Daingerfield's Denzel Mims, a junior wide receiver Baylor, has been named to the All-Big 12 first-team. Baylor University

Gilmer’s Kris Boyd, a defensive back at Texas, and Daingerfield’s Denzel Mims, a wide receiver at Baylor, have been named to the 2018 Preseason All-Big 12 Conference football team, the league office in Irving announced.

The team is chosen by the media representatives who cover the conference.

West Virginia quarterback Will Grier, a senior from Charlotte, North Carolina, was voted Offensive Player of the Year with TCU defensive lineman Ben Banogu, a senior from McKinney, named Defensive Player of the Year.

Oklahoma defensive back Brendan Radley-Hiles, a freshman from Inglewood, California, was tabbed Newcomer of the Year.

Boyd played in all 13 games last season for the Longhorns, making 12 starts. He was named second team All-Big 12 by the Associated Press. He finished fifth on the team with 57 tackles, while totaling two interceptions and 15 pass breakups, the most for a Longhorn since 2011.

For his career, Boyd has played in 37 games and made 20 starts. He has totaled 121 tackles (89 solo) with three interceptions, 22 pass breakups, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. He has also earned preseason All-Big 12 recognition from both Athlon Sports and Phil Steele.

Mims is one of just three returning Big 12 wide receivers to collect more than 1,000 yards receiving last season. In 2017, he was one of 15 Power 5 wide receivers to collect over 1,000 yards on the season and became the 10^th receiver in school history to complete the feat.

 A 2017 All-Big 12 second-team selection, he hauled in 61 catches for 1,087 yards, good for 13th in the FBS and third in the Big 12. He also tallied eight receiving touchdowns on the season, good for sixth-best in the Big 12 and tying him for 10^th on Baylor’s single-season list.

Mims has five games of 100 or more receiving yards in his career and currently ranks seventh in the Baylor record books with an average of 17.09 yards per reception. He also ranks eighth with an average of 48.30 yards per game and his 1,111 career yards are good for 26th.

Grier is the conference’s top returner in total offense average (328.4), passing yards per game (317.3) and passing efficiency (162.7). The 2017 Big 12 Offensive Newcomer of the Year started 11 games for West Virginia before a season-ending hand injury in the first quarter against Texas.

Banogu was the 2017 Big 12 Defensive Newcomer of the Year and an All-Big 12 first team selection on the defensive line while starting all 14 games for TCU. He had 49 tackles last season, including 16.5 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks. His sack total was second in the conference behind teammate Mat Boesen.

True freshman Radley-Hiles intercepted five passes his senior season and added four pass breakups and two forced fumbles. He was rated as a five-star recruit by Rivals and a four-star prospect by 247Sports and ESPN while named a U.S. Army All-American.

The Big 12 media preseason poll will be released on Thursday, followed by the annual Big 12 Football Media Days to be conducted in Frisco on July 16-17. Both days will be televised live from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on FS2 and other FOX Sports regional affiliates. 

 

 

2018 Preseason All-Big 12 Football Team

Offensive Player of the Year — Will Grier West Virginia, QB, 6-2, 212, Sr., Charlotte, N.C.

Defensive Player of the Year — Ben Banogu, TCU, DL, 6-4 249, Sr., McKinney.

Newcomer of the Year — Brendan Radley-Hiles, Oklahoma, DB,  5-9, 186, Fr., Inglewood, Calif.

Offense

Pos   Name   School Ht        Wt        Class    Hometown

QB     Will Grier             West Virginia      6-2          212         Sr.           Charlotte, N.C.

RB     David Montgomery           Iowa State            5-11        216         Jr.           Cincinnati

RB     Rodney Anderson              Oklahoma            6-1          220         Jr.           Katy

RB     Justice Hill          Oklahoma State  5-10        185         Jr.           Tulsa, Okla.

WR    Denzel Mims       Baylor   6-3          209         Jr.           Daingerfield

WR    Marquise Brown                Oklahoma            5-10        168         Jr.           Hollywood, Fla.                                            

WR    David Sills V        West Virginia      6-4          204         Sr.           Wilmington, Del.                                         

TE     Grant Calcaterra                Oklahoma            6-4          221         So.          Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.

OL     Dalton Risner      Kansas State       6-5          300         Sr.           Wiggins, Colo.

OL     Bobby Evans       Oklahoma            6-5          301         Jr.           Allen

OL     Ben Powers         Oklahoma            6-4          313         Sr.           Wichita, Kan.

OL     Marcus Keyes     Oklahoma State  6-3          309         Jr.           Port Allen, La.                                                     

OL     Yodny Cajuste    West Virginia      6-5          321         Sr.           Miami.

PK     Austin Seibert     Oklahoma            5-9          214         Sr.           Belleville, Ill.

KR/PR              KaVontae Turpin                TCU       5-9          157         Sr.           Monroe, La.

 

Defense

DL     JaQuan Bailey    Iowa State            6-2          251         Jr.           Jacksonville, Fla.                                                                           

DL     Daniel Wise         Kansas  6-3          290         Sr.           Lewisville

DL     Jordan Brailford Oklahoma State  6-3          250         Jr.           Tulsa, Okla.

DL     Ben Banogu         TCU       6-4          249         Sr.           McKinney

DL     Breckyn Hager   Texas    6-3          255         Sr.           Austin

LB     Joe Dineen Jr.     Kansas  6-2          235         Sr.           Lawrence, Kan.

LB     Dakota Allen       Texas Tech          6-1          235         Sr.           Humble

LB     David Long Jr.     West Virginia      5-11        221         Jr.           Cincinnati

DB     Brian Peavy        Iowa State            5-9          194         Sr.           Houston

DB     Kendall Adams   Kansas State       6-1          228         Sr.           Fort Worth

DB     Kris Boyd             Texas    6-0          195         Sr.           Gilmer

DB     Jah’Shawn Johnson           Texas Tech          5-10        185         Sr.           Ennis

DB     Justus Parker      Texas Tech          6-0          205         Jr.           La Vernia

P        Austin Seibert     Oklahoma                            5-9          214         Sr.           Belleville, Ill.