Middle Tennessee wide receiver Ty Lee had a remarkable freshman season on the field and his hard work has been rewarded with an inclusion on the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) Freshman All-American Team.
It marks the second straight season the Blue Raiders have had a wide receiver named to the Freshman All-American team. Current redshirt sophomore Richie James was named to the squad in 2016. Middle Tennessee has had three freshmen All-Americans in the past two seasons. Quarterback Brent Stockstill also was honored by making the team last season.
Lee, who was also voted to the Conference USA All-Freshman team and an honorable mention for the All-C-USA team, played in all 13 games and had 11 starts for Middle Tennessee. He led the nation’s freshmen with 63 receptions and nine receiving touchdowns, and his 699 yards were fifth among the country’s first-year players. He was second on the team in receiving yards and touchdowns and third in receptions.
Lee wasn’t pegged as a starter prior to the season, but injuries along the wide receiver corps thrust him into the starting lineup for the first game of the year against Alabama A&M, where he caught four passes for 42 yards. His first receiving touchdown would come a week later at Vanderbilt.
“Ty stepped up and had a great season for our football team,” Middle Tennessee Head Coach Rick Stockstill said. “Ty worked hard and prepared himself for an opportunity. When the opportunity came and his number was called, Ty was ready because he had worked hard to prepare himself to help our team.”
Lee twice eclipsed the 100-yard receiving mark, including in his best outing of the season on Christmas Eve in the Blue Raiders’ Hawai’i Bowl defeat to Hawaii in which he caught 10 passes for 100 yards and two TDs.
One other Conference USA freshman – UTSA LB Josiah Tauaefa – made the FWAA Freshman All-American team. Thirty schools are represented on the 34-man team, with Ohio State getting the most inclusions with three. Georgia and Florida also had multiple players awarded.
Offense
QB Sam Darnold, USC
RB Mike Weber, Ohio State
RB Benny Snell, Kentucky
RB Justice Hill, Oklahoma State
WR Ammon Richards, Miami
WR Demetrius Robinson, California
WR Ty Lee, Middle Tennessee
TE Isaac Nautta, Georgia
OL Michael Jordan, Ohio State
OL Jawaan Taylor, Florida
OL Ryan Bates, Penn State
OL Thomas Shoaf, BYU
OL Ben Bredeson, Michigan
OL Zach Shackleford, Texas
AP Donnie Corley, Michigan State
Defense
DL Ed Oliver, Houston
DL Dexter Lawrence, Clemson
DL Brian Burns, Florida State
DL Dre’Mont Jones, Ohio State
DL Reggie Walker, Kansas State
LB Logan Wilson, Wyoming
LB Troy Dye, Oregon
LB Leo Lewis, Mississippi State
LB Josiah Tauaefa, UTSA
LB David Reese, Florida
DB Xavier Crawford, Oregon State
DB Javon Hagan, Ohio
DB Taylor Rapp, Washington
DB Jessie Bates, Wake Forest
DB Clifton Duck, Appalachian State
Special Teams
K Rodrigo Blankenship, Georgia
P Tom Sheldon, North Carolina
KR Tony Pollard, Memphis
PR Malik McGue, Army
