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University of Wisconsin Inside Linebacker T.J. Edwards won the first All-Big Ten team honors when defending conference teams were announced Tuesday on BTN Live.
Rewards and offensive teams of All-Big Ten will be announced on BTN Live at 16h. Wednesday.
The media named Edwards in the first team, while the coaches selected him in the second team. The fifth-year senior is the only first-team or second-team selection in the Badgers' defense, a major change from 2017, when the unit placed six in the first two teams and twelve in total.
Safety D & Cota Dixon (consensus), linebacker Ryan Connelly (coaches) and linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel (coaches) earned the honors of the third team. Connelly and Van Ginkel were chosen by the media, while coaches congratulated kicker Rafael Gaglianone.
Edwards, a four-year-old starter, is probably playing the best football of his career. He has recorded a total of double-digit tackles in five of his last seven games, including 18 on Saturday against Minnesota.
Now at 104 tackles over the season, the Lake Villa native, in Illinois, has become UW's first linebacker to break the 100 shot mark since Chris Borland in 2013.
Connelly is not far behind, recording 89 tackles this year after leading the Badgers with 88 last season. Connelly was also voted a semi-finalist for the Butkus Award after being named finalist for the honor last season.
"It's the peculiarity of the way our linebackers play," said UW coach Paul Chryst earlier this month. "I mean, these two are flying around."
Dixon, a third-year star winner in the first team in 2017, has recorded 43 tackles in nine games this season.
He also receives recognition off the field. Dixon was named one of the 13 semifinalists of the William V. Campbell Trophy, awarded annually to the nation's best athlete-athlete and earned a spot in the American's Good Works team. Football Coaches' Association.
"(Dixon) just brings some type of contagious energy to the whole defense," said UW linebacker Chris Orr. "He's passionate, you know that he means everything he tells you, you just feel his presence, especially when you're on the ground with him."
Van Ginkel won his third team honor despite an ankle injury for a large part of the year.
The senior did not miss a match and leads the team with 4.5 sacks and 52 tackles (7.5 for the loss).
Gaglianone scored 10 goals out of 15 and converted the extra 43 points. His 70 career goals are a program record.
Michigan linebacker Devin Bush won the trophy for best defensive player of the year.
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