Three Jayhawks Named to Phil Steele Postseason All-Big 12 Teams

Dec. 13, 2011

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Three Kansas football players – senior tight end Tim Biere, senior center Jeremiah Hatch and senior linebacker Steven Johnson – have been named to the Phil Steele Postseason All-Big 12 Third Team, which was released by the national college football magazine Tuesday.

All three players were honored on the Associated Press and the Big 12 office’s all-conference teams. Each also garnered mention on the Phil Steele Midseason All-Big 12 team earlier this year.

Biere, a 6-foot-4 tight end from Omaha, Neb., finished his Kansas career with an outstanding senior season. He ranked second on the team and amongst Big 12 tight ends with 27 receptions for 322 yards and two TDs. He turned in a career-best performance in KU’s game at Oklahoma State, recording seven catches for 93 yards and a TD.

Hatch, a 6-foot-3 center from Dallas, Texas, started all 12 games at center for Kansas in 2011 and finished his Jayhawk career with 47 career starts on the offensive line. Hatch was the anchor of the KU line that averaged 159.4 yards rushing per game. He ranked third on the team with 97 knockdowns from his center position.

Johnson, a 6-foot-1 linebacker from Media, Pa., finished the 2011 season as the leading tackler in the Big 12 with 124 stops, including 66 solo tackles. He is the first Kansas player to lead the conference in tackles since Roger Robben led the Big Eight with 146 tackles in 1989. Johnson also tallied 6.0 TFLs for minus 10 yards and recorded two forced fumbles, two pass breakups, one interception, one fumble recovery and one quarterback hurry in his final season at KU.