LOGAN, Utah (ABC 4 Sports) - Utah State’s Gary Andersen was named the Western Athletic Conference Coach of the Year, while 17 Aggies earned various all-WAC accolades as the league office announced its postseason honors Monday. In all, USU had eight offensive and nine defensive players recognized to rank as the second-most in the league behind San Jose State’s 19 honorees.
Utah State players to earn first-team all-WAC honors include cornerback Will Davis, linebacker Jake Doughty, linebacker Kyler Fackrell, quarterback Chuckie Keeton, defensive tackle Al Lapuaho, offensive center Tyler Larsen, offensive tackle Eric Schultz and running back Kerwynn Williams, while wide receiver Matt Austin, safety McKade Brady, cornerback Nevin Lawson, offensive guard Jamie Markosian, defensive tackle Jordan Nielsen and linebacker Zach Vigil were all named to the second-team. USU also had three players earn honorable mention honors in tight end Kellen Bartlett, wide receiver Chuck Jacobs and defensive tackle Connor Williams.
Louisiana Tech senior quarterback Colby Cameron was named the WAC’s Offensive Player of the Year, while San Jose State senior defensive tackle Travis Johnson was named the WAC’s Defensive Player of the Year. LTU’s Kenneth Dixon was named the WAC’s Freshman of the Year.
Overall, Utah State’s eight first-team all-WAC selections are tied for the most in a single-season in school history along with the 1997 team, while its 17 total honorees rank second all-time behind the 18 all-conference picks in 1997.
“I think it’s a great honor for a lot of kids in our football program and there is a lot of terrific players in this league from top to bottom,” said Andersen. “A lot of our kids were honored that I thought should be honored, but you never get all you want.”
As for Andersen, he becomes just the fourth coach in school history to earn conference coach of the year honors along with Bruce Snyder (1978), Chuck Shelton (1991) and John L. Smith (1997), who were all recognized by the Big West Conference.
Overall, every Utah State player who earned all-WAC honors in 2012 did so for the first time in their careers except for Larsen, who is one of six WAC players to earn first-team all-league accolades for the second-straight season.
