Austin Barber named to first-team; Trevor Etienne, Shemar James claim honorable mentions
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Florida football offensive lineman Austin Barber was named to the College Football News (CFN) Freshman All-American First Team, while running back Trevor Etienne and linebacker Shemar James earned CFN All-American honorable mention honors.
Barber, who was named the CFN Midseason Freshman All-American First Team on Oct. 19, has appeared in 12 games this season, making five starts at right tackle. The Jacksonville native is a part of a line has only allowed 15 sacks this season, which is second-least in the SEC and tied for 15th in the nation. He is ranked 22nd among all offensive tackles by Pro Football Focus (PFF) with a grade of 80.7.
Etienne ended the regular season with a career-high 129 rushing yards at Florida State on Nov. 25. The Jennings, Louisiana product has recorded 704 rushing yards this season, and is the fourth true freshman running back to surpass 700 rushing yards in Florida history, joining Emmitt Smith, Tony Green, and Fred Taylor. He leads all true freshman running backs who have at least 100 carries in yards per carry at 6.4.
The Gators have rushed for 213.7 yards per game, the 16th most in the country.
James played in all 12 games for Florida this season, making three starts. His 40 tackles on the season are the second-most among SEC true freshmen linebackers and the sixth-most on the Gators. The Mobile, Alabama native is also tied for second in sacks and forced fumbles among SEC true freshmen. James posted a career-high eight tackles against Eastern Washington, while recovering a fumble against South Florida on the game’s first possession.
Florida will conclude its 2022 campaign Dec. 17 at the Las Vegas Bowl against No. 14 Oregon State.
