IRVING, Texas – Five American Athletic Conference football players – including four from No. 4-ranked Cincinnati – have been named to the 2021 Academic All-America Team as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America.
Cincinnati placed quarterback Desmond Ridder and wide receiver Alec Pierce on the Academic All-America first team, while offensive guard Lorenz Metz and safety Bryan Cook were both second-team selections. Navy fullback Isaac Ruoss was also named to the second team.
Ridder, Metz and Cook were all chosen to The American’s all-conference first team, while Pierce was a second-team all-conference choice in 2021.
Ridder was named as The American’s Offensive Player of the Year for the second consecutive season after leading the Bearcats to a 13-0 season entering the College Football Playoff Semifinal against Alabama in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic. He has passed for 3,190 yards and 30 touchdowns this season and has registered 44 career wins as a starter, good for third in FBS history. Ridder earned a bachelor’s degree in sport administration in 2020.
Pierce is the Bearcats’ leading receiver with 50 receptions for 867 yards and eight touchdowns. He earned an undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering in three-and-a-half years, graduating last week.
Metz, who also graduated last week with a degree in industrial management, is the Bearcats’ starter at left offensive guard and has made 21 career starts on the offensive line.
Cook, an all-conference safety, has registered 87 tackles, 5.0 tackles for loss and 10 passes defended as part of a secondary that leads FBS football in pass efficiency defense (100.47).
Ruoss took over as Navy’s starting fullback in 2021 and finished the season as the Midshipmen’s leading rusher, with 641 yards and five touchdowns on 166 carries. He will graduate from Navy with a degree in quantitative economics and will be commissioned as a Marine Corps pilot.
The five football Academic All-America selections are the most in The American’s nine-year history. The Academic All-America team has been presented annually since 1952, when it was established by former SMU sports information director Lester Jordan.
American Athletic Conference Players on CoSIDA Academic All-America Team
First Team
Desmond Ridder, QB, Cincinnati (Sr., 3.34, Sport Administration)
Alec Pierce, WR, Cincinnati (Sr., 3.83, Mechanical Engineering)
Second Team
Isaac Ruoss, RB, Navy (Sr., 3.87, Quantitative Economics)
Lorenz Metz, OL, Cincinnati (Jr., 3.89, Industrial Management)
Bryan Cook, DB, Cincinnati (Sr., 3.67, Digital Media Collaborative)