Kansas Football Lands Four on All Big 12 Teams

The All Big 12 teams, as voted on by the coaches, were announced today and Kansas has representation. Four Jayhawks were named to the second team All Big 12 on either offense and defense. While it's a moderate improvement, it is improvement over the past two seasons and a very small sign that hopefully a better coaching staff is getting more out of the Jayhawk roster.

James Sims and Tanner Hawkinson were named to the second team offensive unit. Hawkinson set a record this year for most starts by a Kansas player and he has been a staple on the offensive line through four coaches. Sims sat for three games to start the year but reentered the lineup and became the most productive Jayhawk on offense by far. Sims will be back for a senior campaign next year, while Hawkinson will potentially look to get a shot at the next level.

Defensively Ben Heeney and Bradley McDougald made the list. Heeney is in his first year as a starter and really developed into a solid player in the middle for Kansas. McDougald drew praise from Charlie Weis from the beginning and he led a secondary that experienced some struggles but also looked less like swiss cheese than years past. It wasn't perfect or as consistent as we would have liked, but McDougald made quite a few plays for an improved Kansas defense, at least based on the eyeball test.

Hawinson also received honorable mention as offensive lineman of the year while Tony Pierson was honorable mention all conference.