HCS midseason Big 12 awards

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As we hit the halfway point in the season, here’s a look at our midseason All-Big 12 team.

Offensive Player of the Year: Texas RB D’Onta Foreman: He has over 200 rushing yards more than anyone else in the conference. With teammate Chris Warren likely out for the season, that gap may only continue to grow. With a true freshman at QB, it’s Foreman who has been the anchor and leader of this offense. It’s very possible he’s a first-round pick in next spring’s NFL Draft.

Defensive Player of the Year: Kansas State DE Jordan Willis: He leads the Big 12 in sacks (6) and tackles for loss (8.5). The senior has been the best player on the best defense in the Big 12. If the Wildcats can keep themselves in the middle of the pack in the Big 12, it will be because of the defense led by Willis.

Offensive Newcomer of the Year: WVU RB Justin Crawford: The transfer from Northwest Mississippi Community College has quickly made his presence felt in Morgantown. He’s averaging 5.6 yards/carry this season and is currently 6^th in the Big 12 in rushing yards per game, a number that would be higher had he not gotten injured against Texas Tech last week. Crawford is one of the many reasons WVU is 5-0 for the first time in 4 seasons.

Defensive Newcomer of the Year: OU LB Emmanuel Beal: The transfer from Lackawanna College is part of an young, but improving group at linebacker. He’s averaging 6.5 tackles/game, good enough for top-15 in the Big 12. OU lost 5 of its top 6 linebackers from last year’s College Football Playoff team, and Beal is blossoming into a really quality player for the Sooners.

Coach of the Year:  WVU’s Dana Holgorsen: The Mountaineers were picked to finish 7^th in the Big 12 preseason poll, but find themselves at 5-0 and ranked in the top 15 nationally. Holgorsen’s defense has stood out, despite the loss of 8 starters (allowing 19.4 PPG), and is in the top half of the conference in rush and pass defense. The offense has allowed QB Skyler Howard to lean on his running back duo of Rushel Shell and Justin Crawford, which has helped him in the passing game.

Offensive Freshman of the Year: Texas QB Shane Buechele: He launched onto the national scene with an opening night win against Notre Dame. While the win does not look as good as it did 6 weeks ago, Buechele has been more than steady at QB, averaging 250 passing yards per game and has led a UT offense to nearly 40 points per game. Yes, much of that is the offensive system under Sterlin Gilbert. But, either way, for the first time in nearly a decade, Texas has its quarterback of the future.

Defensive Freshman of the Year: Texas Tech LB Jordyn Brooks: There is no Malik Jefferson in this year’s Big 12 freshman class. But, Brooks has been very steady this season with 36 tackles, including 29 solo stops which is tied for 7^th in the Big 12. While Tech’s defense has been terrible, having a guy like Brooks in the fold does give a glimmer of hope of better things to come in the future.

Special Teams Player of the Year:  Kansas State’s Byron Pringle: If TCU’s Kavontae Turpin returns against WVU (missed 3 games with a knee injury) and plays the rest of the season, I think he will ultimately win this award. But, right now, it’s Pringle’s, who is averaging 31.6 yards per kick return, nearly 6 yards better than anyone else in the conference, to go along with a 99-yard kick return for a touchdown against Texas Tech.

Offensive Lineman of the Year: Texas OT Connor Williams: Nothing is more important for a freshman QB than having a solid offensive line. Williams has helped keep Shane Buechele upright as he transitions from the high school to the college game. Williams gets the slightest edge over WVU’s Tyler Orlosky.

Defensive Lineman of the Year: TCU DE Josh Carraway: The obvious answer would be K-State’s Jordan Willis since I picked him as the Defensive Player of the Year, but I figured it’d be best to mix things up. Despite TCU’s struggles on defense so far, none of that has been the fault of Carraway, who is living up to expectations. He’s 2^nd in the league in sacks (3.5) and 1^st in tackles for loss (5.5).