2013 Capital One Academic All-America® Football Teams release dates: 
College Division Team: release/teams
NCAA Division III Team: release/teams
NCAA Division II Team: release/teams
NCAA Division I Team: below
• Capital One Academic All-America® website
• Capital One Academic All-America® Football Division I Teams
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Towson, MD - Senior center Gabe Ikard of Oklahoma, a three-time member of the Capital One Academic All-America® team, headlines the 2013 Capital One Academic All-America® Division I football team as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
A four-year starter on the offensive line for the Sooners, Ikard has been selected as the 2013 Capital One Academic All-America® of the Year for Division I football.
Ikard (
right), who graduated with his first undergraduate degree in multidisciplinary studies with a biological sciences theme, is currently working on a second undergraduate degree in human relations and has a perfect 4.00 G.P.A.
Named as a midseason All-American by USA Today, Sports Illustrated and CBSSports.com, Ikard has started all 11 games at center this season. He is a finalist for the Senior CLASS Award and the Campbell Trophy. He is also a repeat finalist for the Wuerffel Trophy. One of 16 National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete Award recipients, he has not allowed a sack this season. Ikard is the leader of an offensive line that is blocking for a running attack that is ranked second in the Big 12 and 15th nationally while helping the Sooners post a 9-2 record.
A two-year captain, Ikard is a four-time Academic All-Big 12 honoree, a three-time All-Big 12 selection and a two-time All-American. The Oklahoma City, Okla., native has played in 50 career games for the Sooners, starting 48 times. He was part of a group of Oklahoma students who participated in a study abroad program in Ireland in 2013. He was also part of a group of OU students who traveled to Haiti on a humanitarian trip in 2012.
Ikard is one of two student-athletes who are repeat selections on the 2013 Capital One Division I Academic All-America® football first team.
Graduate student John Urschel of Penn State was also named to the Capital One Division I Academic All-America® football first team last year. He earned his undergraduate degree in math in three years and earned a master's degree in math in one year. A two-time All-Big Ten Conference first team selection at offensive guard is working on a second master's degree in math education and has maintained perfect 4.00 G.P.A. The Williamsville, N.Y., native is a three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree. Urschel is the recipient of a NFF Scholar-Athlete Award, a finalist for the Campbell Trophy and Senior CLASS Award. He was named to the preseason watch lists for the Rotary Lombardi Award and the Outland Trophy.
Seven members of the 2012 Capital One Division I Academic All-America® football second team earned first team notice this year.
The 24 members of the 2013 Capital One Academic All-America® Division I Football first team have an average 3.78 G.P.A.
Graduate student quarterback Aaron Murray of Georgia, senior wide receiver Tanner Bleskin of Montana State, junior running back Zach Zenner of South Dakota State, senior offensive lineman Perry Simmons of Duke, junior defensive back Caleb Schaffitzel of Missouri State, linebacker Max Bullough and punter Mike Sadler of Michigan State were named to the 2013 Capital One Academic All-America® first team.
A graduate student in psychology with a perfect 4.00 G.P.A.,
Murray has been named as a Walter Camp National Player of the Week twice this season. A native of Tampa, Fla., he won a NFF Scholar-Athlete Award and is a finalist for the Campbell Trophy. He is the Southeastern Conference career record holder in passing yards, total offense and touchdowns (115). One of 11 players selected to the 2012 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team, he is a two-time Wuerffel Trophy and Unitas Award finalist.
A senior microbiology major with a 3.85 G.P.A., Bleskin is one of the top receivers in NCAA FCS. A native of Great Falls, Mont., Bleskin is a three-time Academic All-Big Sky honoree. He ranks 28th in the FCS in receiving yards (969), 34th in receiving yards per game (80.8) and 42nd in receptions per game (5.3). He is the Montana State record holder in receiving yards and catches, and ranks among the top 15 receivers in Big Sky history in both categories. He was named to the 2012 FCS/ADA All-Scholar Team and won the award as Montana State's top football student-athlete the last three years.
A junior biology and pre-medicine major with a 3.85 G.P.A.,
Zenner leads the FCS in rushing yards (1,944) and ranks second in rushing yards per game (149.5). A consensus All-American as a sophomore, Zenner has led South Dakota State to a 9-4 and a berth in the NCAA FCS playoffs. The Eagan, Minn. native led the FCS in rushing with 2,044 yards last season. Zenner has topped the 100-yard mark in 12 of 13 games this season and 21 times for his career. He tied his own single-game school record with 295 rushing yards at North Dakota.
A senior civil engineering major,
Simmons has a 3.83 G.P.A. He has started 49 consecutive games at right tackle for Duke, the longest streak in the Atlantic Coast Conference. He has never missed a game or a start in his career. A native of Raleigh, N.C., Simmons is Duke's active leader with more than 3,500 career snaps played and has paved the way for a Duke offense that averages 422.2 total offensive yards per game. An All-ACC honorable mention pick in 2012, Simmons has helped the 20th-ranked Blue Devils to a 10-2 record.
