The Big 12 Conference announced its regular season honors today, with seven Texas Longhorn players among the recipients. Senior Charles Omenihu was named the Defensive Lineman of the Year while Safety Caden Sterns earned the Defensive Freshman of the Year.
Omenihu and Sterns were also named to first team All-Big 12 along with cornerback Kris Boyd and fullback Andrew Beck. Kicker Cameron Dicker, offensive lineman Zach Shackelford and linebacker Gary Johnson were also named to the All-Big 12 second team.
Omenihu joins Poona Ford and Brian Orakpo as previous Longhorns to win Defensive Lineman of the Year. Omenihu led the team in sacks with 8.5 this year, doubling his career high of 4 last year. Omenihu also finished with 40 total tackles and one forced fumble.
Caden Sterns is the seventh Longhorn to win Defensive Freshman of the Year, most recently Malik Jefferson. In his first year at Texas, Sterns led the team with four interceptions along with 59 total tackles. Sterns also recorded four pass deflections and a sack in a stellar rookie campaign.
Thirty-one Texas players have been recognized for individual awards in Big 12 history, which ranks third most behind Oklahoma and Kansas State.