11 UW Huskies receive All-Pac-12 honors; 4 on 1st team
Washington had four players named to the All-Pac-12 first team and two players named to the second team. Five other Huskies earned honorable mention.
The conference announced the 2020 football all-conference honors as well its annual performance awards and yearly recognitions on Tuesday afternoon. USC led the way with five first-team honorees, followed by UW and Utah who each had four selections.
UW tight end Cade Otton, left tackle Jaxson Kirkland, outside linebacker Zion Tupuola-Fetui and defensive back Elijah Molden were named to the first team.
Otton caught 18 passes for 258 yards and three touchdowns. He averaged 64.5 receiving yards per game, which led UW and ranked ninth in the Pac-12. Kirkland moved to left tackle this season to replace Trey Adams and started every game. He was named the Huskies’ offensive linemen of the week following the season-opening win over Oregon State.
As of Dec. 6, Tupuola-Fetu ranked second in the nation in sacks (1.75 per game) and third in forced fumbles (0.75 per game). He finished the season with 13 tackles, 7.0 tackles for loss, 7.0 sacks, three forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. He was named the Pac-12 Defensive Lineman of the Week three straight times.
Molden was a first-team selection for the second straight year. Molden, who was also named a second-team All-American by Pro Football Focus, finished the season with 26 tackles, 1.0 tackle for loss, one interception and two pass break-ups.
Inside linebacker Edefuan Ulofoshio and cornerback Trent McDuffie were named to the second team.
Ulofoshio finished with 47 tackles, 1.0 tackle for loss, 1.0 sack, four pass break-ups, four forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries. He set a career high with 18 total tackles against Stanford. He also had a 39-yard fumble return in the loss. He was a Pro Football Focus honorable mention All-American selection.
An honorable mention Pac-12 Freshman Defensive Player of the Year last season, McDuffie finished with 14 tackles, an interception, one pass break-up and a forced fumble. His interception with seconds remaining sealed UW’s comeback victory over Utah.
The Huskies’ honorable mention selections were offensive Henry Bainivalu, offensive lineman Victor Curne, defensive back Kyler Gordon (all-purpose/special teams), quarterback Dylan Morris and offensive lineman Luke Wattenberg.
Colorado running back Jarek Broussard was named the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year, while USC safety Talanoa Hufanga was named the Defensive Player of the Year. Utah running Ty Jordan took Freshman Offensive Player of the Year and Oregon inside linebacker Noah Sewell was selected Freshman Defensive Player of the Year. First-year Colorado coach Karl Dorrell was named Coach of the Year.
This story was originally published December 22, 2020 at 1:25 PM with the headline "11 UW Huskies receive All-Pac-12 honors; 4 on 1st team."
