Washington Huskies Football: 2014 End Of Season Awards

Sep 6, 2014; Seattle, WA, USA; Washington Huskies linebacker Shaq Thompson (7) scores a 57 yard touchdown on offense against the Eastern Washington Eagles during the first half at Husky Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

Washington Huskies Football End Of Season Awards MVP: Shaq Thompson

It was very difficult to choose the most valuable player on a team with three first-team All-Americans. I feel like I need to make a case for the honorable mentions as well. But the MVP goes to LB/RB Shaq Thompson.

Shaq was the best two-way player in the country this year. He was named the Paul Hornug Award recipient for most versatile player. He also was an AP first-team All-American, which along with Hau’oli Kikaha and Danny Shelton, made the 2014 Huskies the first in school history to put three players on the first team.

Shaq Thompson did everything for the UW defense with 81 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, one sack, three fumbles forced, four fumbles recovered, five passes defended and four defensive touchdowns. He not only was an extremely versatile defender, he also starred at running back in the middle of the season when the offense was struggling. He finished seventh in the nation in yards per attempt among players with at least 60 carries at 7.5 YPA. Another player who average 7.5 per rush is Heisman runner-up Melvin Gordon.

Honorable Mention: Hau’oli Kikaha

Sep 13, 2014; Seattle, WA, USA; Washington Huskies linebacker Hau

Since it was made an official NCAA statistic in 2000, Hau’oli Kikaha’s 19 sacks is the third-most in a single season by any NCAA FBS player. Those ahead of him? NFL First Team All-Pro’s Terrell Suggs and Elvis Dumervil. Kikaha also recorded 72 tackles (fifth on the team), 25 tackles for loss (second in NCAA FBS), three fumbles forced (first on team), one fumble recovered and two passes broken up.

Kikaha was named to every first team All-America roster recognized by the NCAA, making him the sixth consensus first-teamer in UW history.

Honorable Mention: Danny Shelton

Jan 2, 2015; Tempe, AZ, USA; Washington Huskies defensive lineman Danny Shelton (55) reacts against the Oklahoma State Cowboys in the 2015 Cactus Bowl at Sun Devil Stadium. Oklahoma State defeated Washington 30-22. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Danny Shelton’s athleticism and explosiveness at 340 pounds is just absurd. He was the focal point of the Husky defense and saw double teams on just about every snap. He still finished with nine sacks, 22nd in the country and first among players weighing over 300 pounds. He also finished with 93 tackles (second on the team), 16.5 tackles for loss (22nd in FBS, and five fumbles recovered (first in FBS).

Shelton just missed unanimous status but made the first team on five of the six major All-America rosters.

Next: Best Offensive Player