Lurry and Sharpe Named Walter Camp Second Team All-Americans
The MAC was recognized with two students named to the 2015 Walter Camp All-America Second Team as Northern Illinois defensive back Shawun Lurry and UMass senior wide receiver Tajae Sharpe were honored. The teams, which are voted on by Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) head coaches and athletics communications contacts, were announced Thursday night at the ESPN College Football Awards Show in Atlanta.
Lurry, who leads the nation with nine interceptions in 2015, is just the second player in NIU history to be named an All-American by Walter Camp voters. The only previous Huskie to earn the award was LeShon Johnson, who was a first-team selection in 1993.
In addition to the Walter Camp second team honor, Lurry was named an honorable mention All-American by SI.com Thursday. Lurry set the NIU modern day (FBS) school record for interceptions in a season, and broke both the NIU and single season records for interception return yards with 273. He averaged 30.3 yards per interception return, another school record, scored on a 64-yard interception return in the MAC Championship game versus Bowling Green and ran his interception versus Boston College back 79 yards to set up a Huskie score.
The West Palm Beach, Fla. product had a break-out game in the Huskies' 20-13 loss at No. 1 Ohio State with two interceptions and two pass break-ups. On the season, Lurry broke up 14 passes to lead NIU. He ranks second nationally in passes defended (1.8/game) and first in both total interceptions (9) and interceptions per game (0.7).
Lurry made 41 tackles on the season, including 34 solo stops. He had a season-high eight stops versus Buffalo and added six tackles, all solo, in the MAC Championship game. The cornerback is the first NIU player to be earn All-America honors since 2013, when quarterback Jordan Lynch and safety Jimmie Ward were both named first team All-Americans.
Sharpe is Massachusetts’ first All-American since 2011 and the first offensive skill position All-American since wide receiver J.J. Moore in 2007.
The winner of the 2015 Harry Agganis Award for New England’s Outstanding Football Player and an All-New England Team selection, Sharpe led the nation in receptions per game (9.3) and total receptions (111) during the regular season.
A two-time first-team All-MAC honoree, Sharpe set Massachusetts records for single-game receptions (15), single-season receptions (111), career receptions (277) and career receiving yards (3,486).
The 2015 Walter Camp All-America Team members will be honored at the organization’s national awards banquet, presented by First Niagara Bank, on Sat., Jan. 16, 2016 at the Yale University Commons in New Haven.