A junior conservation and wildlife management major with a 3.92 G.P.A.,
Schaffitzel is the Missouri State career leader in interception return yards (259). A three-time Missouri Valley Football Conference Defensive Player of the Week, he has been named to the MVFC Commissioner's Honor Roll three times and won the MVFC State Farm Leadership Award in 2013. The Fair Grove, Mo., native was an Associated Press All-America second team pick and Sports Network All-America third team selection in 2012.
A senior finance major with a 3.56 G.P.A.,
Bullough has helped No. 10 Michigan State post a 10-1 record. A native of Traverse City, Mich., he anchors a Spartan defensive unit that ranks No. 1 in the NCAA FBS in total defense (237.7 yards per game) and rushing defense (64.8 ypg.). A two-time team captain, he has started 37 consecutive games at middle linebacker for the Spartans. Bullough has made 284 career tackles, good for 25th among the FBS active leaders. He was a 2012 All-Big Ten first team selection and is a two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree.
Sadler, who graduated with a 3.97 G.P.A. in applied engineering sciences last May, is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in economics. A semifinalist for the Ray Guy Award, he ranks third in the Big Ten and 34th in the FBS in punting (42.5) and has placed 48 percent of his punts inside the 20-yard line. Sadler leads the nation with 19 punts downed inside the 10-yard line and ranks tied for second in the FBS with 26 punts placed inside the 20. A three-time Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week award winner, he was the College Football Performance Awards National Punter of the Week after averaging a career-best 59.2 yards on four punts in a win over Indiana. A native of Grand Rapids, Mich., he was a 2012 first team All-Big Ten selection and is a two-time Big Ten Distinguished Scholar.
Michigan State, South Dakota State and San Diego are the only schools with more than one player on the 24-player Capital One Academic All-America® Division I football first team as the Spartans, Jackrabbits and Toreros each has two first team honorees.
A junior pharmacy major with a 3.98 G.P.A.,
wide receiver Jason Schneider joins Zenner as South Dakota State representatives on the Capital One Academic All-America® Division I football first team. He leads the MVFC in receptions per game (5.5) and ranks second in receiving yards per game (77.5). A native of Andover, Minn., Schneider has caught at least four passes in 12 games and has three 100-yard receiving games in 2013.
A senior accountancy major with a 3.78 G.P.A.,
Robbie Beathard is the team captain for
San Diego. A two-time first team Pioneer Football League All-Academic selection, the defensive back was named as USD Most Improved Defensive Player in 2012. Beathard has been named to the Pioneer Football League honor roll three times. The San Diego native finished the season ranked fourth on the team in tackles (59).
A senior mechanical engineering major with a 3.50 G.P.A.,
defensive lineman Blake Oliaro of San Diego is a 2013 Campbell Trophy semifinalist and was named co-PFL Defender of Week on Oct. 14. A native of Folsom, Cal., he is a two-time PFL All-Academic first team selection and was an Associated Press FCS All-American in 2011 when he was named PFL Defender of Year. Oliaro has been named to the FCS ADA Academic All-Star Team three times. His 29 career sacks rank third all-time at USD.
One of four graduate students on the Capital One Academic All-America® Division I football first team, Zane Fakes of Ball State University is the first team tight end. An exercise science major with a 3.59 G.P.A., he is a 2013 Campbell Trophy semifinalist. Fakes was named to the 2012 All-Mid-American Conference first team and is a two-time Academic All-MAC honoree. A native of Plainfield, Ind., he closed out his career with 1,157 receiving yards.
Junior Terry Baggett of Army joins Zenner as the running backs on the Capital One Academic All-America® Division I first team. A chemical engineering major with a 3.44 G.P.A., Baggett ranks 33rd in the nation with 1,072 rushing yards. The top running back for an Army squad that leads nation in rushing offense (323.6), he ran for a school record 304 yards on 18 carries against Eastern Michigan. A native of Chicago, Baggett owns the Army school record with an 8.5 yards per carry average.
Seniors Nate Boyer of Texas and Spencer Long of Nebraska, join Ikard, Simmons and Urschel on the offensive line on the Capital One Division I Academic All-America® Division I football first team.
Senior Brian Davis of Arkansas State is the first team place kicker while senior Jordan Hanberry of Nicholls State and junior Mark Murphy of Indiana join Beathard and Schaffitzel to complete the defensive backfield.
Junior Austin Hasquet of Northern Arizona and
senior James Morris of Iowa are the other first team linebackers while
senior Brett Biestek of Fordham, junior Davis Tull of Chattanooga, and senior Michael Yules of Brown join Oliaro as the first team defensive linemen.
Boyer, who earned his undergraduate degree in sport management with a 3.86 G.P.A, is in his first semester of the graduate program in advertising. He served in the Green Berets Special Forces unit before walking on at Texas in 2010 and was placed on scholarship in 2012. He serves as the long snapper for field goals, PAT and punts and has not had a bad snap in his career. The Dublin, Cal., native was the 2012-13 Big 12 Sportsperson of Year and won the 2012 Disney Spirit Award, given annually to college football’s most inspirational figure. He has helped No. 23 Texas post an 8-3 record.
