Athlon Names 3 Huskies to its All-America Team
The preseason rewards keep coming nonstop for the University of Washington football team, with Athlon Sports placing Jaxson Kirkland, Cade Otton and Trent McDuffie on different units of its All-America team.
The 6-foot-7, 317-pound Kirkland filled one of the offensive-tackle spots on Athlon's second team while Otton and McDuffie earned spots at tight end and cornerback, respectively, on the fourth team.
First published in 1967, Nashville-based Athlon Sports is considered the oldest and leading college football preview magazine.
Kirkland, soon to be a fourth-year starter and one of the leaders of the Huskies, has been a first- or second-team selection on nearly every preseason All-America team so far.
He could be playing in the NFL right now, but opted to return for a fifth UW season to become a first-round draft pick and try to win a Pac-12 championship after COVID-19 denied the Huskies that opportunity last December.
The 6-foot-5, 250-pound Otton, likewise, could have moved on to the pros but he chose to return for a fourth year as a starter for reasons similar to Kirkland.
Both Otton and Kirkland are returning first-team All-Pac-12 selections and considered juniors with NCAA-permitted added eligibility, but likely will be done with college ball after playing this season.
McDuffie has been a two-year starter, second-team All-Pac-12 choice and is a sophomore in eligibility. Projected as an NFL first-round draft pick, he likely is down to a final UW season.
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