Arizona State's Kenny Dillingham and Sam Leavitt added to their respective trophy cases Thursday, earning individual honors from The Associated Press as the Big 12 Conference's top coach and newcomer.
Dillingham, 34, was a unanimous selection as the AP Big 12 Coach of the Year in his second season at the Sun Devils' helm, while Leavitt, Arizona State's freshman quarterback, was honored as the conference's Newcomer of the Year.
Dillingham and Leavitt previously were honored by the Big 12 as the league's top coach and freshman for their roles in Arizona State's Cinderalla-like run to the conference championship and College Football Playoff.
The Sun Devils (11-2) earned the No. 4 seed and a first-round bye into the Jan. 1 quarterfinal game at the Peach Bowl in Atlanta. They will meet the winner of the Dec. 21 matchup between fifth-seeded Texas (11-2) and 12th-seeded Clemson (10-3).
Leavitt was one of six Sun Devils selected to the AP All-Big 12 teams, joining wide receiver Jordyn Tyson and defensive tackle CJ Fite on the second team.
Running back Cam Skattebo, center Leif Fautanu, and safety Xavion Alford all were selected to the AP's All-Big 12 First Team.
Xavion Alford, Cam Skattebo & Leif Fautanu named to the AP @Big12Conference first team!#ForksUp /// #ActivateTheValley pic.twitter.com/pQpWWOBo3E
— Sun Devil Football (@ASUFootball) December 12, 2024
Skattebo has turned in a senior season worthy of Heisman Trophy consideration, though he wasn't selected among the four finalists for college football's top award.
The 5-foot-11, 215-pound running back has rushed for 1,568 yards and 19 touchdowns while gaining 6 yards per carry this season.
The Rio Linda, California, native also has amassed 506 yards and another three TDs as a receiver, making him the only college football player in the nation with at least 1,500 yards rushing and 500 yards receiving, and the first Big 12 player ever to accomplish that feat.
Fautanu, a 6-2, 315-pound senior, has been the anchor of the Sun Devils' offensive line for the past two seasons after transferring from UNLV. The Honolulu, Hawaii, native's 89.3 pass-blocking grade leads all FBS centers and ranks seventh among all players, according to PFF.
Alford, a 6-foot, 200-pound junior from Pearland, Texas, has played the fourth most snaps in coverage in the Big 12 this season (354) but has allowed just seven receptions — the second-fewest in the conference and the seventh-fewest in FBS for players with a minimum of 250 snaps.
CJ Fite, Sam Leavitt & Jordyn Tyson named to the AP @Big12Conference second team!#ForksUp /// #ActivateTheValley pic.twitter.com/z7U57jz0pl
— Sun Devil Football (@ASUFootball) December 12, 2024
Leavitt, a 6-2, 200-pound redshirt freshman from West Linn, Oregon, has thrown for 2,663 yards and 24 touchdowns with just five interceptions while completing 63.2 percent of his passes (192 of 304). He's 11-1 as a starter, missing only the Sun Devils' 24-14 loss at Cincinnati on Oct. 19 with a rib injury.
Tyson, a 6-1, 195-pound redshirt sophomore, led the Sun Devils' receiving corps with 75 catches for 1,001 yards and 10 touchdowns before suffering a season-ending upper-body injury against Arizona on Nov. 30.
Fite, a 6-1, 295-pound sophomore from Tatum, Texas, has 29 total tackles this season, including 17 solo stops, 3.5 tackles for loss and two sacks.
Other individual award winners included Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, who was named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, and Buffaloes cornerback Travis Hunter, AP's Defensive Player of the Year selection.
The 2024 AP All-Big 12 teams were determined by a panel of 18 journalists who cover the conference.
2024 AP All-Big 12 teams
Individual awards
- Offensive Player of the Year — Shedeur Sanders, QB, Colorado
- Defensive Player of the Year — Travis Hunter, CB, Colorado
- Coach of the Year — Kenny Dillingham, Arizona State
- Newcomer of the Year — Sam Leavitt, Arizona State
First Team
Offense
- WR — Travis Hunter, Colorado
- WR — Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona
- OT — Spencer Fano, Utah
- OT — Wyatt Milum, West Virginia
- OG — Michael Ford Jr., Kansas
- OG — Luke Kandra, Cincinnati
- C — Leif Fautanu, Arizona State
- TE — Brant Kuithe, Utah
- QB — Shedeur Sanders, Colorado
- RB — RJ Harvey, UCF
- RB — Cam Skattebo, Arizona State
- PK — Will Ferrin, BYU
- All-purpose — Jaylin Noel, Iowa State
Defense
- DE — BJ Green II, Colorado
- DE — Brendan Mott, Kansas State
- DT — Dontay Corleone, Cincinnati
- DT — TJ Jackson II, West Virginia
- LB — Matt Jones, Baylor
- LB — Jacob Rodriguez, Texas Tech
- LB — Keaton Thomas, Baylor
- CB — Mello Dotson, Kansas
- CB — Travis Hunter, Colorado
- S — Xavion Alford, Arizona State
- S — AJ Haulcy, Houston
- P — Palmer Williams, Baylor
Second Team
Offense
- WR — Jayden Higgins, Iowa State
- WR — Jordyn Tyson, Arizona State
- OT — Logan Brown, Kansas
- OT — Caleb Etienne, BYU
- OG — Omar Aigbedion, Baylor
- OG — Caleb Rogers, Texas Tech
- C — Bryce Foster, Kansas
- TE — Joe Royer, Cincinnati
- QB — Sam Leavitt, Arizona State
- RB — Tahj Brooks, Texas Tech
- RB — Devin Neal, Kansas
- PK — Gino Garcia, Texas Tech
- All-purpose — Keelan Marion, BYU
Defense
- DE — Tyler Batty, BYU
- DE — Van Fillinger, Utah
- DT — CJ Fite, Arizona State
- DT — Lee Hunter, UCF
- LB — Jared Bartlett, Cincinnati
- LB — Nikhai Hill-Green, Colorado
- LB — Austin Romaine, Kansas State
- CB — Cobee Bryant, Kansas
- CB — Jontez Williams, Iowa State
- S — Bud Clark, TCU
- S — Cam'ron Silmon-Craig, Colorado
- P — Jack Bouwmeester, Utah