Venric Mark Named a FWAA All-American

The All-American teams are trickling out and there are not many Big Ten members dotting the list. Venric Mark is consistently among them.

The Football Writers Association of America named  Venric Mark to their All-American first team as a punt returner. His selection marks the 39th player in program history be named to the All-American team and Mark was the lone Big Ten selection. Mark made an impact in the punt returning game, taking one to the house in the opener against Syracuse and setting the tone for the year with his great playmaking ability.

Mark certainly deserves the honor. I am sure he will be gunning for a repeat performance next year and as a selection to one of the teams as a running back.

Also announced, ESPN named Nick VanHoose, Dean Lowery and Dan Vitale to its Big Ten All-Freshman team. All three made a major impact for Northwestern with VanHoose sliding in and proving to be a capable No. 1 cornerback. If it were not for injuries, he could have had an even bigger season for the Wildcats and helped shore up a secondary that was hit by late-season injuries.

Congrats to all these players for the individual honors. It is great seeing Mark especially get recognized for the hard work he put in to make this season happen.