Texas DT T’Vondre Sweat named AP's Big 12 top defensive player

AUSTIN, Texas - Oklahoma State running back Ollie Gordon II is The Associated Press Big 12 offensive player of the year and touchdown-scoring, 362-pound Texas tackle T’Vondre Sweat is the league’s top defensive player.

Third-year Texas coach Steve Sarkisian was voted the league’s top coach after the third-ranked Longhorns (12-1) won the conference title and made the four-team College Football Playoff in their final Big 12 season before moving with Oklahoma to the Southeastern Conference next year.

Texas junior receiver Adonai Mitchell, a transfer from Georgia, is the Big 12 newcomer of the year.

Texas has six first-team selections on the AP All-Big 12 team revealed Friday, as determined by the votes from a panel of 23 sports writers and sportscasters who regularly cover the league that grew from 10 to 14 teams this season. It will be 16 next year with the additions of current Pac-12 teams Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah.

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Gordon, the Big 12 rushing leader with 124 yards per game and 20 touchdowns, was the only unanimous first-team pick on offense. The sophomore had only 109 yards rushing total in the Cowboys’ three non-conference games, but averaged 163 yards per game in nine regular-season Big 12 games. He was the nation’s leading rusher before being held to 34 yards on 13 carries in the Big 12 championship game that Texas won 49-21.

Sweat, who had a 2-yard TD catch in that title game after lining up as a tight end, has 42 tackles, eight tackles for loss, two sacks and seven quarterback hurries this season.

Oklahoma’s four first-team picks include quarterback Dillon Gabriel, the former UCF transfer who has now gone back into the transfer portal after two seasons with the Sooners. Oklahoma linebacker Danny Stutsman, with 99 tackles and 16 tackles for loss, joined Sweat as the only unanimous picks on the first-team defense.

Mitchell, a second-team pick, has 51 catches for 813 yards. His 10 touchdowns are tied with first-team receiver Drake Stoops from Oklahoma for the league lead.

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The 2023 AP All-Big 12 team, listing name, school, height, weight, class and hometown. ("u-" denotes unanimous selection, bold marks Longhorn players):

FIRST TEAM

OFFENSE

• WR — Drake Stoops, Oklahoma, Sr., 5-10, 189, Norman, Oklahoma
• WR — Xavier Worthy, Texas, Jr., 6-1, 172, Fresno, California
• OT — Dominick Puni, Kansas, Sr., 6-5, 320, St. Charles, Missouri
• OT — Patrick Paul, Houston, Jr., 6-7, 315, Houston, Texas
• OG — Cooper Beebe, Kansas State, Sr., 6-4, 335, Kansas City, Missouri
• OG — Luke Kandra, Cincinnati, Jr., 6-4, 320, Cincinnati, Ohio
• Center — Zach Frazier, West Virginia, Jr., 6-3, 310, Fairmont, West Virginia
• TE — Ben Sinnott, Kansas State, Jr., 6-4, 245, Waterloo, Iowa
• QB — Dillon Gabriel, Oklahoma, Sr., 5-11, 204, Mililana, Hawaii
• u-RB — Ollie Gordon II, Oklahoma State, So., 6-1, 211, Fort Worth, Texas
• RB — Tahj Brooks, Texas Tech, Sr., 5-10, 230, Manor, Texas
• PK — Bert Auburn, Texas, Jr., 6-0, 183, Flower Mound, Texas
• All-purpose — Xavier Worthy, Texas, Jr., 6-1, 172, Fresno, California

DEFENSE

• DE — Austin Booker, Kansas, So., 6-6, 245, Greenwood, Indiana
• DE — Tre’Mon Morris-Brash, UCF, Sr., 6-2, 245, Richmond, Virginia
• u-DT — T’Vondre Sweat, Texas, Sr., 6-4, 362, Huntsville, Texas
• DT — Byron Murphy, Texas., Jr., 6-1, 308, Desoto, Texas
• u-LB — Danny Stutsman, Oklahoma, Jr., 6-4, 236, Windermere, Florida
• LB — Nickolas Martin, Oklahoma State, So., 6-0, 215, Texarkana, Texas
• LB — Jaylan Ford, Texas, Sr., 6-3, 242, Frisco, Texas
• CB — Beanie Bishop Jr., West Virginia, Sr., 5-10, 184, Louisville, Kentucky
• CB — T.J. Tampa, Iowa State, Sr., 6-2, 200, St. Petersburg, Florida
• S — Billy Bowman, Oklahoma, Jr., 5-10, 192, Denton, Texas
• S — Jeremiah Cooper, Iowa State, So., 6-0, 185, El Paso, Texas
• Punter — Ryan Rehkow, BYU, Jr., 6-5, 235, Veradale, Washington

