Chris Long Named to AFCA Coaches? All-America Team
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WACO, TEXAS Virginia senior defensive end Chris Long has been named to the 2007 AFCA Coaches’ All-America team announced today by the American Football Coaches Association. The AFCA has selected an All-America team since 1945 and is the only team chosen exclusively by coaches.
Long, recently named the Atlantic Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Year, is the seventh Cavalier to earn AFCA All-America accolades and the first since G Elton Brown and TE Heath Miller were named in 2004. Other Cavaliers named to the squad include: T Jim Dombrowski (1985), LB/DE Ray Savage (1989), QB Shawn Moore (1990), and T Ray Roberts (1991).
Long has been one of the nation’s most dominant defensive players this season. He was the ACC leader this season in sacks (1.13/g) and tackles for loss (1.54/g). Long also leads conference defensive linemen in tackling with an average of 6.2 tackles per game.
Long had a direct impact on three road victories for the 9-3 Cavaliers this season. He intercepted a North Carolina pass and returned it 25 yards to set up the game-winning field goal in the Cavaliers’ 22-20 win over the Tar Heels in the third game of the season. He blocked a field goal in UVa’s 23-21 win over Middle Tennessee on Oct. 6. Two weeks later he sacked Maryland’s quarterback in the end zone for a third quarter safety in an 18-17 victory.
The Charlottesville, Va., native is also a finalist for several national defensive awards this season including the Lombardi Award, the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, the Ronnie Lott Trophy and the Ted Hendricks Defensive end of the Year award.
The AFCA’s Football Bowl Subdivision All-America Selection Committee is made up of three head coaches from each of the AFCA’s nine FBS districts, one who serves as a district chairman, along with another head coach who serves as the chairman of the selection committee. The coaches in each district are responsible for ranking the top players in their respective district. That information, along with ballots submitted by FBS head coaches, is used to select the AFCA FBS Coaches’ All-America Team.
2007 AFCA Coaches’ All-America Team
Offense | ||
Pos. | Name | School |
WR | Michael Crabtree | Texas Tech |
WR | Jordy Nelson | Kansas State |
TE | Martin Rucker | Missouri |
OL | Jake Long | Michigan |
OL | Kirk Barton | Ohio State |
C | Steve Justice | Wake Forest |
OL | Duke Robinson | Oklahoma |
OL | Ryan Clady | Boise State |
QB | Matt Ryan | Boston College |
RB | Darren McFadden | Arkansas |
RB | Jonathan Stewart | Oregon |
Defense | ||
Pos. | Name |
School |
DL |
Chris Long |
Virginia |
DL | Glenn Dorsey | LSU |
DL | George Selvie | South Florida |
DL | Sedrick Ellis | Southern California |
LB | James Laurinaitis | Ohio State |
LB | Xavier Adibi | Virginia Tech |
LB | J Leman | Illinois |
DB | Dwight Lowery | San Jose State |
DB | Aqib Talib | Kansas |
DB | Brandon Flowers | Virginia Tech |
DB | Mike Jenkins | South Florida |
Specialists | ||
Pos. | Name |
School |
P | Chris Miller | Ball State |
PK | Taylor Mehlhaff | Wisconsin |
All-Purpose | DeSean Jackson | California |