Cole Van Lanen Selected to USA TODAY Preseason All-America Team
Though the Big Ten announced its "postponement" of fall sports last week, one publication named Cole Van Lanen to a preseason honor on Wednesday.
Van Lanen, Wisconsin's starting left tackle, was named as a first-team honoree for USA TODAY's preseason All-America team.
The Green Bay, Wis., native has played in 40 career games heading into his final year of eligibility as a Badger. He started 13 contests in 2019 for a 10-4 Wisconsin program that opened holes for two-time Doak Walker Award winner Jonathan Taylor.
Earlier this summer, Van Lanen also claimed a preseason first-team All-American nod from the Walter Camp Football Foundation. He also was named to the 2020 Outland Trophy watch list. As mentioned in the award's press release, the award is presented "to the best interior lineman in college football."
Van Lanen joins four other Big Ten athletes to claim the first-team distinction by USA TODAY Sports. The others include Ohio State's Wyatt Davis and Shawn Wade, Iowa's Keith Duncan and Penn State's Micah Parsons.
The conference also represented well on the publication's second-team. Justin Fields (Ohio State), Rashod Bateman (Minnesota), Pat Freiermuth (Penn State), Blake Hayes (Illinois), Rondale Moore (Purdue) and Ihmir Smith-Marsette (Iowa) all received those particular accolades.
