Postseason Props Continue

CLEVELAND – A quartet of Arkansas players earned postseason honors from Phil Steele, the publication announced Monday.

Junior center Frank Ragnow led the way, earning a spot on both the All-America fourth team and All-SEC first team. Sophomore running back Rawleigh Williams III and senior offensive lineman Dan Skipper were each selected to the All-SEC second team, while senior tight end Jeremy Sprinkle was named to the All-SEC third team.

Ragnow was recently tabbed an All-American by Pro Football Focus after finishing the regular season as the top ranked center in college football, according to the outlet. He was named to the Pro Football Focus Team of the Week twice this season and also earned SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week honors on Sept. 18. He has made 25 straight starts heading into Arkansas’ Belk Bowl showdown against Virginia Tech with 14 starts at right guard and 11 at center. The Victoria, Minnesota, product was also selected to the Associated Press All-SEC second team last week.

Skipper, who earned second-team All-America honors from the American Football Coaches Association earlier today, started all 12 regular season games at left tackle. He helped pave the way for sophomore running back Rawleigh Williams III to capture the SEC regular season rushing title with 1,326 yards on the ground, while junior quarterback Austin Allen threw for 3,152 yards, including a league-best 2,291 in conference play. The Arvada, Colorado, native enters the bowl game with 46 consecutive starts along the offensive line. Of those 46 starts, 25 have come at left tackle, 13 at right tackle and eight at left guard.

Skipper and Ragnow are two of six Arkansas players to garner All-America honors under head coach Bret Bielema. Of the six All-Americans, four are offensive linemen. Under first-year offensive line coach Kurt Anderson, this is the first time Arkansas has had two All-Americans on the offensive line in the same season since 2007.

After missing the final six games of his freshman campaign in 2015 due to a neck injury, Williams has reached the 100-yard plateau on the ground in a league-best seven games in 2016, while his 1,326 yards are fifth-best in program single-season history. He also has over a 200-yard lead on the rest of the SEC in yards from scrimmage (1,553) while adding 12 rushing touchdowns, one receiving TD and also throwing for a score. Last week, the Dallas native landed on the AP All-SEC first team after being selected to the Coaches’ All-SEC second team.

Sprinkle has caught 33 passes for 380 yards and four touchdowns this season. He ranks fifth in receptions, fourth in receiving yards and tied for second in touchdown catches among SEC tight ends. For his career, Sprinkle has made 71 receptions for 921 yards and is Arkansas’ all-time leader in touchdown receptions by a tight end with 11. Of his 71 career catches, 47 have resulted in either a first down or touchdown for a conversion rate of 66.2 percent.