Franks, Mercier Named Sporting News All-American
Dec. 7, 1999
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Five University of Miami football players havebeen named to The Sporting News All-American teams announced Tuesday. Tightend Daniel “Bubba” Franks and offensive guard Richard Mercier were namedfirst-team All-Americans, while linebacker Nate Webster was named asecond-team All-American by the publication. In addition, running backClinton Portis was named first-team Freshman All-American and defensivetackle William Joseph was selected as a second-team Freshman All-American.
Franks, a junior from Big Spring, TX, recorded 45 receptions for 565yards and six touchdowns in 1999. A powerful 6-6, 260-pounder who hasstarted in 30 of 34 career games, Franks has 77 career receptions for 1038yards and 12 touchdowns. His 12 career touchdowns rank first all-time amongUniversity of Miami tight ends. This season, Franks has recorded five ormore catches in six games, including a season-high six catches for 78 yardsat Boston College on October 23.
Mercier, a senior from Montreal, Canada, is regarded as one of thetop pulling guards in the nation. Mercier has helped paved the way for theMiami offense to average 174 rushing yards per game. The veteran hasstarted in 47 games and with a start at the Toyota Gator Bowl will tie theschool record for career games started.
Webster, a junior from Miami, FL, led the BIG EAST this season with150 tackles (92 solo). A four-time recipient of BIG EAST Defensive Playerof the Week honors, Webster has registered eight double-digit tackleperformances, including a season-high 20 tackles vs. then-No. 2 Penn Stateon September 18.
Portis, a true freshman from Gainesville, FL, led the Hurricanes inrushing this season with a Miami freshman record 838 yards on 143 carries,while scoring seven touchdowns (six by rush, one by reception). Portisrushed for 100 or more yards in five games this year, setting another UMfreshman record.
Joseph, a redshirt freshman from Miami, FL, registered 48 tackles(17 solo) on the year, including six tackles for loss. Joseph also recorded1.5 sacks, one fumble recovery and 18 quarterback hurries.
Miami (8-4, 5-1 BIG EAST) returns to action on January 1, 2000 witha matchup vs. Georgia Tech (8-3, 5-3 ACC) at the Toyota Gator Bowl.
The Sporting News
ALL-AMERICAN TEAMS
First team
OFFENSE
| Pos. | Player | Ht./Wt. | Class | School |
| WR | Peter Warrick | 6-0/190 | Sr. | Florida State |
| T | Chris McIntosh | 6-7/307 | Sr. | Wisconsin |
| G | Richard Mercier | 6-3/290 | Sr. | Miami (Fla.) |
| C | Ben Hamilton | 6-5/271 | Jr. | Minnesota |
| G | Noel LaMontagne | 6-5/302 | Sr. | Virginia |
| T | Chris Samuels | 6-6/294 | Sr. | Alabama |
| TE | Bubba Franks | 6-6/245 | Jr. | Miami (Fla.) |
| WR | Troy Walters | 5-8/170 | Sr. | Stanford |
| QB | Michael Vick | 6-1/211 | Fr. | Virginia Tech |
| RB | Ron Dayne | 5-10/253 | Sr. | Wisconsin |
| RB | Thomas Jones | 5-10/205 | Sr. | Virginia |
DEFENSE
| E | Corey Moore | 6-0/218 | Sr. | Virginia Tech |
| T | Corey Simon | 6-4/275 | Sr. | Florida State |
| T | Rob Renes | 6-1/288 | Sr. | Michigan |
| E | Courtney Brown | 6-5/265 | Sr. | Penn State |
| LB | Barrin Simpson | 5-11/221 | Sr. | Mississippi State |
| LB | Mark Simoneau | 6-0/240 | Sr. | Kansas State |
| LB | LaVar Arrington | 6-3/233 | Jr. | Penn State |
