The Athletic Names Three Big 12 Players to 2023 Preseason All-America Team
Three teams from the Big 12 Conference were represented on The Athletic’s recent list which ranked the top 50 players in college football, earning selections on the Preseason All-America Team.
The three teams included on the list were the Kansas State Wildcats, West Virginia Mountaineers, and the Texas Longhorns with OL Cooper Beebe, OL Zach Frazier, and LB Jaylan Ford all earning All-America honors.
The first player mentioned on the list was Kansas State guard Cooper Beebe, who earned some major props from The Athletic for his impressive four-year run in Manhattan.
“A two-time First-Team All-Big 12 pick, Beebe made the leap to First-Team All-American last year after moving from left tackle to left guard. Per PFF, he didn’t allow a sack in either season. The 6-foot-4, 335-pound Beebe was the star of a line that ranked third in average yards before contact per rush, according to TruMedia, paving the way for another big season for Deuce Vaughn. Vaughn is gone, but Kansas State still has Beebe leading one of the nation’s best offensive lines.
Zach Frazier followed Beebe up on the list, earning praise for elevating his game into the nation’s best center after arriving on campus as a three-star prospect in 2020.
“The 6-foot-3, 310 Frazier has started 34 of 35 games for the Mountaineers since arriving in 2020 as a three-star recruit who was a four-time state wrestling champion in high school. He’s a two-time All-Big 12 honoree who is ranked as Brugler’s top center for the 2024 NFL Draft and puts that wrestling background on full display as a dominant player inn the middle of the WVU line.”
The final position on The Athletic’s list is the first non-offensive lineman mentioned from the Big 12 in Texas linebacker Jaylan Ford.
“Ford became a full-time starter in 2022 and was one of the most well-rounded linebackers in the country. The 6-foot-3, 242-pound former three-star recruit had 119 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, four interceptions, and three forced fumbles, and enters this fall as arguably the best defensive player in the Big 12.”
With multiple players earning selections to The Athletic’s All-America Team, the Big 12 Conference continues to produce NFL talent on a consistent basis. While the Big 12 Conference may only have three selections included with Beebe, Frazier, and Ford, as the league continues to grow through conference expansion, so do the chances of listed more names in the future.
