Aggie Linebacker Michael Hodges earns first-team Academic All-America honors
Nov 23, 2010 | Football
Nov. 23, 2010
TOWSON, MD - Texas A&M University senior linebacker Michael Hodges was named to the 2010 ESPN Academic All-America Football Team as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
Hodges, a senior from Helotes, Texas, posted a 3.82 grade point as an undergraduate and graduated magna cum laude with a degree in sports management with a minor in business in May of 2010. He is pursuing a master's degree in marketing and currently has a 4.0 grade point.
“I am very proud of Michael,” Aggie head football coach Michael Hodges is a great example of an Aggie. I know his parents are proud of his accomplishments and so are we.”
The inside linebacker was recently named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week for the second time in three weeks. In both games, the Aggies upset the #8 team in the BCS standings. This past Saturday (Nov. 20) against Nebraska he recorded 14 tackles with 12 of those being the solo variety. The Aggie defense kept the Cornhuskers out of the end zone and limited the NU offense to 306 yards of total offense. On Nov. 6 against the Oklahoma Sooners, Hodges recorded 19 tackles with eight solo stops and 11 assisted tackles to go along with two quarterback sacks for losses of 16 yards in earning his first Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week honor.
Hodges currently leads the Aggie defense in tackles with 98 stops including 7.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage and 4.5 quarterback sacks. He has picked off two passes, broken up two others and has caused three fumbles.
Hodges is the first Aggie named to the first-team ESPN Academic All-America squad since offensive lineman Seth McKinney earned the honor in 2001. Aggie offensive lineman Cody Wallace was a second-team All-America selection in 2007. College Station product Kip Corrington was a first-team selection in 1985, 1986 and 1987 for Texas A&M. In 1987, Corrington was named the very first Academic All-America of the Year and was elected to the CoSIDA Academic All-America Hall of Fame in 2003.
Aggie junior quarterback/wide receiver Ryan Tannehill, from Big Spring, Texas, was on the national ballot after being named to the District VI Academic All-America squad with a 3.60 grade point in biology. As one sports information director said, “it looks like he was nominated at the wrong position.”
Tannehill was nominated at the wide receiver position by the deadline of Oct. 19. Tannehill had 11 receptions for 143 yards and one touchdown in the first six games of the season. On Oct. 23 against Kansas, Tannehill saw his first meaningful action at quarterback and then started the following week against Texas Tech and proceeded to set the single-game Texas A&M passing record with 449 yards in the Aggies' 45-27 win. Texas A&M has won five straight games, the longest current winning streak in the Big 12 Conference, heading into the Thanksgiving game against Texas in Austin.
Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy from Southlake, Texas, was named the Academic All-America of the Year for the University Division.
Other Big 12 players named to the first-team were Texas defensive lineman Sam Acho and a Nebraska defensive back, Austin Cassidy, who posted a 3.88 grade point in psychology and is the son of Tim and Nancy Cassidy of College Station.
Tim Cassidy is the associate athletic director for football for Texas A&M and Nancy is a senior lecturer in accounting in the Mays Business School at Texas A&M University. Austin grew up attending College Station schools before moving with his family to Nebraska after his freshman year in high school. Tim Cassidy worked with the Nebraska football staff 2004-07.
To be eligible, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.30 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic status at his or her current institution and be nominated by his or her sports information director. The program was started in 1952.
2010 ESPN Academic All-America ® Football Team as selected by CoSIDA
University Division
FIRST TEAM
Pos. Name School Dist. Yr. Hometown GPA Major
QB Greg McElroy Alabama IV Gr. Southlake, Texas 3.82 Business Marketing, Sports Adm.
RB Kyle Minett South Dakota State VII Sr. Ruthton, Minn. 3.67 Economics
RB Jacquise Terry (2) Kent State IV Jr. Phenix, Ala. 3.66 Aeronautics
WR Joe Allaria Southern Illinois V Sr. Edwardsville, Ill. 3.75 Marketing
WR Anthony Nelson Massachusetts I Sr. Wellington, Fla. 3.88 Economics
WR Kealoha Pilares Hawaii VIII Sr. Wahiawa, Hawai'i 3.61 Kinesiology, Recreation Science
TE Kyle Adams Purdue V Sr. Austin, Texas 3.97 Management
OL Chase Beeler Stanford VIII Sr. Jenks, Okla. 3.68 History
OL Patrick Conroy Brown I Sr. Leesburg, Va. 3.88 Business Economics
OL John Dowd (2) U.S. Naval Acad. II Jr. Staten Island, N.Y. 3.92 Mechanical Engineering
OL Barrett Jones (2) Alabama IV Jr. Memphis, Tenn. 4.00 Accounting
OL Stefen Wisniewski(1)$ Penn State II Sr. Bridgevillle, Pa. 3.91 Secondary Education
K David Ruffer Notre Dame V Sr. Oakton, Va. 3.90 Economics
DL Sam Acho (1) Texas VI Sr. Dallas, Texas 3.55 Honors Business
DL Chance Coda Southern Illinois V Jr. Grand Rapids, Mich. 4.00 Accounting
DL Pete Massaro Penn State II Jr. Newtown Square, Pa. 3.83 Finance
DL Brandon Wingeier @ Dayton IV Sr. Newark, Ohio 3.78 Mechanical Engineering
LB Chris Colasanti Penn State II Sr. Leonard, Mich. 3.61 Kinesiology, Pre-Medicine
LB Kyle Glazier Western Illinois V Sr. Geneseo, Ill. 3.88 Law Enforcement, Justice Admin.
