12 Utes Receive All-Pac-12 Honors After Shortened Season
The 2020 college football season has been nothing short of a hot mess, especially for the Pac-12. Only UCLA was able to play all 7 games on the year which ended with the Oregon (4-2) being crowned conference champions.
After being the last Power 5 conference to play, it appears the conference was hit harder than the rest of the nation when it came to the COVID-19 outbreak. Of the seven scheduled games, nine of the teams were forced to miss at least two games with five of them playing in just four games.
Yet to honor the tradition that the teams were even able to take the field, the Pac-12 released its annual conference yearly awards and all-conference teams on Tuesday afternoon. And per the usual, Utah was well represented.
Eleven players were named to the 12 spots with Britain Covey receiving honors as both a wide receiver and special teams returner. However running back Ty Jordan received arguably the highest honor when he was named the Pac-12's Offensive Freshman of the Year.
First team nominees went to offensive lineman Nick Ford, linebacker Devin Lloyd, kicker Jadon Redding and Covey as a return specialist.
Second team nominees went to tight end Brant Kuithe, offensive lineman Sataoa Laumea, defensive lineman Mika Tafua and Jordan.
Honorable Mention nominees went to linebacker Nephi Sewell, cornerback Ja'Travis Broughton, long snapper Keegan Markraff and Covey as a wide receiver.
Jordan began to shine in just his second game of his career when he was electric against Washington, perennially one of the top defenses in the nation. Despite suffering a 24-21 heart-breaking loss, Jordan showed why he was dangerous with the ball in his hands when he ran for 97 yards on just 10 carries — and that was while still sharing carries with three other running backs.
If Utah fans thought that was good, they had no idea what was in store for them over the final three games of the year when he was elevated to starter.
Jordan averaged 156 yards rushing and two touchdowns per game in leading the Utes to victories over Oregon State, then No. 21 Colorado and Washington State. That number rushing would've ranked third in the nation and second in the Pac-12.
He finished the season with 597 rushing yards on just 83 carries with six touchdowns, an average of 119.4 rushing yards per game that ranked ninth in the country and No. 1 amongst freshman.
Dec 19, 2020; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Utes running back Ty Jordan (22) runs in for a touchdown in the fourth quarter against the Washington State Cougars at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Swinger-USA TODAY Sports
Utah All-Pac-12 First-Team Nominees
Nick Ford, OL, Junior: After playing every spot on the offensive line throughout his first three seasons in a Utah uniform, Ford settled in during this past season. The unquestioned leader of the group, he helped pave the way for an offense that averaged 194 rushing yards, 5.08 yards per carry and gave up just 1.4 sacks per gam (23rd in country).
Devin Lloyd, LB, Junior: A Butkus Award finalist, Lloyd was the unquestioned leader of the defense and absolutely dominant. He finished with a team-high 48 tackles and two sacks. No Ute improved their draft stock more than Lloyd, who will have a decision to make regarding the upcoming season.
Jadon Redding, K, Sophomore: Redding was a perfect 18-for-18 on PAT's and 8-for-8 on field goals this season, earning Pac-12 Special Teams Player of the Week twice. He had a long of 44 yards and is seen as the next great Utah kicker to come through the program.
Britain Covey, RS, Junior: Covey, once finally healthy, was dynamic in the return game and proved to be a true game-changer. He finished second in the nation by averaging 16.13 yards per punt return with a score.
Dec 12, 2020; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Utah Utes wide receiver Britain Covey (18) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Colorado Buffaloes in the third quarter at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports.
All-Pac-12 First Team
Offense
- QB Kedon Slovis, USC
- RB Jarek Broussard, Colorado
- RB Jermar Jefferson, Oregon State
- WR Simi Fehoko, Stanford
- WR Amon-Ra St. Brown, USC
- TE Cade Otton, Washington
- OL Drew Dalman, Stanford
- OL Nathan Eldridge, Oregon State
- OL Nick Ford, Utah
- OL Jaxson Kirkland, Washington
- OL Alijah Vera-Tucker, USC
- OL Dohnovan West, Arizona State
Defense
- DL Osa Odighizuwa, UCLA
- DL Kayvon Thibodeaux, Oregon
- DL Marlon Tuipulotu, USC
- DL Zion Tupuola-Fetui, Washington
- LB Nate Landman, Colorado
- LB, Devin Lloyd, Utah
- LB Avery Roberts, Oregon State
- DB Camryn Bynum, California
- DB Talanoa Hufanga, USC
- DB Elijah Molden, Washington
- DB Mykel Wright, Oregon
Specialists
- PK Jadon Redding, Utah
- P Michael Turk, Arizona State
- RS Britain Covey, Utah
- AP/ST Thomas Booker, Stanford
Dec 5, 2020; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Utes place kicker Jadon Redding (97) kicks a field goal in the first quarter against the Oregon State Beavers at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Swinger-USA TODAY Sports
All-Pac-12 Second Team
Offense
- QB Sam Noyer, Colorado
- QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson, UCLA
- RB Demetric Felton, UCLA
- RB Ty Jordan, Utah
- WR Drake London, USC
- WR Tyler Vaughns, USC
- TE Greg Dulcich, UCLA
- TE Brant Kuithe, Utah
- OL Alex Forsyth, Oregon
- OL Joshua Gray, Oregon State
- OL Sataoa Laumea, Utah
- OL Abe Lucas, Washington State
- OL Will Sherman, Colorado
Defense
- DL Thomas Booker, Stanford
- DL Mustafa Johnson, Colorado
- DL Tyler Johnson, Arizona State
- DL Mika Tafua, Utah
- LB Cameron Goode, California
- LB Drake Jackson, USC
- LB Edefuan Ulofoshio, Washington
- DB Deommodore Lenoir, Oregon
- DB Chase Lucas, Arizona State
- DB Trent McDuffie, Washington
- DB Chris Steele, USC
Special Teams
- PK Jet Toner, Stanford
- P Oscar Draguicevich, Washington State
- RS D.J. Taylor, Arizona
- AP/ST Jaylon Jackson, Colorado
Dec 5, 2020; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Utes defensive end Mika Tafua (42) sacks Oregon State Beavers quarterback Chance Nolan (10) on the final drive of the game at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Swinger-USA TODAY Sports
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