Eastern Michigan Athletics
Daniel Holtzclaw Named to FWAA Freshman All-America Team
1/4/2006 9:41:27 PM | Football
Linebacker records his third Freshman All-American honor
LOS ANGELES – Freshman linebacker Daniel Holtzclaw (Enid, OK-Enid) garnered another accolade following the 2005 season as the Football Writers Association of America and Scripps announced their fifth annual Freshman All-America Team on Wednesday morning, Jan. 4, during the association's annual awards breakfast.
For his great play in 2005, Holtzclaw also was named to The Football News 2005 Freshman All-American Third Team. He was also selected as a third-team All-American by CollegeFootballNews.com. in December. He was EMU’s Gridiron Network’s Defensive Newcomer of the Year for 2005.
The Freshman All-America Team features three players from Arkansas, including the only unanimous selection, running back Darren McFadden. The ACC led all conferences with five players, including a pair from Florida State. Nebraska also had two players named to the team.
Holtzclaw more than lived up to expectations, moving into the starting middle linebacker position for all 11 games in 2005. He became one of the top freshmen in the Mid-American Conference in 2005, finishing third on the team in tackles with 91 and his five interceptions are currently third in the MAC and 10th in the NCAA Division I ranks. He was selected as the MAC West Division Defensive Player of the Week, Oct. 2, after recording 11 tackles, an interception for eight yards and 0.5 tackles-for-loss of one yard in a 27-20 win over Kent State. The team and coach are selected by a group of writers led by FWAA vice-president Mike Griffith of the Knoxville News-Sentinel, a member of the Scripps chain. Both true freshmen and redshirt freshmen were considered for the team and so noted.
For his great play in 2005, Holtzclaw also was named to The Football News 2005 Freshman All-American Third Team. He was also selected as a third-team All-American by CollegeFootballNews.com. in December. He was EMU’s Gridiron Network’s Defensive Newcomer of the Year for 2005.
The Freshman All-America Team features three players from Arkansas, including the only unanimous selection, running back Darren McFadden. The ACC led all conferences with five players, including a pair from Florida State. Nebraska also had two players named to the team.
Holtzclaw more than lived up to expectations, moving into the starting middle linebacker position for all 11 games in 2005. He became one of the top freshmen in the Mid-American Conference in 2005, finishing third on the team in tackles with 91 and his five interceptions are currently third in the MAC and 10th in the NCAA Division I ranks. He was selected as the MAC West Division Defensive Player of the Week, Oct. 2, after recording 11 tackles, an interception for eight yards and 0.5 tackles-for-loss of one yard in a 27-20 win over Kent State. The team and coach are selected by a group of writers led by FWAA vice-president Mike Griffith of the Knoxville News-Sentinel, a member of the Scripps chain. Both true freshmen and redshirt freshmen were considered for the team and so noted.
The 2005 Eagles closed out the year with a 38-14 win at Buffalo (Nov. 19) for a 4-7 overall record and a 3-5 MAC mark. Two of EMU’s losses were by one point while a third setback was by eight points.
| 2005 FWAA FRESHMAN ALL-AMERICA TEAM | ||||
| OFFENSE | ||||
| Pos. | Player, School | Ht. | Wt. | Hometown |
| QB | Drew Weatherford, Florida State | 6-3 | 210 | Land O' Lakes, Fla. |
| RB | • Darren McFadden, Arkansas | 6-2 | 210 | North Little Rock, Ark. |
| RB | • Steve Slaton, West Virginia | 5-10 | 185 | Levittown, Pa. |
| RB | • Tyrell Sutton, Northwestern | 5-9 | 190 | Akron, Ohio |
| WR | • Davone Bess, Hawaii | 5-10 | 187 | Oakland, Calif. |
| WR | Sidney Rice, South Carolina | 6-4 | 191 | Gaffney, S.C. |
| OL | Andrew Gardner, Georgia Tech | 6-6 | 285 | Tyrone, Ga. |
| OL | Jonathan Luigs, Arkansas | 6-4 | 301 | Little Rock, Ark. |
| OL | Jeremy Perry, Oregon State | 6-2 | 315 | Kahuku, Hawaii |
| OL | Cole Popovich, Fresno State | 6-2 | 275 | Oakhurst, Calif. |
| OL | Max Unger, Oregon | 6-5 | 305 | Honaunau, Hawaii |
| C | Robby Felix, UTEP | 6-3 | 275 | Corona, Calif. |
| DEFENSE | ||||
| Pos. | Player, School | Ht. | Wt. | Hometown |
| DL | • Steve Davis, Minnesota | 6-2 | 230 | St. Louis, Mo. |
| DL | Mitch King, Iowa | 6-3 | 250 | Burlington, Iowa |
| DL | Brian Orakpo, Texas | 6-4 | 238 | Houston, Texas |
| DL | • Barry Turner, Nebraska | 6-3 | 245 | Antioch, Tenn. |
| LB | • Michael Brown, Duke | 5-11 | 225 | Houston, Texas |
| LB | • Daniel Holtzclaw, Eastern Michigan | 6-2 | 220 | Enid, Okla. |
| LB | • Rey Maualuga, USC | 6-5 | 250 | Eureka, Calif. |
| LB | Tim McCarthy, Northern Illinois | 6-0 | 235 | Neenah, Wis. |
| DB | • Joe Burnett, Central Florida | 5-11 | 180 | Eustis, Fla. |
| DB | Tony Carter, Florida State | 5-9 | 160 | Jacksonville, Fla. |
| DB | • Courtney Greene, Rutgers | 6-1 | 180 | New Rochelle, N.Y. |
| DB | • Kenny Phillips, Miami | 6-2 | 200 | Miami, Fla. |
| SPECIALISTS | ||||
| Pos. | Player, School | Ht. | Wt. | Hometown |
| K | • Jordan Congdon, Nebraska | 5-11 | 180 | San Diego, Calif. |
| P | Chris Miller, Ball State | 6-2 | 208 | Libertyville, Ill. |
| KR | • Felix Jones, Arkansas | 6-0 | 195 | Tulsa, Okla. |
| First-year Coach of the Year: Steve Spurrier, South Carolina | ||||
| • Indicates true freshmen | ||||
For more information on the FWAA Freshman All-America Team and other FWAA awards, go to www.footballwriters.com.
| 2005 FWAA FRESHMAN ALL-AMERICA COMMITTEE | ||
| Mark Anderson Las Vegas Review-Journal |
Ted Miller Seattle Post-Intelligencer |
Alan Schmadtke Orlando Sentinel |
| Greg Auman St. Petersburg Times |
Steve Richardson Executive Director, FWAA |
George Schroeder Daily Oklahoman |
| Mike Griffith Knoxville News Sentinel |
Dave Ruthenberg MAC Report |
Bob Thomas Florida Times-Union |
| Paul Letlow The Monroe News-Star |
Chip Scoggins Minneapolis Star-Tribune |
David White Fresno Bee |
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