Scherff named to three All-American teams . . .

Probably before he finished his Wednesday morning workout, Iowa offensive tackle Brandon Scherff had made two more All-American teams. By dinner time, it was three.

And now it's time for the senior from Denison to pose for a portrait. Iowa has a tradition of painting portraits of its consensus All-Americans. Since 2009, the NCAA has considered 'consensus” as a player on a combination of these five All-American teams: Football Writers Association of America, American Football Coaches Association, Walter Camp, Associated Press and Sporting News.

Before Wednesday morning, Scherff already was first team AP and Walter Camp. The other three came home Wednesday.

The portrait artist has been called.

On Dec. 7, the night of the team banquet, when Scherff was named team co-MVP for the second consecutive year, he was asked if being associated with all of these awards, specifically the Outland Trophy, which he won last Thursday, got the hair on the back of his neck to stand up.

'Yeah, kind of,” he said with a hint of a smile. 'It's what you work for to become one of the best linemen in the nation. That was one of my goals. To see names like Robert Gallery up there like that. It's come through a lot of hard work. If it wasn't for my teammates, I wouldn't be up there. Thanks to them for pushing me.”

At this point, he looked over toward defensive tackle Louis Trinca-Pasat, a senior who was named the other co-MVP for 2014.

'Like Louis, pushing me each day to be better,” Scherff said. 'That's what they're here for.”

Scherff became the second Outland Trophy winner under head coach Kirk Ferentz, joining Gallery, who claimed the award in 2003. Yes, the two have talked about what it means for Iowa.

'He talked to me on the Thursday practice before Nebraska,” Scherff said. 'He said, ‘Congratulations and just keep working.'”

With today's cache of All-American honors, Scherff became the seventh consensus All-American during Ferentz's 16 seasons, joining tight end Dallas Clark (2002), guard Eric Steinbach (2002), Gallery (2003), kicker Nate Kaeding (2003), running back Shonn Greene (2008) and defensive end Adrian Clayborn (2010).

Along with becoming the fourth Hawkeye to win the Outland Trophy, Scherff has been named first team All-America by nine organizations, including the Walter Camp Foundation, AFCA, FWAA, Associated Press, Sporting News, CBSSports.com, USA Today, Scout.com and College Sports Madness.

Scherff (6-5, 320) has started all 12 games this season and has made 25 consecutive starts since missing the final five games of the 2012 season because of a broken fibula and a dislocated ankle. He has 35 career starts.

Scherff is the first Iowa player to earn first-team honors from as many as nine outlets since linebacker Larry Station in 1985.

Scherff was named the Rimington-Pace Offensive Lineman of the Year in the Big Ten Conference, while earning first-team All-Big Ten honors for the second straight season. He was also a semifinal candidate for the Rotary Lombardi Award.

FWAA NAMES 2014 ALL-AMERICA TEAM

DALLAS (FWAA) – The Football Writers Association of America's 71st All-America First Team is dominated by the five Football Bowl Subdivision power conferences, which placed 25 of the 26 players on the unit deemed the best in college football.

For the third straight season, the official announcement of the FWAA All-America Team, the second-longest continuously-published team in major college football, came exclusively on SiriusXM Radio's 'College Football Nation.”

While there are no repeat selections from the 2013 FWAA first team, defending national champion Florida State, unbeaten and one of four teams in the College Football Playoff semifinals, placed one player on the first team. The Seminoles added four on the second team to lead all schools with a combined five FWAA All-Americans. This is just the second season in the modern era (post-1950) that the FWAA has named a second team.

Tree teams had two players on the FWAA first team. No. 2 Oregon, the national semifinalist facing the No. 3 Seminoles in the Rose Bowl Game Presented by Northwestern Mutual, claimed a pair on the first team, as did No. 1 Alabama, which faces No. 4 Ohio State in the Allstate Sugar Bowl in the other semifinal. Utah, bound for the Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl, also had two selections.

The 2014 first team also features the FWAA's Outland Trophy winner (best interior lineman), offensive tackle Brandon Scherff of Iowa, who is one of 10 seniors on the first team. Arizona linebacker Scooby Wright III, the FWAA's Bronko Nagurski Trophy winner (best defensive player), headed up a five-man sophomore class. There were 11 juniors on the first team, including Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota, the Heisman Trophy winner. The two kicking specialists on the first team, kicker Brad Craddock of Maryland and punter Tom Hackett of Utah, both hail from Australia.

The conference breakdown for the first team went like this: Big Ten (7), Pac-12 (6), SEC (6), Big 12 (4) Atlantic Coast (2) and Mountain West (1).

OFFENSE

QB Marcus Mariota, Oregon 6-4 219 Jr. Honolulu, Hawaii

RB Tevin Coleman, Indiana 6-1 210 Jr. Tinley Park, Ill.

