Twelve KU Football Players Earn Academic All-Big 12 Honors
Nov. 25, 2008
LAWRENCE, Kan. – Twelve Kansas football players were tabbed to the Big 12 Academic All-Conference teams that were announced on Tuesday. Included in the group were seven first-team selections.
Among the honorees were senior defensive ends Russell Brorsen and John Larson, who each earned first-team recognition for the third straight season. In addition Larson was a second-team honoree as a freshman, landing him on the teams for four seasons.
Junior quarterback Todd Reesing and senior linebacker Mike Rivera were named first-team selections for the second year. Rivera also earned second-team honors as a sophomore.
Sophomore linebackers Justin Springer and Drew Dudley and sophomore placekicker Jacob Branstetter also earned first-team honors.
Senior offensive guard Adrian Mayes was a second-team honoree for the second straight year. He was joined on the second team by freshman fullback Steven Foster, junior linebacker Jake Shermer, junior running back Jake Sharp and junior defensive end Jeff Wheeler. Sharp and Wheeler were on the first team a year ago.
To earn first-team honors a student-athlete must have recorded at least a 3.2 grade-point average, either cumulative or in the two previous semesters and have participated in 60 percent of his team’s scheduled games. Second-team recognition requires a 3.0 GPA. Freshmen and transfers are not eligible in their first year of academic residence.
KU’s 12 total selections were the sixth most in the league, as well as the second most in the North Division. Texas led all schools with 22 honorees, including 17 first-team picks while Nebraska’s 19 overall recipients were the most in the North Division.
With seven first-team selections Kansas has landed 45 players on the first team in head coach Mark Mangino’s seven years.
Six of KU’s total selections are starters on this year’s team, including Branstetter, Brorsen, Mayes, Reesing, Rivera, and Sharp.
2008 Kansas Football Academic All-Big 12 Selections
First Team
***Russell Brorsen, Sr., Mechanical Engineering, Stillwater, Okla.
***#John Larson, Sr., Economics, Shawnee Mission, Kan.
**#Mike Rivera, Sr., Communication Studies, Shawnee Mission, Kan.
*Justin Springer, So., Exercise Science, Los Fresnos, Texas
*Jacob Branstetter, So., Management and Leadership, Lawton, Okla.
**Todd Reesing, Jr., Finance and Economics, Austin, Texas
*Drew Dudley, So., Civil Engineering, College Station, Texas
Second Team
#Steven Foster, Fr., Communication Studies, Sedgwick, Kan.
##Adrian Mayes, Sr., Management and Leadership, Manhattan, Kan.
#Jake Schermer, Jr., Business Marketing, Nixa, Mo.
*#Jake Sharp, Jr., Sport Management, Salina, Kan.
*#Jeff Wheeler, Jr., Civil Engineering, Houston, Texas
* – number of first-team selections
# – number of second-team selections
