Three Buffs Selected First Team All-Big 12 by Coaches

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BOULDER - Three University of Colorado football players were named to the Big 12 Conference's first team as selected by the coaches, the league announced Tuesday. Senior placekicker Mason Crosby, senior defensive end Abraham Wright and junior cornerback Terrence Wheatley made the team with record-setting performances for the Buffs this season.

Crosby rewrote the record books during his career at CU, finishing as the Buffs' all-time leading scorer with 326 points. He is also the active career NCAA leader in field goals made and field goal attempts. He also made a name for himself in the clutch, as he was 14-of-18 in his career in the fourth quarter with his only four misses coming from 50, 57, 63 and 65 yards out.

Former Iowa State head coach Dan McCarney recently paid the ultimate compliment to Crosby, calling him "the best kicker in the history of college football." 

"It's a huge honor with the way this season played out," said Crosby, who has been a first team All-Big 12 selection since his sophomore year. "I'm blessed and honored to be a part of this group for the last three years."

Wheatley led the Buffs and tied for second in the Big 12 with five interceptions. He also had a team-high 11 passes broken up and was second on the team with 11 third down stops.

CU coaches were confident enough in Wheatley to match him up with the opponent's best receiver and let him play an-to-man coverage. 

Wright lead the team with 11? sacks and 17 quarterback pressures while playing the second-most snaps from scrimmage on the defensive side of the ball. His sack total was the highest in the Big 12 and ranks as the sixth-highest season total in school history.

"Seeing that I wasn't even an honorable mention selection last year it means a lot," Wright said. "I used that as motivation and it just shows how things can turn around. It truly is a blessing."

Wright has a busy schedule ahead of him following the end of the football season. Wednesday he is set to visit two separate elementary schools near Loveland. The first is a Christian school where he will talk to kids about balancing faith and football, and the second is a public school where he will address a mixed crowd of deaf children and others. Wright has taken sign language courses at CU and is interested in working with the deaf someday. He is also scheduled to speak at a kids' football banquet on Sunday.  

Four other Buffs were named honorable mention All-Big 12: senior offensive lineman Brian Daniels, senior linebacker Thaddaeus Washington, junior linebacker Jordon Dizon and sophomore defensive tackle George Hypolite. Dizon (137 tackles) and Washington (107 tackles) became the first set of linebackers to both post 100-plus tackles in a season since 1994, when Ted Johnson and Matt Russell accomplished the feat. Daniels, a starter since his true freshman year, played in all but one offensive snap for the Buffs this season?because he lost his shoe during a play against Kansas State. Hypolite was second on the team in tackles for loss with 12? and tied for second with seven quarterback pressures.