Before the season, experts predicted U offensive tackle Jordan Gross to be one of the best lineman in the nation.
He did not disappoint.
Gross exceeded expectations, running his streak of seasons without a sack allowed to two, and proving he should be one of the top lineman selected in the upcoming NFL Draft.
For his efforts, Gross was named a first-team All-American by the Associated Press, among other honors.
No U player had been selected to the All-American first-team since Luther Elliss in 1994.
It was the fourth major All-American team that Gross had been selected to, and he needs three more such selections to be a consensus All-American, as Elliss was in 1994.
Along with being selected to the AP All-American team, Gross was named to the Walter Camp, Football Writers, and CNNSI.com All-American teams. He was also named to the all-Mountain West conference first-team.
Gross was honored at the annual Home Depot College Football Awards Show in Orlando, as he was a finalist for the Outland Trophy, given to the top interior lineman in the nation.
He was the anchor of an offensive line that opened holes for Ute running backs to gain more than 1,800 yards during 2002 and more than 2,000 yards the year before.
