Dec 19, 2020; Arlington, Texas, USA; Iowa State Cyclones running back Breece Hall (28) celebrates a touchdown with quarterback Brock Purdy (15) in the fourth quarter against the Oklahoma Sooners in the fourth quarter at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
For the sixth time in school history, Iowa State has a first-team Associated Press All-American.
Cyclone running back Breece Hall became the program’s fifth player to achieve the honor when the organization’s teams were announced Monday. He joins Troy Davis (1995-96), John Van Sicken (1964), Ed Bock (1938) and Fred Poole (1934) in the exclusive club.
Additionally, Mike Rose earned second-team honors while defensive end JaQuan Bailey and tight end Charlie Kolar each picked up third-team selections. This is Kolar’s second consecutive third-team selection by the AP, joining Davis, Tracy Henderson (1983-84) and Dave Hoppmann (1961-62) as the only Cyclones to pick up AP All-American honors twice.
Hall, the consensus Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, who finished sixth in the 2020 Heisman Trophy balloting, led the FBS with 1,436 rushing yards during his sophomore campaign and is a finalist for the Doak Walker Award, given annually to the nation’s best running back. His 21 total touchdowns this season tied Davis’ school record set in 1996 while his 19 rushing touchdowns is the second-most in a single-season at Iowa State.
His first-team AP selection puts him in position to be the program’s fourth consensus All-American and the first since Davis’ back-to-back honors in the mid-19990s.
Rose, the consensus Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, was unquestionably one of the best linebackers in all of college football this season as he recorded 90 tackles, which ties for the Big 12 high, 10 tackles for loss and a Big 12 leading four interceptions.
Bailey, a first-team All-Big 12 choice, solidified himself as one of the nation’s most disruptive edge rushers in recording seven sacks and 13 tackles for loss this season. He enters Saturday’s Fiesta Bowl matchup against Oregon with 25.5 sacks and 44.5 tackles for loss in his career at Iowa State, both of which are school records.
Kolar, a finalist for the John Mackey Award, given annually to the nation’s best tight end, caught 39 passes for 538 yards and six touchdowns during his redshirt junior campaign despite missing the team’s season-opening loss to Louisiana. The two-time All-Big 12 selection is Iowa State’s all-time leader in career receptions (101) and touchdown receptions (16) by a tight end and his 1,372 career receiving yards sit just nine yards short of being the program’s all-time mark in receiving yards by a tight end.
