(UW Athletics release)
LARAMIE, Wyo. — Wyoming’s Andrew Wingard earned a prestigious preseason honor on Tuesday, when he was named to the 2018 Associated Press Preseason All-America Team
Wingard was one of only three Group of Five players in the country named to the first or second team. He was named to the Second Team and joined Houston defensive tackle Ed Oliver (First Team) and Buffalo wide receiver Anthony Johnson (Second Team).
Wingard was a First Team All-Mountain West selection in 2016 and ‘17. He also was named the 2017 and 2018 Mountain West Conference Preseason Defensive Player of the Year.
In both 2017 and 2018 he was named to the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award Preseason Watch List, the Bronko Nagurski Award Watch List and the Chuck Bednarik Award Watch List as announced by the Maxwell Football Club.
The Thorpe Award is presented annually to the best defensive back in college football. It was the second consecutive season that Wingard was named to the Thorpe Award list. He was one of 16 semifinalists for the award as a sophomore in 2016.
The Nagurski Award is presented each year by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) to the National Defensive Player of the Year.
The Chuck Bednarik Award is selected annually by the Maxwell Football Club to the College Defensive Player of the Year.
Wingard ranks No. 3 among all active Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) players in total career tackles, averaging 9.41 tackles per game, and he ranks No. 2 in among all active FBS players in career solo tackles per game (5.85 per game).
