McCaffrey and Thomas named All-Pac-12 First Team

Add Pac-12 All Conference First Team member to the long list of accolades junior Christian McCaffrey and redshirt junior Solomon Thomas have accrued during their Stanford careers.

The Pac-12 All-Conference Teams were released on Tuesday, with players being selected by all Pac-12 head coaches. The two captains, chosen by coaches in the conference, have been the best offensive and defensive players for the 9-3 Cardinal this season.

McCaffrey leads the team in rushing with 1603 yards (6.3 yards/attempt) and 13 touchdowns on 253 carries. He has also snagged 31 passes for 310 yards and three touchdowns. McCaffrey also has 414 yards in return yards and earned an honorable mention as a return specialist.

Thomas is tied for the team lead in tackles with 55 (36 solo). He also has 13 tackles for loss, seven sacks, one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries.

There was a whole host other Stanford players who received honorable mentions. These included:

• Junior linebacker Joey Alfieri
• Sophomore punter Jake Bailey
• Senior defensive back Dallas Lloyd
• Sophomore running back Bryce Love
• Sophomore defensive back Quenton Meeks
• Senior linebacker Kevin Palma
• Junior defensive end Harrison Phillips
• Sophomore defensive back Justin Reid
• Junior tight end Dalton Schultz
• Junior special teams ace Brandon Simmons
• Senior PK Conrad Ukropina

In my humble opinion, if both McCaffrey and Thomas do depart for the NFL after this season, the young talent which dots the list of honorable mentions, it is reassuring to know that there is still a large pool of returning players left in Palo Alto on all three sides of the ball.