LB Michael Hodges Texas A&M VI Gr. Helotes, Texas 3.82 Sports Management
DB Austin Cassidy Nebraska VII Jr. Lincoln, Neb. 3.88 Psychology
DB A.J. Kaltenbach Dayton IV Sr. New Albany, Ohio 3.54 Business Marketing
DB Erik Stoll Montana VII Sr. Sandpoint, Idaho 3.92 Biology
DB Jordan Trimble U.S. Military Acad. I Sr. Ashburn, Va. 3.77 Systems Engineering
P Drew Butler Georgia III Jr. Duluth, Ga. 3.58 Telecommunication Arts
SECOND TEAM
Pos. Name School Dist. Yr. Hometown GPA Major
QB Kellen Moore Boise State VIII Jr. Prosser, Wash. 3.39 Communication
RB Tyler Duffy South Dakota State VII Sr. Brookings, S.D. 4.00 Electrical Engineering
RB Bryan Kariya Brigham Young VIII Jr. Kaysville, Utah 3.87 Chinese
WR Bart Johnson TCU VI Sr. Brownwood, Texas 3.76 Marketing
TE Vince Pascoe Fresno State VIII Sr. Exeter, Calif. 4.00 Mechanical Engineering
OL David Arkin Missouri State VII Sr. Wichita, Kan. 3.72 Construction Management
OL Brian Lepak Oklahoma VI Sr. Claremore, Okla. 3.86 Finance
OL David Pickard Southern Illinois V Jr. Oak Park, Ill. 4.00 Political Science
OL Nate Potter Boise State VIII Jr. Boise, Idaho 3.70 History
OL Phillip Swanson Western Michigan IV Gr. Grand Haven, Mich. 3.85 Journalism
K Stephen Blose Youngstown State IV Sr. Erie, Pa. 4.00 Middle Childhood Education
DL Ben Boothby Northern Iowa VII Jr. Clinton, Iowa 3.85 Movement & Exercise Science
DL Carson Homme U.S. Military Acad. I Sr. Kennewick, Wash. 3.92 Mathematical Sci., American History
DL Nolan Nearhoof Robert Morris II So. Gibsonia, Pa. 3.97 Biology
DL J.J. Sanchez Southeast Missouri VII Sr. Glendale, Ariz. 3.82 Criminal Justice
LB Matt Berning Central Michigan IV Sr. Duisburg, Germany 3.80 Marketing
LB Joe Holland Purdue V Jr. Indianapolis, Ind. 3.99 Movement & Sports Science
LB Owen Marecic Stanford VIII Sr. Tigard, Ore. 3.47 Human Biology
LB Travis Nissley Bucknell II Sr. Mount Joy, Pa. 3.96 Mechanical Engineering
DB Travis Bradshaw Rice VI Sr. Cypress, Texas 3.44 Chemical Engineering
DB Jeremy Kellem Middle Tennessee St. IV Sr. N. Lauderdale, Fla. 3.58 Organizational Communication
DB Adam Mehrer Columbia I Sr. Midlothian, Va. 3.47 Economics
DB Chima Nwachukwu (2) Washington State VIII Sr. Allen, Texas 3.85 Political Science
P Derek Epperson Baylor VI Gr. Southlake, Texas 3.62 Management / MIS
ESPN Academic All-American of the Year: Greg McElroy, Alabama
(1) ESPN Academic All-America® first team selection in 2009
(2) ESPN Academic All-America® second team selection in 2009
(3) ESPN Academic All-America® third team selection in 2009
# ESPN Academic All-America® first team selection in 2008
$ ESPN Academic All-America® second team selection in 2008
@ ESPN Academic All-America® first team selection in 2008 and 2009
