Nubin was named second team All-Big Ten, while Schmitz was not picked an Outland Trophy finalist, and Mohamed Ibrahim was not named a Doak Walker finalist.

By Randy Johnson

November 30, 2022 at 1:21PM

Safety Tyler Nubin (27) was among 11 Gophers honored by the Big Ten on Tuesday. The conference’s offensive awards come Wednesday. (Aaron Lavinsky, Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

The Big Ten on Tuesday announced its defensive and special teams all-conference squads and award winners, and the Gophers had 11 players recognized.

Gophers safety Tyler Nubin was named to the second team by votes of both the coaches and media members, while linebacker Mariano Sori-Marin earned third-team honors from the coaches and honorable mention from the media.

Nubin, a junior leads the Gophers with four interceptions and ranked third on the team with 55 tackles. He also had three pass breakups and one forced fumble. Sori-Marin leads the Gophers with 78 tackles and has three pass breakups.

Gophers receiving honorable mention on defense or special teams were: linebacker Cody Lindenberg (coaches, media), end Danny Striggow (coaches), tackle Trill Carter (coaches), safety Jordan Howden (media), tackle Kyler Baugh (media), cornerback Terell Smith (media), end Thomas Rush (media), kicker Matthew Trickett (coaches and media) and return specialist Quentin Redding (coaches).

Iowa linebacker Jack Campbell was named Defensive Player of the Year and Michigan's Jim Harbaugh was named Coach of the Year on both ballots.

The offensive all-conference teams and award winners will be announced Wednesday.

Morgan a finalist for Wuerffel Trophy

Gophers senior quarterback Tanner Morgan was named one of three finalists for the Wuerffel Trophy, which honors college football players who serve others, celebrate their positive impact on society and inspire greater service in the world. It's considered the premier award for community service in college football.

The other finalists are Florida State offensive lineman Dillan Gibbons and Stanford safety Patrick Fields. The winner will be announced Dec. 8.

Morgan is actively involved in the Gophers' chartable and community efforts, and he has entered in a name, image and likeness deal with the Angel Foundation, which provides financial assistance to cancer patients. Morgan and local hat company Kapps Customs collaborated to produce Kapps for Cancer to benefit the Angel Foundation. Morgan also has the most career victories for a Gophers quarterback, going 33-14.

Schmitz, Ibrahim miss out

The Outland Trophy and Doak Walker Award named their finalists on Tuesday, and a pair of Gophers — center John Michael Schmitz and running back Mohamed Ibrahim — did not make the cut despite having statistics or grades that provided strong arguments.

Pittsburgh defensive tackle Calijah Kancey, Michigan center Olusegun Oluwatimi and Northwestern offensive tackle Peter Soronski were named finalists for the Outland, given to the nation's top interior lineman in a vote of Football Writers Association of America committee members.

Schmitz was a semifinalist for the Outland but did not make the final three despite having the second-best grade among all FBS offensive linemen from Pro Football Focus College. Schmitz's grade of 92.4 was superior to that of Kancey (91.5, fifth among interior defensive linemen), Skoronski (87.9, fourth among offensive tackles) and Olumatimi (77.8, 10^th among centers).

Finalists for the Doak Walker Award, given to the nation's top running back, were Illinois' Chase Brown, Michigan's Blake Corum and Texas' Bijan Robinson. Brown ranks second nationally with 1,643 rushing yards, Corum is eighth with 1,463 and Robinson is fifth at 1,580. Robinson leads the nation with 1,894 yards from scrimmage, and Brown is second at 1,883.

Ibrahim was a semifinalist. His 1,594 rushing yards rank fourth nationally, 144.91 rushing yards per game rank second and 19 rushing touchdowns are tied for second.

Glaze, Keys, Ortiz to transfer

Defensive backs Jalen Glaze and Steven Ortiz Jr. and defensive tackle Gage Keys announced on Twitter their intentions to enter their names in the transfer portal when it opens Monday.

Glaze was a third-year sophomore this season who played 10 games and made five tackles. He spent the 2021 season mainly on special teams and played in four games in 2020.

Ortiz was a redshirt freshman who played in one game this season and none in 2021.

Keys was a third-year freshman this season after not playing in 2020 and 2021. He played in eight games and made five tackles, including three against Purdue.