The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Ossai named Sporting News All-American
12.31.2020 | Football
The junior JACK earned his fourth All-America honor of the season.
AUSTIN, Texas – Texas Football junior JACK Joseph Ossai was selected as a second-team All-American by Sporting News this week. It is the fourth All-America honor for Ossai this season, having also earned first-team honors from the Associated Press and Football Writers Association of America, and second-team recognition from the American Football Coaches Association.
Ossai served as a team captain and started all nine games of the regular season for the Longhorns. In that time, he recorded 55 tackles, 16.0 tackles for loss – the most in the Big 12 and second-most nationally at the end of the regular season – five sacks, three forced fumbles, one recovery, two pass breakups and two quarterback hurries. Ossai recorded a tackle for loss in eight of nine games that he played in this season, including matching his career high with six TFLs in a road win over then-No. 6 Oklahoma State. That night, Ossai totaled 12 tackles, six tackle for loss, three sacks, forced a fumble and recovered one to help the Longhorns earn their first road win over a top-10 team since 2010. He sealed the win by sacking OSU quarterback Spencer Sanders on fourth down in overtime, and in doing so became the first Power Five player to recorded at least 12 tackles, six TFLs and three sacks in a game since Nebraska's Ndamukong Suh in the 2009 Big 12 Championship Game.
In addition to being selected an AFCA, AP, FWAA and Sporting News All-American, Ossai has also been recognized as a semifinalist for the Chuck Bednarik Award and Lott IMPACT Trophy, and a first-team All-Big 12 selection this season. Ossai is one of five Longhorns to earn All-America honors under head coach Tom Herman, joining 2017 honorees Michael Dickson (unanimous/first team), DeShon Elliott (consensus/first team) and Malik Jefferson, and 2020 honoree Samuel Cosmi.
