LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) – After never previously fielding an academic All-American, UNLV football now boasts two in as many years as senior defensive lineman
Eliel Ehimare ("L-e-L EH-him-R-ay") was announced as a member of the prestigious team on Wednesday.
After the 2020 season, all-time leading rusher
Charles Williams became the first UNLV football player in history to be voted Academic All-America by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Just one season later, Ehimare becomes the first defensive player from the Rebels to make the list, nabbing a spot on the second team after he and Williams and linebacker
Austin Ajiake last month combined to mark the first time three UNLV players were voted academic all-district by the organization.
A two-year starting defensive lineman Ehimare is a native of Nigeria and graduate of Cinco Ranch High School in Texas who transferred to UNLV from Cabrillo College in 2019. The pass rusher is a two-time member of the UNLV Dean's Honor List, a 2020 Academic All-MW honoree and a 2019 and '21 MW Scholar-Athlete. After earning his bachelor's degree in accounting, he is currently pursuing a master's in cybersecurity.
"I am proud of Eliel," said UNLV football head coach
Marcus Arroyo. "He is the definition of what it takes to #BeARebel on and off the field. We will continue to break academic records and raise our expectations in the classroom. Our guys will leave UNLV prepared for 'life after ball.'"
Ever since 1952, CoSIDA selects Academic All-America teams throughout the year. Players who are starters or important reserves on their teams and are at least in their second year at a school and hold at least a 3.30 career grade point average are eligible for the academic awards, which are voted on by sports information directors from across the nation. First-team Academic All-District honorees advance to the CoSIDA Academic All-America Team ballot, which was announced today for the sport of football on the Division I level.
Ehimare becomes the 33rd UNLV student-athlete overall to earn CoSIDA Academic All-America dating back to the Rebels' first winner, baseball pitcher Dan Fischer, in 1978.
2021 Academic All-America ®
Football Team NCAA Division I
FIRST TEAM
Pos. Name School Yr. GPA Major
QB Desmond Ridder University of Cincinnati Sr. 3.34 Sport Administration
RB Tyler Badie University of Missouri Gr. 3.83 Sport Management
RB Jake Chisholm University of Dayton Jr. 3.98 Pre-Medicine
WR Alec Pierce University of Cincinnati Sr. 3.83 Mechanical Engineering
WR Austin Williams Mississippi State University Gr. 4.00/4.00 Finance/Business Admin.
TE Charlie Kolar Iowa State University Gr. 4.00 Mechanical Engineering
OL Blaise Andries University of Minnesota Gr. 3.84 Actuary Science/Applied Business
OL Nick Brahms Auburn University Gr. 3.82/4.00 Flight Mgmt./Business Admin.
OL Jake Dixon Duquesne University Gr. 3.96/4.00 Accounting
OL Wes Genant South Dakota State University Gr. 3.90 Human Biology
OL Mike Van Hoeven Eastern Michigan University Gr. 3.96 Communication
K Anders Carlson Auburn University Gr. 3.92/4.00 Flight Mgmt./Business Admin.
DL Thomas Booker Stanford University Sr. 3.88 Economics/Communication
DL Matt Henningsen University of Wisconsin Gr. 4.00/3.68 Electrical Engineering
DL Aidan Hutchinson University of Michigan Sr. 3.54 Applied Exercise Science
DL Reece Winkelman South Dakota State University Sr. 3.87 Business Economics
LB Troy Andersen Montana State University Sr. 3.91 Agricultural Business
LB Jack Gibbens University of Minnesota Gr. 4.00/3.86 Accountancy
LB Silas Kelly Coastal Carolina University Gr. 3.85/3.64 Exercise & Sport Sci./MBA
DB Patrick Fields University of Oklahoma Sr. 3.82 Accounting/Master's
DB Kekaula Kaniho Boise State University Gr. 3.96 Health Science
DB K.J. Smith University of North Alabama Gr. 4.00/4.00 Interdisciplinary Stud./Health
DB Noah Williams (2) Stanford University Gr. 3.89 Product Design/Mgmt. Science
P Paxton Brooks University of Tennessee Gr. 3.92 Kinesiology/Biomechanics
ST Jackson Hubbard Duke University Gr. 3.73 Computer Sci./Electrical & Computer Eng.
SECOND TEAM
Pos. Name School Yr. GPA Major
QB Brock Purdy Iowa State University Sr. 3.65 Communication Studies
RB Ezra Gray Alabama State Gr. 4.00/4.00 Applied Technologies
RB Isaac Ruoss U.S. Naval Academy Sr. 3.87 Quantitative Economics
WR Britain Covey University of Utah Sr. 3.86 Business
WR Khalil Shakir Boise State University Sr. 3.37 Communication
TE Greg Dulcich UCLA Sr. 3.52 Political Science
OL Luke Fortner University of Kentucky Gr. 3.50/3.86 Mechanical Engineering
OL Lorenz Metz University of Cincinnati Jr. 3.89 Industrial Management
OL Spencer Rolland Harvard University Sr. 3.84 Mechanical Engineering
OL Austin Stidham Troy University Gr. 3.92/4.00 Biology/Biomedical Sciences
OL Andrew Vastardis University of Michigan Gr. 3.55/3.85 Movement Science/Physiology
K Hunter Duplessis UTSA Gr. 3.80/4.00 Info. Systems, Cyber Security
DL Matthew Butler University of Tennessee Gr. 3.63/3.70 Political Science
DL Eliel Ehimare UNLV Gr. 3.89 Accounting/Cybersecurity
DL Nick Figueroa Southern California Gr. 3.76 Real Estate Finance/Finance
DL Juwuan Jones Western Kentucky University Gr. 3.75/4.00 Sport Management/Teaching
DL David Ojabo University of Michigan Jr. 3.40 English
DL Josh Paschal University of Kentucky Sr. 3.56 Family Science/Communication
DL Lane Tucker North Dakota State University Gr. 3.77/3.86 MBA
LB Jack Cochrane University of South Dakota Sr. 4.00 Criminal Justice/Business
LB Ryan Greenhagen Fordham University Sr. 3.83 Business Administration
LB Riley Whimpey Boise State University Sr. 3.82 Business
DB Bryan Cook University of Cincinnati Sr. 3.67 Digital Media Collaborative
DB Spencer DeMedal Duquesne University Gr. 3.97 Biology
DB Robby Hauck University of Montana Gr. 3.95/3.95 MIS/MBA
DB Ahmad Wilson Georgetown University Gr. 3.89 Finance/MS Business Analytics
P Colin Goodfellow University of Kentucky Sr. 3.83 Nursing/Kinesiology
ST Dalton Godfrey University of South Dakota Sr. 4.00 Business Admin.
