OU's Ikard Earns Academic All-America First Team Honors

Sooner offensive lineman Gabe Ikard was named to the Capital One Academic All-America Division I Football Team as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Thursday.

Ikard claimed second-team honors last season and becomes the first OU player since Brian Bosworth in 1986 to receive Academic All-America First Team accolades.

He also becomes the first Oklahoma player to earn Academic All-America honors in consecutive seasons since Ron Shotts in 1966-67. Ikard is one of 22 OU Football players to earn Academic All-America accolades and is one of only four to receive the distinction multiple times. Oklahoma has now landed an individual on the Academic All-America squad each of the last three years, a feat that was last accomplished in 1985-87.

Ikard joins tight end Cameron Brate of Harvard as the only other junior selected to the first team in 2012. The Oklahoma City, Okla., native has started 11 games at center for the Sooners this season. He has played an integral role for an Oklahoma squad that captured a share of an eighth Big 12 championship and an offense that ranks fifth in the nation in passing offense (341.3 yards per game) and 10th in total offense (505.9 ypg).

Ikard has been named to the Academic All-Big 12 team for three consecutive years with a 4.0 grade point average in multidisciplinary studies.

The 24 members of the Capital One Division I Academic All-America Football First Team combined for a 3.715 G.P.A. To be eligible for Academic All-America consideration, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative G.P.A. of 3.30 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standings at his/her current institution and be nominated by his/her sports information director.

Since the program's inception in 1952, CoSIDA has bestowed Academic All-America honors on more than 16,000 student-athletes in Divisions I, II, III and NAIA, covering all NCAA championship sports.