Benkert Named a CoSIDA Football Academic All-American

– Full 2017 CoSIDA Academic All-America Team

Dec. 14, 2017

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia quarterback Kurt Benkert has been named to the 2017 College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic Football All-America team. Benkert is being recognized as one of the nation’s top student-athletes for his combined performance athletically and in the classroom. Benkert was awarded second-team honors. The team is voted on by the members of CoSIDA.

To be nominated, a student-athlete must be a starter or important reserve with at least a 3.30 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) at his current institution.

Benkert (Sr., Cape Coral, Fla.) is the first player in Cavalier history to throw for over 3,000 yards in a season. His single-season UVA record for passing yards stands at 3,062 entering the Military Bowl. Benkert leads the ACC with 25 passing touchdowns, which ranks No. 2 all-time on UVA’s single-season ledger. Benkert is the first player in Virginia history to throw for over 20 touchdowns in multiple seasons. He had 21 last year. In only two years Benkert ranks No. 3 all-time at UVA with 5,614 passing yards and 46 passing touchdowns.

Benkert posted a 3.69 GPA while earning a degree in finance at East Carolina. He currently has a 3.78 GPA in his graduate work at UVA. Benkert will graduate this month with a master’s degree in higher education.

Benkert is one of two ACC players who earned either first- or second-team honors. Miami wide receiver Braxton Berrios was named to the first team.

Benkert is UVA’s 10th all-time CoSIDA Academic All-American and the first Cavalier quarterback to receive honors. UVA has placed at least one player on the CoSIDA Academic All-America team in back-to-back (Micah Kiser, 2016) years for the first time since 1995-97, when UVA placed someone on the team three years in a row. Tiki Barber was a first-team honoree in 1995 and 1996, while Stephen Phelan earned first-team honors in 1997.