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CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Illinois defensive tackle Jer’Zhan Newton was named to the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) All-America First Team, the publication announced Wednesday. It is the ninth first-team honor for Newton, who was also named a First-Team All-American by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), Associated Press (AP), Sporting News, The Athletic, CBS, PFF, Sports Illustrated, and USA TODAY.
Newton finished with four first-team selections among the five official NCAA All-America lists: AFCA, Sporting News, FWAA, and AP. The four official picks clinch Newton a spot on the coveted Consensus All-America Team, which will be officially announced later this week.
Newton will become the second Illini defender to earn Consensus All-American honors in as many years, following DB Devon Witherspoon becoming the program’s 21st all-time Consensus selection last season. Illinois last had back-to-back seasons with Consensus All-Americans in 1994 and 1995, when linebackers Dana Howard (1994) and Kevin Hardy (1995) were both honored.
Newton’s long list of accolades this season have included Nagurski Trophy finalist, as one of the nation’s top-five defensive players, and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. He led Power-5 defensive tackles in quarterback pressures for the second straight season in 2023, according to PFF. His 44 pressures during the regular season led all Big Ten defensive tackles by 15, and he also led Big Ten defensive tackles in sacks with 7.5, which ranked second overall in the conference. Over the last two seasons, Newton totaled 103 quarterback pressures, by far the most in the nation among defensive tackles.
Newton ranked in the top three of nearly every statistical category among defensive tackles this season, including third in sacks, defensive stops, and quarterback hits, plus first in snaps played. He also ranked seventh in the nation in tackles among defensive tackles with 52, which ranked third among Power-5 defensive tackles and first among Big Ten defensive tackles, and led the nation…
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