Simmie Cobbs Earns First-Team All Big Ten Honors, Three Others Earn Honorable Mention

IU Athletics Release

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana redshirt junior wide receiver Simmie Cobbs Jr. collected first team All-Big Ten accolades from the conference's coaches and media, it was announced today. Cobbs is the first IU wideout named to the first team since Tandon Doss (2009-10) and joins senior linebacker Tegray Scales and fifth-year senior kicker Griffin Oakes as 2017 first team honorees.
 
The league released award winners on offense today, and three Hoosiers earned honorable mention recognition from the coaches and media: senior tight end Ian Thomas, redshirt junior offensive lineman Wes Martin and redshirt junior wide receiver Luke Timian.
 
In addition to Scales and Oakes, fifth-year senior cornerback Rashard Fant netted second team laurels yesterday. The trio was joined by six honorable mention members: senior linebacker Chris Covington (coaches and media), junior safety Jonathan Crawford (coaches and media), fifth-year senior Chase Dutra (media), redshirt junior return specialist J-Shun Harris II (coaches and media), senior defensive end Robert McCray III (media) and redshirt sophomore punter Haydon Whitehead (coaches and media).
 
Overall, a program record 13 IU players were recognized by the Big Ten. The school's previous record of 12 was set in both 2015 and 2016.
 
The Hoosiers matched last season's school mark as six defenders received B1G recognition. Fifth-year senior offensive lineman Danny Friend was named the team's Big Ten Sportsmanship Award winner.
 
A 2016 and 2017 Biletnikoff Award Watch Lister, Cobbs finished second in the conference in receptions (72, T-17th nationally), third in yardage (841, 47th) and shared fourth in receiving touchdowns (8, T-34th).
 
His 72 catches are tied for fourth on the school's single-season chart, his three 100-yard games are tied for eighth and his eight receiving scores are tied for 10th. On the Indiana career lists, Cobbs shares fourth with seven 100-yard games, while his 1,990 receiving yards and 139 receptions are eighth.
 
The Oak Park, Ill., native accounted for half of the league's six double-digit catch games, which tied for third among Power 5 wideouts. Cobbs is the lone receiver in the Big Ten and one of eight Power 5 receivers with three 10-plus catch games in 2017.
 
He opened the year with a career-high 11 grabs for 149 yards with one TD against No. 2 Ohio State. Cobbs pulled in 10 balls for 98 yards against Charleston Southern, made 10 receptions for 138 yards and a pair of touchdowns at Maryland, and closed out the year with 10 seven catches for 105 yards and one TD at Purdue.