PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Temple linebacker Tyler Matakevich, the Chuck Bednarik Award and Bronko Nagurski Trophy winner as the nation’s top defensive player, was announced by the NCAA as a consensus All-America selection Thursday.
Matakevich was a first-team All-America selection of the Walter Camp Foundation, the American Football Coaches Association, the Associated Press and the Football Writers Association of America. He was a second-team choice of Sporting News.
Matakevich was chosen earlier as the American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year and was the only player to be unanimously selected to the all-conference first team.
The active career tackle leader in the NCAA FBS, Matakevich has recorded more than 100 tackles in all four seasons at Temple. He is only the seventh player in FBS history to record more than 100 tackles in four different seasons, and he is the only player in FBS who has led his team in tackles in every game during the 2015 season. He also has the most interceptions by any linebacker in college football this season (five) with 47 yards in returns.
Matakevich, through 13 games in 2015, has 126 total tackles. He has 15 tackles for 62 yards in losses. Of those, are 4.5 sacks for losses of 28 yards. In addition, he has five passes broken up and one quarterback hurry.
Matakevich becomes the second player in American Athletic Conference history to earn consensus All-America honors. He joins former Memphis punter Tom Hornsey, who was chosen in 2013.
2015 NCAA Consensus All-America Team
|
QB |
Deshaun Watson |
Clemson |
|
RB |
Leonard Fournette |
LSU |
|
RB |
Derrick Henry |
Alabama |
|
WR |
Corey Coleman |
Baylor |
|
WR |
Josh Doctson |
TCU |
|
TE |
Hunter Henry |
Arkansas |
|
OL |
Taylor Decker |
Ohio State |
|
OL |
Spencer Drango |
Baylor |
|
OL |
Joshua Garnett |
Stanford |
|
OL |
Ronnie Stanley |
Notre Dame |
|
C |
Ryan Kelly |
Alabama |
|
|
|
|
|
DL |
Shaq Lawson |
Clemson |
|
DL |
Carl Nassib |
Penn State |
|
DL |
A’Shawn Robinson |
Alabama |
|
DL |
Joey Bossa |
Ohio State |
|
LB |
Tyler Matakevich |
Temple |
|
LB |
Reggie Ragland |
Alabama |
|
LB |
Jaylon Smith |
Notre Dame |
|
DB |
Jeremy Cash |
Duke |
|
DB |
Vernon Hargreaves III |
Florida |
|
DB |
Desmond King |
Iowa |
|
|
|
|
|
K |
Ka’imi Fairbairn |
UCLA |
|
P |
Tom Hackett |
Utah |
|
RS |
Christian McCaffrey |
Stanford |
|
RS |
Evan Berry |
Tennessee |