Dec. 7, 2011
Hendricks Award Website | CBSSports.com All-America Teams | Illinois Bowl Central
CHICAGO, Ill. - The Ted Hendricks Foundation announced today that Illinois junior Whitney Mercilus is the 2011 recipient of the Hendricks Defensive End of the Year Award. Mercilus leads the nation in sacks, sacks per game and forced fumbles while ranking sixth nationally in tackles for loss per game. He becomes Illinois first major national award winner since Dana Howard (1994) and Kevin Hardy (1995) won the Butkus Award in back-to-back years.
Mercilus beat out finalists Frank Alexander (Oklahoma), Andre Branch (Clemson), Vinny Curry (Marshall), Sam Montgomery (LSU) and Nick Perry, Jr. (USC), garnering over 50 percent of the vote from current and former college coaches, former players, media members and pro football personnel professionals. On-field performance, leadership abilities and contributions to school and community are some of the criteria used to determine the award winner.
A native of Akron, Ohio, Mercilus is one of college football's breakout players in 2011, as he has 52 tackles, 19.5 tackles for loss, 14.5 sacks, nine forced fumbles and six quarterback hurries. Mercilus has already has broken the Illinois and Big Ten single-season records for forced fumbles and is one shy of tying the NCAA record of 10. He also is 1.5 sacks away from tying former two-time All-America Simeon Rice's school season record of 16 sacks. He has had at least one sack in 10 of 12 games this season, including a career-high three against Indiana, and has forced a fumble in four straight games.
Mercilus also is finalist for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, which goes to the national Defensive Player of the Year, is a first team All-America selection by the American Football Coaches Association and a first team All-Big Ten selection. He also was a semifinalist for both the Bednarik Award, given annually to the nation's top defensive player, and the Rotary Lombardi Award, given annually to the nation's top offensive or defensive lineman or linebacker.
Mercilus will be honored at the Hendricks Award Dinner on March 17, 2012, in Miami, Fla. Time and place are to be determined. He is the 10th winner of the award, which is named after former Miami Hurricane and three-time All-American DE Ted Hendricks. Previous Hendricks Award winners include Da'Quan Bowers of Clemson (2010), Jerry Hughes of TCU (2009), Brian Orakpo of Texas (2008), Chris Long of Virginia (2007), LaMarr Woodley of Michigan (2006), Elvis Dumerville of Louisville (2005), David Pollack of Georgia (2003 and 2004) and Terrell Suggs of Arizona State (2002).
Another All-America Honor for Mercilus
Mercilus was also named a first-team All-American by CBSSports.com on Wednesday, his second first-team All-America accolade thus far. The CBSSports.com team is voted on by staff, writers and bloggers from CBSSports.com. Mercilus also was named a first-team All-American by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA).
Mercilus will have a chance to add to his record totals this season, as the Illini will face UCLA in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl on Dec. 31 in San Francisco.
Mercilus Honors in 2011 (as of Dec. 6)
Ted Hendricks National Defensive End of the Year Award winner
First Team All-American (AFCA, CBSSports.com)
First Team All-Big Ten (Coaches and Media)
Bronko Nagurski Trophy Finalist
Bednarik Award and Rotary Lombardi Award Semifinalist
