BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — WKU Football wide receiver Jerreth Sterns was named to the 2021 Associated Press (AP) Midseason All-America Team, the outlet announced Tuesday afternoon. He is only 1-of-4 players from Group of Five schools listed among the 25 who make up the full team on offense, defense and special teams.
Sterns is the first Hilltopper to earn this honor in the program’s FBS Era (since 2009) and joins former tight end Tyler Higbee (CBS Sports in 2015) as WKU’s only Midseason All-Americans recognized my major news outlets in that time frame. The most recent Conference USA player to be an AP Midseason All-American was UTEP offensive guard Will Hernandez, who was a Second Team honoree in 2017. In 2014, FIU tight end Jonnu Smith was a CBS Sports Midseason All-American.
It has been a busy two days for the Waxahachie, Texas, native, who was voted C-USA Offensive Player of the Week after putting up 13 receptions for a career-high 221 yards and a career-long 74-yard touchdown in the Hilltoppers’ 43-20 victory at Old Dominion. He became only the second Hilltopper wideout to be honored since the program joined C-USA prior to the 2014 campaign, joining Taywan Taylor after his 166-yard, three-touchdown performance vs. North Texas on Nov. 12, 2016.
In a three-game span – against undefeated Michigan State, undefeated UTSA and the Monarchs, who previously had the No. 2 defense in Conference USA – Sterns has accumulated 46 receptions for 602 yards and four touchdowns. He became the fifth player since 2000 (as far back as records go on www.Sports-Reference.com) with 46 or more receptions in a three-game span and the 14th with at least 600 yards in a three-game span.
Sterns leads all FBS receivers with 69 receptions for 962 yards, while his 8 touchdowns are tied for fourth. He joins Texas Tech’s Michael Crabtree in 2007 as the only two FBS receivers since 2000 with at least 64 catches and 950 yards in their team’s first six games of the season.
On Oct. 6, Sterns was added to the 2021 Biletnikoff Award Watch List, which annually recognizes the season’s most outstanding FBS receiver in college football, regardless of position. Taylor was a top 10 semifinalist for the award in back-to-back years (2015 and 2016), while Jared Dangerfield (2015), Tyler Higbee (2015) and Nicholas Norris (2016) were also watch list members in those respective seasons.
With 289 career catches in 33 games played, Sterns is college football’s active leader with 8.8 receptions per game. He also has 2,933 career receiving yards and 26 touchdowns, including six multi-score games. In those 33 contests, he has 13 100-yard receiving efforts and 13 double-digit reception performances.
OFFENSE: AP Midseason All-America TeamQuarterback — Bryce Young, sophomore, Alabama.Running backs — Kenneth Walker III, junior, Michigan State; Bijan Robinson, sophomore, Texas.Wide receivers — Drake London, junior, USC; Jerreth Sterns, junior, WKU.Tight end — Isaiah Likely, senior, Coastal Carolina.Tackles — Evan Neal, junior, Alabama; Ikem Ekwonu, junior, NC State.Guards — Eli Cox, sophomore, Kentucky; Zion Johnson, senior, Boston College.Center — Tyler Linderbaum, junior, Iowa.All-purpose player — Sean Tucker, freshman, Syracuse.Kicker — Nick Sciba, senior, Wake Forest.
DEFENSE: AP Midseason All-America TeamEnds — Aidan Hutchinson, senior, Michigan; Cody Roscoe, senior, Syracuse.Tackles — Jordan Davis, senior, Georgia; Demarvin Leal, junior, Texas A&M.Linebackers — Will Anderson Jr., sophomore, Alabama; Devin Lloyd, junior, Utah; Nakobe Dean, junior, Georgia.Cornerbacks — Ahmad Gardner, junior, Cincinnati; Matt Hankins, senior, Iowa.Safeties — Kyle Hamilton, junior, Notre Dame; Jaquan Brisker, senior, Penn State.Punter — Matt Araiza, junior, San Diego State.
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