UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State junior linebacker Micah Parsons and junior tight end Pat Freiermuth each earned a spot on the Walter Camp Foundation's Preseason All-American teams, presented by Marcum LLP, it was announced on Thursday.
Parsons was one of 14 players who earned Walter Camp All-American recognition following the 2019 campaign who is on the 2020 preseason list. The Harrisburg native was a second team selection in 2019.
Micah Parsons Bio:
- 2019 Big Ten Butkus-Fitzgerald Linebacker of the Year.
- Became the first sophomore in Big Ten history to win the award.
- 2019 first team All-Big Ten selection by the coaches and media.
- Named a Consensus All-American by the NCAA.
- Was a first team All-America selection by numerous outlets, including the Associated Press, USA Today, ESPN, the AFCA, Sports Illustrated, Bleacher Report and Pro Football Focus.
- Earned additional All-America honors from by Sporting News, CBS Sports, the FWAA, Walter Camp Foundation, The Athletic and Phil Steele.
- Has six career forced fumbles, seventh all-time at Penn State.
- Tallied four forced fumbles in 2019, tied for fifth in a single season for the Nittany Lions.
- The four forced fumbles were tied for third in the Big Ten and tied for fifth nationally.
- Earned the 2019 Most Valuable Defensive Player at the team's awards banquet.
- Was a finalist for the Butkus Award and a semifinalist for the Bednarik Award.
- Appeared in 13 games in 2019, making 12 starts, and finished the season with 10 or more tackles in three-straight games and six of the final seven games.
- Secured 10 tackles and registered two tackles for loss in the win over Buffalo (9/7/19).
- In the victory over Pittsburgh (9/14/19), collected nine tackles, seven solo, and registered two tackles for loss, while adding a pass breakup and a QB hurry.
- Recorded two tackles for loss, a sack and five tackles in the win over Purdue (10/5/19).
- In the Michigan win (10/19/19), tied a career high with 14 tackles, including six solo, with eight of those 14 tackles holding Michigan to one or less yard.
- Collected 12 tackles and broke up a pass in the win at Michigan State (10/26/19).
- Secured 11 tackles, six solo, and tallied two TFLs and a sack at Minnesota (11/9/19).
- Recorded seven tackles and forced a fumble in the first quarter in the victory over Indiana (11/16/19).
- Registered 10 tackles at Ohio State (11/23/19), while adding two tackles for loss, a forced fumble and a recovery.
- Made 10 tackles and added a solo sack in the Rutgers win (11/30/19).
- In the Cotton Bowl win over Memphis (12/28/19), registered a career-high three tackles for loss and two sacks, while also forcing two fumbles and adding a personal best two pass breakups.
- Tied a career high mark in tackles with 14 against the Tigers and was named to the AP All-Bowl Team, ESPN All-Bowl Team and Sports Illustrated All-Bowl Team.
Pat Freiermuth Bio:
- Named a 2019 second team All-American by the AFCA and The Athletic.
- Voted a 2019 All-Big Ten second team by the coaches and media.
- Named the team's 2019 Most Valuable Offensive Player at the awards banquet.
- Has caught a pass in 25-straight games.
- Has 15 career touchdown receptions, tied with Mike Gesicki (2014-17) for the PSU record for tight ends.
- The 15 TD grabs are good for a tie for ninth all-time at Penn State with current Penn State assistant head coach Terry Smith (1988-91), Joe Jurevicius (1994-97) and Mike Gesicki (2014-17).
- Made 13 starts and was a team captain during his sophomore season in 2019.
- Ranked seventh in the Big Ten with seven touchdown receptions and held fourth among FBS tight ends with the seven scores.
- Hauled in a career-best eight receptions for 99 yards in the victory over Buffalo (9/17/19), pulling in two touchdown receptions.
- Made a seven-yard touchdown grab in the win over Purdue (10/5/19).
- Scored on a 17-yard touchdown grab in the victory over Michigan (10/19/19).
- In the win at Michigan State (10/26/19), made five receptions for 60 yards and caught a career-high three touchdown receptions, becoming the ninth time in program history that a player has caught three touchdown passes in a single game.
- Caught seven passes for a career-high 101 yards at Minnesota (11/9/19).
- Made eight touchdown receptions his freshman year in 2018 (No. 2 among PSU tight ends and tied for No. 11 overall among PSU receivers).
About the Walter Camp All-American Team:
Walter Camp, considered the "Father of American Football," first named an All-American team in 1889. The 2020 season will be the 131st edition of the team. In late November, the 2020 All-America teams will be selected by the head coaches and sports information directors of the 130 Football Bowl Subdivision schools and will be certified by Marcum's New Haven-based accounting firm.
Camp – a former Yale University athlete and football coach – is also credited with developing play from scrimmage, set plays, the numerical assessment of goals and tries and the restriction of play to eleven men per side. The Walter Camp Football Foundation – a New Haven-based all-volunteer group – was founded in 1967 to perpetuate the ideals of Camp and to continue the tradition of selecting annually an All-America team. The Foundation is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA). The NCFAA was founded in 1997 as a coalition of the major collegiate football awards to protect, preserve and enhance the integrity, influence and prestige of the game's predominant awards. The NCFAA encourages professionalism and the highest standards for the administration of its member awards and the selection of their candidates and recipients.