Former Braden River star Brian Battie named consensus first-team NCAA All-American
_091220_CIT_TP_0177.JPG "Former Braden River High School running back has been named a consensus first team All-American from University of South Florida.")
Former Braden River High and Sarasota High running back Brian Battie joined some exclusive University of South Florida company on Thursday.
He was named a 2021 NCAA consensus All-American to join defensive end George Selvie as the only players in Bulls history to receive the accolade. Selvie earned it in 2007.
Battie is a sophmore this year at USF.
Battie was a bright spot for USF’s return game, leading the nation with three kick returns for touchdowns, tie an NCAA game record and break the Bulls’ season return average record with 31.7 yards per return.
The NCAA game record Battie tied was when he returned two kicks 100 yards for touchdowns against Houston at Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium. It was a record previously set by Utah’s Reggie Dunn in 2012.
To earn consensus All-American honors, Battie was selected as a first-team member by two of the five major groups that pick. They were the Walter Camp Football Foundation and Football Writers Association of America.
Other selecting bodies are the American Football Coaches Association, Associated Press and Sporting News.
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Battie’s second-year season with USF netted him nine All-America team selections, including other first team choices by Phil Steele, Action Network, Bleacher Report and Pro Football Network. The six total first-team All-America selections is the second-most behind Selvie’s nine.
The Sporting News, Pro Football Focus and CBS Sports/247 Sports chose Battie as a second-team All-American.
Battie’s performance against Houston meant he became one of 27 players in NCAA history to have two returns for touchdowns in one game.
Not just a returner, Battie also ran for 324 yards and one touchdown, while averaging 5.6 yards per carry. Battie caught seven passes for 67 yards as he led the Bulls with 1,035 all-purpose yards, an average of 86.3 yards per game.
_112720_UCF_SG465.jpg "Brian Battie (21)_112720_UCF_SG465.jpg")
This story was originally published December 16, 2021 at 2:11 PM.
