MORE THAN THE SCORE: Stay up to date on sports stories like these, and sign up for our More than the Score sports newsletter at kxan.com/newsletters
Sweat grabs fourth first-team All-America honor, Worthy named to third team by AP
AUSTIN (KXAN) — As bowl season approaches, the All-America team honors are rolling in for the Texas Longhorns.
Defensive tackle T'Vondre Sweat leads the pack thus far, picking up four first-team honors from the Football Writers Association of America, the Associated Press, The Athletic and CBS Sports. He was named the Big 12 defensive player of the year and the 2023 Outland Trophy winner for the nation's best interior lineman.
Wide receiver Xavier Worthy has picked up two first-team selections that honor him as a punt returner as well. The Athletic tabbed him as a first-team all-purpose player while CBS Sports named him a first-team punt returner. Worthy was named a second-team all-purpose player by the FWAA and third-team all-purpose by the AP. Worthy finished the regular season with 73 catches for 969 yards and returned 20 punts for 358 yards.
Defensive tackle Byron Murphy was named to three second teams by the AP, The Athletic and CBS Sports while right end Ja'Tavion Sanders was named a second-team tight end by CBS Sports.
Texas State's Ismail Mahdi, the FBS leader in all-purpose yards per game with 167.83 yards, picked up a first-team honor from CBS Sports as an all-purpose player and a second-team nod from The Athletic.
Texas made the College Football Playoff and will take on Washington in the Sugar Bowl on New Year's Day, and a win would put them in the national championship game. Texas State will play Rice in the SERVPRO First Responder Bowl on Dec. 26 in Dallas in the program's first-ever bowl game.