DeBoer Named Coach of the Year on AP All-Pac-12 Team
The Associated Press released its All-Pac-12 postseason football team earlier this week and rewarded six University of Washington players and Husky coach Kalen DeBoer.
After sharing the award with Oregon State’s Jonathan Smith on the coaches-voted Pac-12 team, DeBoer alone was selected Coach of the Year by the national wire service.
Husky offensive guard Jaxson Kirkland, wide receiver Rome Odunze and edge rusher Jeremiah Martin earned first-team recognition from the AP, while quarterback Michael Penix Jr., offensive guard Henry Bainivalu and edge rusher Bralen Trice turned up on the second team.
DeBoer has enjoyed a sensational first season for the UW, rebuilding a 4-8 program from 2021 into a 10-2 team now bound for the Alamo Bowl for a Dec. 29 games against Texas.
The 6-foot-7, 340-pound Kirkland from Vancouver, Washington, continued to pile up individual recognition with a first-team All-Pac-12 accolade, of which he has received numerous times from different entities over the past three seasons.
Odunze has begun to draw a lot of attention for catching 70 passes for 1,088 yards and 7 touchdowns.
A Texas A&M transfer last year, the 6-foot-4, 267-pound Martin ranked among the league leaders in sacks with 8.5.
UW PLAYERS ON AP ALL-PAC-12 TEAM
FIRST UNIT
Jaxson Kirkland, OG, Sr., 6-7, 340, Vancouver, Wash.
Rome Odunze, WR, Sun., 6-3, 201, Las Vegas
Jeremiah Martin, ER, Sr., 6-4, 267, San Bernardino, Calif.
SECOND UNIT
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Michael Penix Jr., QB, Jr., 6-3, 213, Tampa, Fla.
Henry Bainivalu, OG, Sr., 6-7, 307, Sammamish, Wash.
Bralen Trice, ER, Sun., 6-4, 269, Phoenix
COACH OF THE YEAR
Kalen DeBoer, UW, 1st year
Penix, who leads the nation in passing with 4,354 yards, was named to AP’s second unit, trailing only USC quarterback Caleb Williams, the first-teamer and Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year.
Bainivalu was named second-team All-Pac-12 by the AP, playing at the guard spot opposite Kirkland for an offense that averages 40.8 points and 521.7 yards per game.
Trice, becoming a full-time starter for the first time this season, collected 8 sacks for the Huskies, earning himself a second-unit spot.
To see the entire Associated Press All-Pac-12 team, click this link.
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