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Bucknuts Staff said...

Buckeyes earn AP All-American honors

Hankins and Roby named to second-team; Simon a third-team honoree for second time

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Three Ohio State University football standouts – junior defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins, sophomore cornerback Bradley Roby and senior defensive end John Simon – were named Associated Press All-Americans today. Hankins and Roby were each honored with second-team recognition while Simon was a third-team selection for the second consecutive year.

Each was a major contributor this season for the Buckeyes, who are ranked No. 3 by the Associated Press after completing a 12-0 campaign that included an 8-0 mark in the Big Ten Conference and a championship of the league’s Leaders Division.

 Hankins, who announced Dec. 10 he would forego his senior season and enter the 2013 NFL Draft, ranked fifth on the team this season with 55 tackles, including 4.0 TFLs (minus-22 yards). He had a career-high 10 tackles against both California and UAB.

 Roby ranks second in the nation in passes defended with 1.73 per game and 19 total (17 pass break-ups and two interceptions). He scored three touchdowns – via interception, recovered fumble and recovered bobbled snap – this season, and he had two interceptions vs. Nebraska and a career-high four PBUs vs. Penn State.

 Simon, the Big Ten’s defensive player of the year and its defensive lineman of the year, led the Big Ten in quarterback sacks (9.0 for minus-73 yards) and ranked second with 14.5 tackles-for-loss, totaling minus-87 yards – both Top 25 marks nationally.

All three players were first-team all-Big Ten performers this year for Coach Urban Meyer. Simon, a three-year starter, had started 37 consecutive games for the Buckeyes until a knee injury forced him to miss the teams undefeated-season-capping 26-21 win over Michigan. Hankins and Roby have each started 25 consecutive games.

Courtesy: OhioStateBuckeyes.com

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