Safety Matt Elam spent the season piling up big plays for the Florida Gators’ defense. Now, the former Dwyer High School standout is racking up the post-season awards.
On Tuesday, Elam was named an Associated Press first-team All-American after leading a Gators defense that ranks third nationally in scoring.
Joining Elam on the first team is Florida State defensive end Bjoern Werner. The German-born Werner led the ACC with 13 sacks and helped the Seminoles to an ACC championship.
Besides the AP honor, Elam has also been named to all-American teams by Sports Illustrated and the website CBSSports.com. Heading into Florida’s meeting with Louisville in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 2, Elam leads the Gators with four interceptions and is second in both tackles (65) and tackles for loss (11).
Elam and Werner are juniors but are considered top NFL prospects and could give up their senior seasons to enter the draft. ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. ranks Werner as the draft’s No. 8 overall prospect and rates Elam as the nation’s top junior safety.
Elam was one of four Florida players to make the AP team. Kicker Caleb Sturgis, a finalist for the Lou Groza Award, defensive tackle Shariff Floyd and punter Kyle Christy were picked to the third team.
Representing FSU along with Werner was Dustin Hopkins, another Groza finalist and the second-team kicker.
Alabama, which faces No. 1 Notre Dame in the BCS championship game on Jan. 7 at Sun Life Stadium, placed four players on the AP first team.
Linebacker Manti T’eo, the Heisman Trophy runner-up, was the only Notre Dame player selected to the first team. No other school had more than one first-team pick.
The Crimson Tide had a total of six players chosen among the AP’s first, second and third teams. Florida, Notre Dame and Texas A&M were second with four players.
Heisman winner Johnny Manziel, the Texas A&M quarterback, was picked to the first team, while Georgia linebacker Jarvis Jones , Wisconsin running back Montee Ball and Alabama center Barrett Jones became two-time first-team selections.
The SEC dominated the first team with nine players. The Pac-12 was second with six first-teamers and no other conference produced more than two. The ACC contributed two players to the first team – Werner and North Carolina guard Jonathan Cooper.
Tulane’s Cairo Santos, the Groza Award winner after making each of his 21 field goals this season, was named to the first team.
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