LOS ANGELES - The media who cover the Pac-12 Conference donโt think much of the 2019 Arizona Wildcats, but two players earned significant individual recognition.
Linebacker Colin Schooler and tailback J.J. Taylor were selected to the first-ever preseason Pac-12 All-Conference Football Team.
Schooler, a junior, made the first team. Taylor, a redshirt junior, landed spots on the first and second teams โ the former as an all-purpose specialist, the latter as a running back.
Schooler earned an honorable-mention nod from the league last year after recording a career-high 119 tackles, including 21.5 stops for losses (3.5 sacks). He also had four pass breakups, two interceptions, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and a safety. Schooler led all Power Five conference defenders with 1.79 TFLs per game.
Taylor was a first-team All-Pac-12 selection as a running back and a third-team All-America pick as an all-purpose player in 2018. Taylor rushed for 1,434 yards and six touchdowns and ranked second among all FBS players with 175.6 all-purpose yards per game. Taylor averaged 24.5 yards on kickoff returns, including an 84-yard touchdown.
Utah, the mediaโs pick to win the Pac-12, led all schools with five first-team selections. Oregon and Stanford had four apiece.
The media picked Arizona to finish fifth in the South Division.
Here are the preseason Pac-12 All-Conference Teams:
Media picked preseason All-Pac-12 Team for the first time. Arizona LB Colin Schooler made first team. J.J. Taylor made first-team all-purpose, second-team RB. pic.twitter.com/1OVaxKgBVu
— Michael Lev (@MichaelJLev) July 24, 2019
