Blake named the state's Defensive Player of the Year by Texas Football

TCU has the most first-team selections of any school

Tommy Blake
Football Home HEADLINES Three MWC Football Student-Athletes Named ESPN The Magazine Academic All-Americans Mountain West Conference Football Press Release Week No. 13 Mountain West Conference Reprimands BYU Assistant Football Coach and Student-Athlete RELATED LINKS • Follow all of the college football action at CollegeSports.com • Email this to a friend

June 13, 2007

CARROLLTON, Texas -- TCU preseason All-America defensive end Tommy Blake has been named by Dave Campbell's Texas Football as the state's Best Defensive Lineman and Defensive Player of the Year.

Blake, fellow end Chase Ortiz, linebacker Jason Phillips and safety Brian Bonner were named to the All-Texas College Team Defense. Phillips was tabbed as the state's Best Linebacker.

In those four returning All-Mountain West Conference performers, TCU had the most first-team defensive selections. Texas was second with three picks. Texas A&M had two.

A Playboy All-American, Blake is on the watch list for the Lombardi Award, Bronko Nagurski Trophy and Lott Trophy. Ortiz is also a Lombardi Award and Nagurski Trophy candidate.

TCU senior linebacker David Hawthorne was selected to the second-team defense, while Bonner was the second-team return specialist.

Offensively, the Frogs were represented on the All-Texas College first team by offensive guard Matty Lindner and placekicker Chris Manfredini. Lindner appears on the Outland Trophy Watch List.

TCU opens the 2007 campaign with a Sept. 1 home game versus Baylor. Over the last two seasons, the Frogs are 4-0 versus Big 12 opponents while allowing just 11.0 points per game.