DENVER ? Five Vandal football players were recognized Monday on the Western Athletic Conference all-WAC teams, led by senior linebacker David Vobora, who earned Idaho's lone first team honor and safety Shiloh Keo, who earned second team honors at two positions.
“I think it's good that these guys get recognized,” Idaho head coach Robb Akey said. “It's not always easy to get recognized when the win-loss column is what it was for us this season, but it's good to know that people are recognizing that we're getting parts of this program built.”
Vobora earned first team all-WAC for the second consecutive season and joined San Jose State's Dwight Lowery as the only two-time first team honorees on the list.
Vobora, a senior team captain from Churchill High School in Eugene, Ore., leads the WAC and is third nationally with 12.33 tackles per game and leads the WAC and is fourth nationally with 7.17 solo tackles per game. Vobora's 148 tackles this season are tied for second-most all-time at Idaho.
With the honor, Vobora becomes the 23rd Vandal football player to earn two first team all-conference honors.
“I'm glad David Vobora got to close out his career with such a tremendous honor and a second straight first team all-WAC award,” Akey said.
Idaho placed four athletes on the all-WAC second team, led by Keo, a sophomore who earned the honors as both a defensive back and as a punt returner. Redshirt freshman running back Deonte' Jackson, junior center Adam Korby, and senior cornerback Stanley Franks also all earned second team honors.
Keo finished the season third on the team and tied for 19th in the WAC in tackles with 81 total tackles. He was also tied for second in the WAC in both interceptions (4) and fumble recoveries (3). As a punt returner, Keo ranked third in the WAC and sixth nationally with a 16.79 return average, including a school-record 100-yard return for a touchdown against Northern Illinois.
Franks earns his second all-WAC honor in as many seasons at Idaho. Last year he earned first team honors after leading the nation in interceptions. Franks finished the season with 42 tackles, 11 pass defenses, one interception and one forced fumble despite having teams avoid throwing in his direction.
“I would have loved to see Stanley on the first team again this season, but our opponents just didn't give him as many chances as they did last year,” Akey said.
Jackson made a splash in his first season in the Vandal backfield, as he finished the season ranked third in the WAC and 37th nationally in rushing yards with 1,175 and seven touchdowns. He was fourth among freshman running backs nationally. He is the first 1,000-yard rusher at Idaho since Zach Gerstner gained 1,157 in 2003 and is the top freshman runner in Idaho football history.
With 35 consecutive starts under his belt, Korby is the anchor of Idaho's offensive line. He is a two-time winner of Idaho's Wayne Walker Ironman Award and was twice named to the Rimington Award watch list for the nation's top center in 2006 and 2007. He was also voted by his teammates as a team captain for the season.
One thing that already has Akey excited is that three of the five all-WAC players will be back on field for the Vandals next season.
“All these guys are all-conference players and it's good to see that Shiloh, who represented two parts of the team, Deonte' and Korby are all returning next season, so we've got that as a solid foundation to build this team around,” Akey said.
Colt Brennan of Hawai'i earned Offensive Player of the Year, while Fresno State's Marcus Riley earned Defensive Player of the Year, Nevada's Colin Kaepernick earned Freshman of the Year and June Jones of Hawai'i earned Coach of the Year honors.
The WAC also created a special “Offensive Unit of the Year” award for Brennan and his four wide receivers, Davone Bess, Ryan Grice-Mullen, C.J. Hawthorne and Jason Rivers for their school-, WAC- and NCAA-record setting year.
2007 All-WAC Honors
First Team
Offense
WR Jeremy Childs, Boise State
WR Davone Bess, Hawai'I
WR Ryan Grice-Mullen, Hawai'I
TE Bear Pascoe, Fresno State
OL Ryan Clady, Boise State
OL Ryan Wendell, Fresno State
OL John Estes, Hawai'I
OL Hercules Satele, Hawai'I
OL Dominic Green, Nevada
QB Colt Brennan, Hawai'i
RB Ian Johnson, Boise State
RB Luke Lippincott, Nevada
Defense
DL David Veikune, Hawai'i
DL Tyler Clutts, Fresno State
DL Nick Schlekeway, Boise State
DL Mike Lafaele, Hawai'i
LB Marcus Riley, Fresno State
LB Solomon Elimimian, Hawai'i
LB Adam Leonard, Hawai'i
LB David Vobora, Idaho
LB Matt Castelo, San Jose State
DB Marty Tadman, Boise State
DB Antonio Baker, Louisiana Tech
DB Myron Newberry, Hawai'i
DB Dwight Lowery, San Jose State
Special Teams
PK Dan Kelly, Hawai'I
P Chris Keagle
ST Kevin Robinson, Utah State
Second Team
Offense
WR Jason Rivers, Hawai'i
WR Chris Williams, New Mexico State
WR Kevin Jurovich, San Jose State
TE Adam Bishop, Nevada
OL Tad Miller, Boise State
OL Adam Korby, Idaho
OL Tyler Miller, Louisiana Tech
OL Mike Martinez, New Mexico State
OL John Booker, San Jose State
QB Taylor Tharp, Boise State
RB Deonte' Jackson, Idaho
RB Patrick Johnson, Louisiana Tech
Defense
DL Josh Muse, Louisiana Tech
DL Chris Pugh, Louisiana Tech
DL Matt Hines, Nevada
DL Jarron Gilbert, San Jose State
LB Quin Harris, Louisiana Tech
LB Ezra Butler, Nevada
LB Dante Floyd, New Mexico State
LB Jake Hutton, Utah State
DB Kyle Wilson, Boise State
DB Stanley Franks, Idaho
DB Shiloh Keo, Idaho
DB Christopher Owens, San Jose State
Special Teams
PK Kyle Brotzman, Boise State
P Leon Jackson III, Utah State
ST A.J. Jefferson, Fresno State
ST Shiloh Keo, Idaho
Offensive Player of the Year: Colt Brennan, Hawai'i
Defensive Player of the Year: Marcus Riley, Fresno State
Freshman of the Year: Colin Kaepernick, Nevada
Coach of the Year: June Jones, Hawai'i