| CB | Ralph Brown | 5-10/180 | Sr. | Nebraska |
| CB | Jamar Fletcher | 5-10/167 | So. | Wisconsin |
| SS | Tyrone Carter | 5-9/184 | Sr. | Minnesota |
| FS | Deon Grant | 6-3/205 | Jr. | Tennessee |
SPECIALISTS
| K | Sebastian Janikowski | 6-2/255 | Jr. | Florida State |
| P | Brian Schmitz | 6-0/165 | Sr. | North Carolina |
| KR | Deltha O’Neal | 5-11/190 | Sr. | California |
Second team
OFFENSE
| WR | Trevor Insley | 6-1/195 | Sr. | Nevada |
| T | Jon Carman | 6-8/335 | Sr. | Georgia Tech |
| G | Terrence Metcalf | 6-3/291 | So. | Mississippi |
| C | Mike Malano | 6-2/300 | Sr. | San Diego State |
| G | Jason Whitaker | 6-5/300 | Sr. | Florida State |
| T | Chad Clifton | 6-6/320 | Sr. | Tennessee |
| TE | Ibn Green | 6-2/225 | Sr. | Louisville |
| WR | Dennis Northcutt | 5-11/172 | Sr. | Arizona |
| QB | Joe Hamilton | 5-10/189 | Sr. | Georgia Tech |
| RB | Shaun Alexander | 6-1/205 | Sr. | Alabama |
| RB | Travis Prentice | 6-2/228 | Sr. | Miami (Ohio) |
DEFENSE
| E | Robaire Smith | 6-5/269 | Sr. | Michigan State |
| T | Casey Hampton | 6-1/305 | Jr. | Texas |
| T | Darwin Walker | 6-3/290 | Sr. | Tennessee |
| E | Adalius Thomas | 6-4/252 | Sr. | Southern Miss |
| LB | Rob Morris | 6-2/250 | Sr. | BYU |
| LB | Brandon Short | 6-3/246 | Sr. | Penn State |
| LB | Nate Webster | 6-0/220 | Jr. | Miami (Fla.) |
| SS | Brian Urlacher | 6-4/235 | Sr. | New Mexico |
| FS | Lamar Chapman | 6-0/180 | Sr. | Kansas State |
| CB | Damen Wheeler | 5-10/175 | Sr. | Colorado |
| CB | Deltha O’Neal | 5-11/190 | Sr. | California |
SPECIALISTS
| K | Jeff Chandler | 6-2/208 | Jr. | Florida |
| P | Andrew Bayes | 6-3/200 | Sr. | East Carolina |
| KR | David Allen | 5-9/185 | Jr. | Kansas State |
Third team
OFFENSE
| WR | Kwame Cavil | 6-2/205 | Jr. | Texas |
| T | Marvel Smith | 6-6/300 | Jr. | Arizona State |
| G | Travis Claridge | 6-6/310 | Sr. | USC |
| C | Terrence Anderson | 5-11/279 | Sr. | Navy |
| G | Roger Roesler | 6-5/300 | Sr. | Texas |
| T | Colin Westrich | 6-6/295 | Sr. | Toledo |
| TE | James Whalen | 6-4/231 | Sr. | Kentucky |
| WR | Chris Daniels | 6-3/202 | Sr. | Purdue |
| QB | Chad Pennington | 6-3/220 | Sr. | Marshall |
| RB | LaDainian Tomlinson | 5-11/210 | Jr. | TCU |
| RB | LaMont Jordan | 5-11/216 | Jr. | Maryland |
DEFENSE
| E | Chris Hovan | 6-3/285 | Sr. | Boston College |
| T | Kendrick Clancy | 6-2/265 | Sr. | Mississippi |
| E | Alex Brown | 6-3/248 | So. | Florida |
| LB | James Hall | 6-3/257 | Sr. | Michigan |
| LB | Keith Adams | 5-11/220 | So. | Clemson |
| LB | Jeff Kerr | 6-4/235 | Sr. | East Carolina |
| LB | Julian Peterson | 6-4/235 | Sr. | Michigan State |
| SS | Ashley Cooper | 6-0/207 | Sr. | Mississippi State |
| FS | Rogers Beckett | 6-3/205 | Sr. | Marshall |
| CB | Anthony Midget | 5-11/183 | Sr. | Virginia Tech |
| CB | Lewis Sanders | 6-0/200 | Jr. | Maryland |
SPECIALISTS
| K | Jamie Rheem | 6-1/185 | Jr. | Kansas State |
| P | Shane Lechler | 6-2/220 | Sr. | Texas A&M |
| KR | Nick Davis | 5-10/174 | So. | Wisconsin |
FRESHMAN ALL-AMERICAN TEAMS
First Team
OFFENSE
| Pos. | Player | Ht./Wt. | School |
| WR | Jerel Myers | 5-11/169 | LSU |
| T | Jon Stinchcomb | 6-5/272 | Georgia (RS) |
| G | Kevin Breedlove | 6-4/310 | Georgia |
| C | Ben Claxton | 6-4/290 | Mississippi (RS) |
| G | Kip Sixbery | 6-4/315 | Kentucky |
| T | Mike Pearson | 6-7/295 | Florida (RS) |
