Khalil Tate, All-American?
It’s certainly within the realm of possibilities.
Athlon Sports forecasts that type of season for the Arizona Wildcats junior, naming him the third-team quarterback on its 2018 preseason All-America Team.
Athlon named West Virginia’s Will Grier to the first team and Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa to the second team.
Tate had a breakout season as a sophomore, at one point winning an unprecedented four consecutive Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week awards.
Despite not becoming the full-time starter until October, Tate rushed for 1,411 yards and 12 touchdowns. He also passed for 1,591 yards and 14 TDs. He capped the season by throwing a school-record five TD passes in Arizona’s loss to Purdue in the Foster Farms Bowl.
Tate is the only Wildcat to appear on Athlon’s All-America teams, which run four-deep. The Pac-12 leads all conferences with eight first-team selections. Arizona State receiver N’Keal Harry made the second team.
Tate is the first-team QB on Athlon’s projected All-Pac-12 Team. Athlon placed eight other Wildcats on those squads, which also go four-deep: tailback J.J. Taylor; offensive linemen Nathan Eldridge and Layth Friekh; receiver-returner Shun Brown; linebackers Colin Schooler, Kylan Wilborn and Tony Fields; and cornerback Jace Whittaker.
