Kansas Football Places Six on Phil Steele's Preseason All-Big 12 Teams

May 27, 2011

LAWRENCE, Kan. –

Complete Teams in PDF Format

Senior tight end Tim Biere and junior kick returner D.J. Beshears highlighted a list of six Jayhawks who were selected to Preseason All-Big 12 teams by Phil Steele’s Magazine Friday.

Biere was named to the second team while Beshears garnered third team honors. Joining the pair were senior center Jeremiah Hatch, junior offensive tackle Tanner Hawkinson, senior linebacker Steven Johnson and sophomore running back James Sims, who were all fourth-team honorees.

Biere, a senior tight end from Omaha, Neb., started 11 of 12 games for the Jayhawks last year and made 19 catches for 228 yards and a team-best four touchdown receptions. He garnered attention on the John Mackey Tight End Award Watch List and was also named First Team Academic All-Big 12 in 2010.

Beshears, a junior wide receiver/kick returner from Denton, Texas, finished second in the league with a kick return average of 25.6 yards per return. He returned 36 kickoffs for 922 yards, including a 96-yard return for a touchdown against New Mexico State. As a receiver, he also caught 10 passes for 69 yards and a touchdown and had two rushing touchdowns last season.

Hatch, a senior offensive lineman from Dallas, Texas, made 11 starts on KU’s line after missing the season-opener against North Dakota State. He was a Rivals Freshman All-American in 2008.

Hawkinson, a junior offensive lineman from McPherson, Kan., has started all 24 games the past two seasons at left tackle. He was a Freshman All-American in three different publications following the 2009 season and was named All-Big 12 Honorable Mention the same year.

Johnson, a senior linebacker from Media, Pa., started all 12 games for the Jayhawks last season and led the team with 95 tackles, including 4.5 for a loss and two sacks. He recorded a career-best 13 tackles against Missouri in the season finale and had 11 tackles against Georgia Tech and Baylor.

Sims, a sophomore running back from Irving, Texas, rushed for 742 yards on 168 carries with a team-best 10 touchdowns. He recorded three 100-plus yard games, which tied the freshman school record and had a four-touchdown performance in KU’s come-from-behind win over Colorado.

Kansas will open its 2011 season on Sept. 3 against McNeese State. Season tickets are available online here.

Phil Steele’s Magazine 2011 Preseason All-Big 12 Team

(Kansas Selections)

Second Team

TE – Tim Biere

Third Team

KR – D.J. Beshears

Fourth Team

OC – Jeremiah Hatch

OT – Tanner Hawkinson

LB – Steven Johnson
RB – James Sims