SECOND TEAM

OFFENSE

• WR — Javon Baker, UCF, Sr., 5-11, 170, Atlanta, Georgia
• WR — Adonai Mitchell, Texas, Jr., 6-4, 196, Missouri City, Texas
• OT —Kelvin Banks Jr., Texas, So., 6-4, 324, Humble, Texas
• OT — Kingsley Suamataia, BYU, So., 6-6, 325, Orem, Utah
• OG — Michael Ford, Kansas, Jr., 6-3, 305, Homewood, Illinois
• OG — Willis Patrick, TCU, Jr., 6-4, 338, Grand Prairie, Texas
• Center — Andrew Raym, Oklahoma, Sr., 6-4, 305, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma
• TE — Jared Wiley, TCU, Sr., 6-7, 260, Temple, Texas
• QB — Quinn Ewers, Texas, So., 6-2, 195, Southlake, Texas
• RB — Devin Neal, Kansas, Jr., 5-11, 215, Lawrence, Kansas
• RB —Jonathon Brooks, Texas, So., 6-0, 207, Hallettsville, Texas
• PK — Alex Hale, Oklahoma State, Sr., 6-0, 205, Point Frederick, NSW, Australia
• All-purpose — Brennan Presley, Oklahoma State, Sr., 5-8, 175, Tulsa, Oklahoma

DEFENSE

• DE — Nelson Ceaser, Houston, Jr., 6-3, 250, Missouri City, Texas
• DE — Tyler Batty, BYU, Jr., 6-5, 273, Payson, Utah
• DT — Dontay Corleone, Cincinnati, So., 6-2, 318, Cincinnati, Ohio
• DT —Jamaree Caldwell, Houston, Jr., 6-1, 325, Newberry, South Carolina
• LB — Jason Johnson, UCF, Sr., 6-2, 235, Chicago, Illinois
• LB —Collin Oliver, Oklahoma State, Jr., 6-2, 235, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
• LB — Ben Roberts, Texas Tech, Fr., 6-3, 230, Haslet, Texas
• CB — Cobee Bryant, Kansas, Jr., 6-0, 170, Evergreen, Alabama
• CB — Josh Newton, TCU, Sr., 6-0, 190, Monroe, Louisiana
• S —Dadrion Taylor-Demerson, Texas Tech, Sr., 5-11, 195, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
• S —Beau Freyler, Iowa State, Jr., 6-2, 220, Colorado Springs, Colorado
• Punter — Austin McNamara, Texas Tech, 6-4, 210, Gilbert, Arizona

INDIVIDUAL HONORS

• Offensive player of the year — Ollie Gordon II, RB, Oklahoma State
• Defensive player of the year — T’Vondre Sweat, DT, Texas
• Coach of the year — Steve Sarkisian, Texas
• Newcomer of the year — Adonai Mitchell, WR, Texas

ALL BIG 12 VOTING PANEL: Ryan Aber, The Oklahoman; Eric Bailey, Tulsa World; Kirk Bohls, Austin American-Statesman; Chris Boyle, Daytona Beach News-Journal; Brice Cherry, Waco Tribune-Herald; Danny Davis, Austin American-Statesman; Darnell Dickson, (Provo) Daily Herald; Arne Green, Topeka Capital-Journal; Henry Greenstein, Lawrence Journal-World; Travis Hines, Des Moines Register; Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram; Eric Kelly, KWKT-TV, Waco, Texas; Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star; Matt Murschel, Orlando Sentinel; Randy Peterson, Des Moines Register; Kellis Robinett, Wichita Eagle; Carlos Silva, Jr., Lubbock Avalanche-Journal; Zach Smith, Waco Tribune-Herald; Scott Springer, Cincinnati Enquirer; Jacob Unruh, The Oklahoman; John Werner, Waco Tribune-Herald; Sean Walker, KSL-TV, Salt Lake City; Don Williams, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal; Scott Wright, The Oklahoman.