OHIO STATE FOOTBALL

Mewhort, Shazier named All-Americans

12/17/2013
BLADE STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS

Ohio State linebacker Ryan Shazier was named to the Associated Press All-America first team today.

Buckeyes left tackle and St. John's Jesuit graduate Jack Mewhort and running back Carlos Hyde earned third-team honors. Michigan left tackle Taylor Lewan made the second team.

Shazier, a junior who is weighing whether to enter the NFL draft, led the Big Ten with 134 tackles -- including 22 1/2 for a loss. Mewhort was the undisputed leader of a veteran line that cleared the way for the nation's third-ranked rushing offense.

Elsewhere, Alabama linebacker C.J. Mosley, Arizona State defensive tackle Will Sutton and Arizona running back Ka'Deem Carey were selected to the All-America team for the second straight season.

Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston from Florida State added All-American to his resume after a spectacular redshirt freshman season. Heisman finalists Andre Williams from Boston College and Northern Illinois' Jordan Lynch also made the first team. Williams joins Carey in the backfield and Lynch, the dual-threat quarterback, was chosen as an all-purpose player.

Mosley, a senior, was the leading tackler for a defense that ranked fifth in the country in yards allowed per game. Sutton was named Pac-12 defensive player of the year for the season straight season. Carey is second in the nation in rushing after leading last year.

Winston, who was a landslide Heisman winner last week, is joined on the first team by three Florida State teammates — center Bryan Stork, kicker Roberto Aguayo and cornerback Lamarcus Joyner — to give the top-ranked Seminoles more than any other school.

Florida State defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan made the second team, along with offensive tackle Cameron Erving. The Seminoles had six players on the three teams, the most of any school.

No. 2 Auburn, which plays Florida State on Jan. 6 in the BCS championship game in Pasadena, Calif., placed Heisman finalists Tre' Mason on the second team at running back and offensive lineman Reese Dismukes and Gregory Robinson on the third team.

Texas A&M Heisman finalist Johnny Manziel, last year's Heisman winner and All-American quarterback, made the second team. Alabama's AJ McCarron, another Heisman finalist, is the third-team quarterback for the second consecutive season.