-11 180 Jr. Lufkin, Texas
TE Mark Andrews 1 Oklahoma 6-5 253 Jr. Scottsdale, Ariz.
OL Orlando Brown* 1 Oklahoma 6-8 360 Jr. Duluth, Ga.
OL Connor Williams 1 Texas 6-6 320 Jr. Coppell, Texas
OL Dalton Risner 1 Kansas State 6-5 300 Jr. Wiggins, Colo.
OL Austin Schlottman 2 TCU 6-6 300 Sr. Brenham, Texas
OL Zach Crabtree 2 Oklahoma State 6-7 310 Sr. Mansfield, Texas
PK Clayton Hatfield Texas Tech 5-10 185 Jr. Boerne, Texas
KR/PR KaVontae Turpin 3 TCU 5-9 153 Jr. Monroe, La.
Defense
DL Dorrance Armstrong Jr.* 1 Kansas 6-4 246 Jr. Houston, Texas
DL K.J. Smith 1 Baylor 6-1 260 Sr. Frisco, Texas
DL Reggie Walker Kansas State 6-2 235 So. Ponchatoula, La.
DL Poona Ford 3 Texas 6-0 310 Sr. Hilton Head, S.C.
DL Malcolm Roach 3 Texas 6-3 270 So. Baton Rouge, La.
LB Travin Howard 1 TCU 6-3 213 Sr. Longview, Texas
LB Ogbonnia Okornkwo 2 Oklahoma 6-1 242 Sr. Houston, Texas
LB Malik Jefferson Texas 6-3 240 Jr. Mesquite, Texas
DB D.J. Reed 1 Kansas State 5-9 188 Jr. Bakersfield, Calif.
DB Jordan Thomas 1 Oklahoma 6-0 186 Sr. Klein, Texas
DB Tre Flowers 2 Oklahoma State 6-3 200 Sr. Converse, Texas
DB Kamari Cotton-Moya 2 Iowa State 6-2 198 Sr. Bakersfield, Calif.
DB Nick Orr 2 TCU 6-3 187 Sr. DeSoto, Texas
P Michael Dickson 1 Texas 6-3 205 Jr. Sydney, Australia
*Unanimous Selection to Preseason Team
1 2016 All-Big 12 First Team selection
2 2016 All-Big 12 Second Team selection
3 2016 All-Big 12 Honorable Mention
