Utah's Spencer Fano nears rare feat with latest All-America team honor

Utes right tackle was named a first-team All-American by Sporting News

Utah Utes offensive lineman Spencer Fano (55) has been named a first-team All-American selection by four of the five major media outlets. | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Utah offensive tackle Spencer Fano became the program's ninth player to earn consensus All-American status after receiving first team honors from the Walter Camp, Associated Press and American Football Coaches Association.

With the release of Sporting News' All-America teams Wednesday, Fano moved one step closer to reaching a whole other stratosphere only a select number of Utes have reached in their collegiate career: unanimous All-American designation.

It'd be an impressive and well-deserved honor for Fano, who was selected for one of the spots on the Sporting News' All-America first team following a dominant 2025 campaign in which the 6-foot-6 Spanish Fork, Utah, native didn't allow any sacks and yielded only five pressures across 382 pass-blocking snaps, according to Pro Football Focus.

Players who are named a first-team selection by all the major publications that create All-America teams, including the AP, AFCA, Sporting News, Walter Camp and Football Writers Association of America, are considered "unanimous" All-Americans. Fano has been tabbed as a first-team All-American by all the aforementioned outlets, with exception to the Football Writers Association of America, which is set to reveal its All-America teams on Dec. 18.

If the Football Writers Association of America follow the same line of thinking as the other media groups, Utah's standout right tackle will become the fifth player in program history to be hailed as a unanimous All-American, and just the second non-special teams player to earn the prestigious title since 1932. Utes cornerback Clark Phillips III was a unanimous All-American in 2022. The last Utah offensive lineman honored with first-team All-America honors from the Football Writers Association of America was Zane Beadles in 2009.

Placing on four of the five major All-America teams enjoined Fano with Jonah Elliss (2023), Devin Lloyd (2021), Bradlee Anae (2019), Matt Gay (2017), Tom Hackett (2014) Eric Weddle (2006), Jordan Gross (2002) and Luther Elliss (1994) as the only Utah players to achieve "consensus" All-American status, which is reserved for players who earn first-team All-America honors from at least half of the major publications.

Fano recently made program history after being the first Utah player to take home the Outland Trophy, awarded annually the top lineman in college football. He was also the first Utes offensive tackle to be named an Associated Press All-American in back-to-back seasons, and the first player in program history to be named the Polynesian College Football Player of the Year recipient.

Fano, the Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year and all-conference selection, began rewriting Utah's record books after starting all 12 regular season games at right tackle, helping pave the way for the No. 1 rushing attack at the power conference level. The Utes ranked No. 4 in the league in passer rating (145.6) and No. 5 in completion percentage (62.9%), in addition to averaging 269.8 rush yards per game, second among Football Bowl Subdivision teams behind Navy (298.4).

Every Unanimous All-American in Utah Football History

• CB Clark Phillips (2022)
• P Mitch Wishnowsky (2016)
• P Tom Hackett (2015)
• K Louie Sakoda (2008)