Lewis Named First Team All-American by USA Today
12/8/2015 12:00:00 AM | Football
Dec. 8, 2015
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Junior cornerback Jourdan Lewis of the 14th-ranked University of Michigan football team was recognized as a First Team All-American by USA Today on Tuesday (Dec. 8). He is the first U-M All-American since offensive tackle Taylor Lewan (2013) and the first Wolverine defensive back to earn the honor since Leon Hall (2006).
Lewis has ascended in the U-M record books throughout the 2015 season, recording 21 pass breakups to set a new single-season program best. His 12-game total bests the previous mark of 18 shared by Marlin Jackson (2002) and Leon Hall (2006).
The Detroit, Michigan, native's productive season gives him 31 PBUs in his career, which lists fourth in school history. Hall is the all-time leader with 43 PBUs in his career.
Among those 21 PBUs, Lewis has hauled in two interceptions. His second pick was returned 37 yards for a touchdown against Northwestern (Oct. 10), aiding the last of U-M's three consecutive shutouts earlier this year (BYU, Maryland, Northwestern). His 49 tackles, 35 of which are solo stops, rank second among Wolverine defensive backs (Jarrod Wilson; 59).
Beginning with the Rutgers contest (Nov. 7), Lewis added a new special teams role returning kicks and finished the regular season with 15 kickoff returns, a team high. Lewis totaled 378 yards on those opportunities for an average of 25.2 yards per return. His long of 55 came late in the fourth quarter in a win at Penn State (Nov. 21), which helped set up a late-game touchdown to ensure the victory over the Nittany Lions.
Lewis is one of eight Big Ten athletes to be recognized by the publication, and one of four first-team honorees, three of which come on the defensive side of the ball.
Alabama leads all teams with four All-America selections. Stanford, Baylor, Notre Dame, Oklahoma and Florida each had three selections.
Each team consists of 11 offensive players, 11 defensive players and three specialists.
Following are the first and second team lists of USA Today All-Americans:
FIRST TEAM
OFFENSE
QB: Deshaun Watson, Clemson
RB: Derrick Henry, Alabama
RB: Christian McCaffrey, Stanford
WR: Corey Coleman, Baylor
WR: Josh Doctson, TCU
TE: Hunter Henry, Arkansas
OL: Jack Conklin, Michigan State
OL: Joshua Garnett, Stanford
OL: Ryan Kelly, Alabama
OL: Spencer Drango, Baylor
OL: Joe Thuney, North Carolina State
DEFENSE
DL: Joey Bosa, Ohio State
DL: Sheldon Day, Notre Dame
DL: DeForest Buckner, Oregon
DL: Shaq Lawson, Clemson
LB: Tyler Matakevich, Temple
LB: Jaylon Smith, Notre Dame
LB: Reggie Ragland, Alabama
CB: JOURDAN LEWIS, MICHIGAN
CB: Desmond King, Iowa
S: Jeremy Cash, Duke
S: Marcus Maye, Florida
SPECIALISTS
K: Jake Elliott, Memphis
P: Tom Hackett, Utah
RET: Morgan Burns, Kansas State
SECOND TEAM
OFFENSE
QB: Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma
RB: Ezekiel Elliott, Ohio State
RB: Leonard Fournette, LSU
WR: Will Fuller, Notre Dame
WR: Sterling Shepard, Oklahoma
TE: David Morgan, UTSA
OL: Roderick Johnson, Florida State
OL: Jack Allen, Michigan State
OL: Matt Skura, Duke
OL: Taylor Decker, Ohio State
OL: Joe Dahl, Washington State
DEFENSE
DL: Carl Nassib, Penn State
DL: A'Shawn Robinson, Alabama
DL: Andrew Billings, Baylor
DL: Emmanuel Ogbah, Oklahoma State
LB: Kentrell Brothers, Missouri
LB: Blake Martinez, Stanford
LB: Joe Schobert, Wisconsin
CB: Zack Sanchez, Oklahoma
CB: Jalen Ramsey, Florida State
S: Damontae Kazee, San Diego State
S: Quin Blanding, Virginia
SPECIALISTS
K: Roberto Aguayo, Florida State
P: Hayden Hunt, Colorado State
RET: Will Likely, Maryland
Communications Contact: David Ablauf, Chad Shepard