A senior biological sciences major with a 3.79 G.P.A. at Nebraska,
Long is a 2013 NFF Scholar-Athlete and Big Ten Distinguished Scholar. A native of Elkhorn, Neb., he is on the watch lists for the Outland and Lombardi Trophies. Long is a two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree and has been named to the Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll four times. A second team All-American and first team All-Big Ten selection in 2012, he earned the Nebraska Highest Honors Academic Medallion three times and was named to the Brook Berringer Citizenship Team in 2013.
An accounting major with a 3.75 G.P.A. at Chattanooga,
Davis is a Campbell Trophy semifinalist. He is on the watch lists for the Lou Groza Award and the CFPA National Placekicker Trophy. Davis has kicked 53 field goals in his career, the second highest total of field goals made in Sun Belt Conference history. His .803 career field goal percentage is the third-highest in SBC history. The Brentwood, Tenn., native has been on the Chancellor’s List and the SBC Academic Honor Roll.
Hanberry, a senior biology major with a perfect 4.0 G.P.A., is a two-time Southland Conference All-Academic selection. He has made the Dean’s List every semester while at Nicholls and is a two-time winner of the Nicholls State Student-Athlete Award for Academic Excellence. A native of River Ridge, La., Hanberry is a four-year letterwinner and three-year starter.
A junior informatics major with a 3.91 G.P.A,
Murphy was a 2012 Academic All-Big Ten selection and Indiana's 2012 Academic Excellence Award winner. He ranks second on the team with 84 tackles and had three double-digit tackle games for the Hoosiers this season. The Akron, Ohio, native earned a spot on the Yahoo Sports, BTN.com and ESPN.com Big Ten All-Freshman teams in 2011.
Hasquet, a junior biomedical science major with a 3.95 G.P.A. at Northern Arizona, started all 12 games this season and all 11 games his sophomore year. He led the team with 91 tackles and was the team’s leading tackler in six games this season. Hasquet has made the Dean’s List every semester. He is a two-time Golden Eagle Scholar-Athlete and has twice been named Big Sky All-Academic. A native of Peoria, Ariz., he was a 2012 All-Big Sky honorable mention selection.
A senior political science major with a 3.84 G.P.A. at Iowa,
Morris is one of four finalists for the 2013 Lott IMPACT Trophy and is a NFF Scholar-Athlete. Morris has earned Academic All-Big Ten honors twice and was presented the Third House Scholar Award by the Iowa political science department last spring. He has 392 career tackles and ranks sixth on Iowa's career list. Morris was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week twice this season and leads the team in sacks, interceptions and tackles for lost yardage. He is second on the team with 98 tackles.
A senior finance major with a 3.78 G.P.A.,
Biestek is a two-year starter for Fordham and has helped the Rams post a 12-1 record and a berth in the second round of the NCAA FCS playoffs. A native of Yalesville, Conn., he is second on the team and sixth in the Patriot League in sacks (4). He is also second on the team and third in the league in tackles for a loss (11). A three-time member of the Patriot League Honor Roll, Biestek will graduate in December and enroll in the M.B.A. program at Fordham, only the second athlete in school history to do it.
A junior health and human performance major with a 3.52 G.P.A.,
Tull was the Southern Conference’s Pre-Season Defensive Player of the Year for Chattanooga. A native of Knoxville, Tenn., Tull was a consensus preseason All-American and was named to the Buck Buchanan Award watch list. He leads the conference and ranks ninth nationally in forced fumbles (4). He is also second in the league with nine sacks. Tull was the 2012 SoCon Defensive Player of the Year and a 2012 All-American. He is Chattanooga’s all-time sack leader. He was named Academic All-SoCon and earned a berth on the FCS ADA Academic All-Star team in 2012.
A senior economics major with a 3.76 G.P.A.,
Yules ranks third in the Ivy League with six quarterback sacks. The South Dartmouth, Mass., native was named to the 2013 College Football Performance Awards watch list. As a junior, he was named second team All-Ivy for Brown after ranking third in the Ivy League with 15 tackles for lost yardage. He was also fourth in sacks. He was also an All-New England selection in 2012.
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About the Capital One Academic All-America® Program
To be eligible for Academic All-America® consideration, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative G.P.A. of 3.30 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standings at his/her current institution and be nominated by his/her sports information director.
Since the program’s inception in 1952, CoSIDA has bestowed Academic All-America honors on more than 20,000 student-athletes in Divisions I, II, III and NAIA, covering all NCAA championship sports.
See more information about the Academic All-America® Teams program
HERE.
For More Information, please contact:
Dan O'Connell, Towson University
Academic All-America ® Co-Vice Chair for Publicity/Communications
doconnell@towson.edu
(410) 704-3102
Hope Shuler, Western Athletic Conference
Academic All-America® Coordinator of Publicity
hshuler@wac.org
(303) 962-4213