TUCSON, Ariz. – Arizona junior linebacker
Colin Schooler and junior running back
J.J. Taylor were both named to the Preseason All-Pac-12 first-team, it was announced by the conference Wednesday morning.
The preseason team was selected by the media who cover Pac-12 football.
Schooler, who was a first-team all-conference pick last year by the Associated Press and an honorable mention selection by the league's coaches, was selected as one of three linebackers on the first team, along with Troy Dye from Oregon and Evan Weaver from California.
Taylor was named to the first-team as an all-purpose specialist and was also selected to the second-team as a running back, along with Jermar Jefferson of Oregon State.
Schooler started all 12 games at the middle linebacker position and tallied 119 tackles, 72 solo stops, 21.5 tackles-for-loss and 3.5 sacks. The 21.5 TFLs ranked fifth-most in UA single-season history and he now has 35 for his career, which is just 5.5 shy of the UA career top-10.
Schooler led all Power 5 defenders with 1.79 tackles-for-loss per game and ranked fifth in the Pac-12 with 9.92 tackles per game. He also added four pass breakups, two interceptions, one forced fumble and one fumble recovered and scored on a safety. He recorded at least one tackle-for-loss in 10 of the 12 games last season, including four at Oregon State.
A redshirt junior, Taylor is coming off a 2018 season that saw him earn third-team Associated Press All-America honors, first-team All-Pac-12 honors and a Pac-12 Player of the Week award in September after he rushed for 284 yards –the fourth-highest single-game total in school history – at Oregon State. All total, Taylor rushed for 1,434 yards and six touchdowns for the Wildcats last season. He averaged 119.5 yards per game.
The Corona, California native enters the 2019 season with 2,542 career rushing yards, which ranks 10
th in school history. He started all 12 games last year for the Wildcats and went over the 100-yard mark five times, including four times in the final five games.
