Story courtesy of Texas A&M Athletics
Texas A&M football juniors Kenyon Green, DeMarvin Leal, Isaiah Spiller and Jalen Wydermyer were named to the AP 2021 Preseason All-America Team, announced Monday. Green and Leal were among the first team honorees, while Spiller and Wydermyer are a part of the second team.
Green, an offensive lineman from Humble, Texas, earned consensus All-America honors a season ago and was an Outland Trophy semifinalist. The versatile road grader anchored an offensive line that allowed just seven quarterback sacks in 302 pass attempts, while also rushing for 205.1 yards per game. After the season-opener, the offensive line, affectionately labeled the Maroon Goons, went 24 quarters and 201 pass attempts before allowing a sack. The A&M rushing attack led the SEC with an impressive 5.5 yards per attempt, while allowing the fewest tackles for loss in the league.
Leal, a defensive lineman from San Antonio, Texas, is widely regarded as one of the country’s most disruptive defenders heading into the 2021 season. The junior led A&M’s defense in 2020 with eight quarterback hurries and ranked fifth on the team with 37 tackles. The athletic defender made several game-changing plays last year, including a fumble recovery late in the fourth quarter that set up A&M’s game-winning drive to defeat then-No. 4 Florida.
Spiller, a running back from Spring, Texas, earned All-SEC honors and was named a Doak Walker Award semifinalist last year. The junior finished the 2020 season third in the SEC in rushing at 103.6 yards per game, helping A&M boast the second-best rushing offense in the league. For his career, Spiller has racked up 1,982 yards and 19 touchdowns as he has average 5.5 yards per carry.
Wydermyer, a tight end from Dickinson, Texas, earned All-SEC Second Team honors and was a finalist for the John Mackey Award as a sophomore. The ultra-talented pass catcher owns A&M’s career record for touchdown catches by a tight end (12) and is on pace to claim the career mark for tight ends in receiving yards and receptions as a junior.