Four Named All-Big Ten by Phil Steele
Dec 19 | Football
CLEVELAND - Four members of the Rutgers football team were named All-Big Ten by Phil Steele, the publication announced. Junior wide receiver Leonte Carroo (Edison, N.J.) and sophomore kick returner Janarion Grant (Trilby, Fla.) earned first-team status, while senior offensive lineman Kaleb Johnson (Jacksonville, Fla.) and junior defensive lineman Darius Hamilton (West Paterson, N.J.) made the third team.
Phil Steele's College Football Preview is one of the nation's most informative preseason football magazines and has always released Preseason, Midseason and Postseason All-American teams as well as All-Conference teams.
Carroo, a First Team All-Big Ten pick by the media, is second in the conference with 1,043 receiving yards and is just the sixth Scarlet Knight in school history to post at least 1,000 yards in a year. He has six games with at least 100 yards receiving in 2014 and tied the single-season school record with 10 touchdowns, as he is one short of tying the program career receiving standard with 19 touchdowns. Carroo was named Rutgers' Offensive MVP at its annual team banquet.
Grant is second in the Big Ten with a 25.3 yards per kickoff return average this season, including runs of 71 yards against Indiana and Maryland. His overall kickoff return yardage of 910 is second in a single season in the RU record books, sitting just 38 yards behind Joe Lefeged's mark of 948 set in 2010. Grant is also second on the team with 25 receptions on offense, picking up 105 receiving yards versus the Terrapins. The versatile performer totaled 317 all-purpose yards in the Maryland victory, just nine short of the school record.
Johnson, winner of the Iron Knight Award at the team banquet, has started each of the last 49 games for the Scarlet Knights. Playing left guard this year, he has earned postseason accolades in each of his four seasons, including Freshman All-America by multiple outlets and all-conference in each of the past three years. Johnson has been part of a group that has paved the way for two different 200-yard team rushing games and allowed just two sacks in the final three games of the regular season.
Hamilton has emerged as an every-down lineman and team captain this season, winning Defensive MVP at the team banquet. He leads the squad with 9.5 tackles-for-loss with five sacks, posting 43 stops overall. A consistent presence in the backfield, the defensive lineman earned honorable mention All-Big Ten in the media vote. Hamilton had a career-high-tying eight stops in the recent game at Maryland, including contributions on the final defensive stand that sealed the victory.
Rutgers (7-5) will next take on North Carolina in the 2014 Quick Lane Bowl at Ford Field in Detroit on Dec. 26. The game is set for 4:30 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN.
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