| TE | Randy McMichael | 6-3/223 | Georgia (RS) |
| WR | Ronney Daniels | 6-1/211 | Auburn |
| QB | Michael Vick | 6-1/211 | Virginia Tech (RS) |
| RB | Clinton Portis | 5-11/180 | Miami (Fla.) |
| RB | Avon Cobourne | 5-8/190 | West Virginia (RS) |
DEFENSE
| E | Charles Grant | 6-3/266 | Georgia |
| T | Albert Haynesworth | 6-6/300 | Tennessee |
| T | Dan Klecko | 6-1/265 | Temple |
| E | Julius Peppers | 6-6/280 | North Carolina (RS) |
| LB | Clifton Smith | 6-2/250 | Syracuse |
| LB | Saleem Rasheed | 6-3/220 | Alabama |
| LB | Solomon Bates | 6-3/240 | Arizona State |
| CB | Rashad Faison | 5-10/188 | South Carolina |
| CB | Dennis Weathersby | 6-1/203 | Oregon State (RS) |
| SS | Chris Williams | 6-3/212 | Virginia (RS) |
| FS | Ramon Walker | 5-11/190 | Pittsburgh (RS) |
SPECIALISTS
| K | John Anderson | 6-1/170 | Washington |
| P | Steve Mullins | 6-4/211 | Utah State (RS) |
| KR | Leonard Scott | 5-11/165 | Tennessee |
Second Team
OFFENSE
| WR | Terrence Edwards | 6-1/175 | Georgia |
| T | Michael Mahan | 6-6/292 | Texas A&M (RS) |
| G | Gene Mruczkowski | 6-3/307 | Purdue (RS) |
| C | Josh Melton | 6-4/289 | Arkansas (RS) |
| G | Zach Wilson | 6-4/300 | USC (RS) |
| T | Matt Crawford | 6-6/295 | Maryland (RS) |
| TE | Jerramy Stevens | 6-7/220 | Washington (RS) |
| WR | Kareem Kelly | 6-1/185 | USC |
| QB | Brooks Bollinger | 6-2/192 | Wisconsin (RS) |
| RB | T.J. Duckett | 6-2/255 | Michigan State |
| RB | Deon Burnett | 6-0/205 | Washington State |
DEFENSE
| E | Greg Gathers | 6-1/249 | Georgia Tech |
| T | Michael Josiah | 6-3/240 | Louisville (RS) |
| T | Kevin Stevenson | 6-1/273 | Baylor (RS) |
| E | William Joseph | 6-5/285 | Miami (Fla.) (RS) |
| LB | Brian Gamble | 6-2/227 | Texas A&M (RS) |
| LB | Marcus Reese | 6-2/216 | UCLA |
| LB | Treverance Faulk | 6-3/224 | LSU |
| CB | Lito Sheppard | 5-11/190 | Florida |
| CB | Darrell Rideaux | 5-9/175 | USC |
| SS | Donnie Nickey | 6-3/203 | Ohio State |
| FS | Jerton Evans | 5-11/186 | Virginia |
SPECIALISTS
| K | Dan Nystrom | 5-11/205 | Minnesota |
| P | Nathan Fikse | 5-9/180 | UCLA |
| KR | Domanick Davis | 5-10/203 | LSU |
Third team
OFFENSE
| WR | Jammarl O’Neal | 6-1/175 | Central Michigan (RS) |
| T | Bruce Nelson | 6-4/270 | Iowa (RS) |
| G | Bryan Anderson | 6-5/295 | Pittsburgh (RS) |
| C | Zach Butler | 6-4/280 | Iowa State (RS) |
| G | Scott Tercero | 6-5/270 | Cal |
| T | Rob Kellerman | 6-6/300 | Wyoming (RS) |
| TE | Trent Smith | 6-5/222 | Oklahoma (RS) |
| WR | Antonio Bryant | 6-2/180 | Pittsburgh |
| QB | Casey Printers | 6-3/190 | TCU |
| RB | Luke Staley | 6-1/214 | BYU |
| RB | Earnest Graham | 5-10/218 | Florida (RS) |
DEFENSE
| E | Aaron Hunt | 6-3/230 | Texas Tech (RS) |
| T | Lute Croy | 6-2/290 | SMU (RS) |
| T | Cedric Harden | 6-3/283 | Missouri (RS) |
| E | Kevin Williams | 6-5/235 | Oklahoma State (RS) |
| LB | Drew Wahlroos | 6-3/225 | Colorado (RS) |
| LB | Fred Barr | 6-2/225 | Iowa |
| LB | Recardo Wimbush | 6-1/205 | Georgia Tech |
| CB | Ricky Manning | 5-9/170 | UCLA |
| CB | Rushen Jones | 6-1/190 | Vanderbilt (RS) |
| SS | Roy Williams | 6-2/215 | Oklahoma (RS) |
| FS | Daryl Dixon | 5-10/189 | Florida |
SPECIALISTS
| K | Nick Calaycay | 5-7/172 | Boise State (RS) |
| P | Brooks Barnard | 6-2/190 | Maryland (RS) |
| KR | William Green | 6-1/220 | Boston College |