RB Melvin Gordon, Wisconsin 6-1 213 Jr. Kenosha, Wis.

WR Amari Cooper, Alabama 6-1 210 Jr. Miami, Fla.

WR Rashard Higgins, Colorado State 6-2 188 So. Mesquite, Texas

TE Maxx Williams, Minnesota 6-4 250 So. Waconia, Minn.

OL Spencer Drango, Baylor 6-6 310 Jr. Cedar Park, Texas

OL Jake Fisher, Oregon 6-6 300 Sr. Traverse City, Mich.

OL Tre' Jackson, Florida State 6-4 330 Sr. Jesup, Ga.

OL Brandon Scherff, Iowa 6-5 320 Sr. Denison, Iowa

C Reese Dismukes, Auburn 6-3 295 Sr. Spanish Fort, Ala.

DEFENSE

DL Joey Bosa, Ohio State 6-5 278 So. Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

DL Malcom Brown, Texas 6-2 320 Jr. Brenham, Texas

DL Nate Orchard, Utah 6-4 255 Sr. Salt Lake City, Utah

DL Shane Ray, Missouri 6-3 245 Jr. Kansas City, Mo.

LB Hau'oli Kikaha, Washington 6-3 246 Sr. Hau'ula, Hawaii

LB Benardrick McKinney, Mississippi State 6-5 249 Jr. Tunica, Miss.

LB Scooby Wright III, Arizona 6-1 246 So. Windsor, Calif.

DB Landon Collins, Alabama 6-0 222 Jr. New Orleans. La.

DB Kurtis Drummond, Michigan State 6-1 202 Sr. Masury, Ohio

DB Senquez Golson, Ole Miss 5-9 176 Sr. Pascagoula, Miss.

DB Gerod Holliman, Louisville 6-2 213 So. Miami, Fla.

SPECIALISTS

K Brad Craddock, Maryland 6-0 185 Jr. Adelaide, Australia

P Tom Hackett, Utah 5-11 187 Jr. Melbourne, Australia

KR Mario Alford, West Virginia 5-9 177 Sr. Greenville, Ga.

PR Tyler Lockett, Kansas State 5-11 175 Sr. Tulsa, Okla.

2014 FWAA ALL-AMERICA SECOND TEAM

Offense: QB Trevone Boykin, TCU; RB James Conner, Pittsburgh; RB Samaje Perine, Oklahoma; WR Rashad Greene, Florida State; WR Kevin White, West Virginia; TE Nick O'Leary, Florida State; OL A.J. Cann, South Carolina; OL T.J. Clemmings, Pittsburgh; OL Rob Havenstein, Wisconsin; OL Shaq Mason, Georgia Tech; C Greg Mancz, Toledo. Defense: DL Vic Beasley, Clemson; DL Shilique Calhoun, Michigan State; DL Randy Gregory, Nebraska; DL Leonard Williams, USC; LB Jordan Hicks, Texas; LB Mike Hull, Penn State; LB Eric Kendricks, UCLA; DB Michael Caputo, Wisconsin; DB Jeremy Cash, Duke; DB Kendall Fuller, Virginia Tech; DB Jalen Ramsey, Florida State. Specialists: K Roberto Aguayo, Florida State; P Scott Harding, Hawaii; KR Jamarcus Nelson, UAB; PR De'Mornay Pierson-El, Nebraska.

All-Time All-America Teams (since 1944)

The FWAA All-America Team was first selected in 1944, three years after the organization was formed. The FWAA's inaugural team included Army's Heisman Trophy tandem of Doc Blanchard and Glenn Davis and Georgia Tech's Frank Broyles, who later became Arkansas' head football coach and athletic director.

Over the years, the FWAA team has highlighted all the game's great players in several media forums. From 1946-70, LOOK magazine published the FWAA team and brought players and selected writers to New York City for a celebration. During that 25-year period, the FWAA team was introduced on national television shows by such noted hosts as Bob Hope, Steve Allen, and Perry Como.

After LOOK folded, the FWAA started a long association with NCAA Films (later known as NCAA Productions), which produced a 30-minute television program. The team was part of ABC-TV's 1981 College Football Series. From 1983-90, the team was introduced on either ABC or ESPN. In 2002 and ‘03, the All-America team was honored with a banquet at the Citrus Bowl.

The same bowl, now the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl, also was a sponsor when the team was featured on ABC and ESPN from different locations on Disney properties from 2004-07. From 2008-10, the team had been the subject of a one-hour ESPN special.

For seven decades the FWAA has selected an All-America team with the help of its members and an All-America Committee, which represents all the regions in the country. From that All-America team, the FWAA also selects the Outland Trophy winner (best interior lineman) and also the Bronko Nagurski Trophy winner (best defensive player).

Some of the true greats of the writing profession have helped to select this team over the years: Grantland Rice, Bert McGrane, Blackie Sherrod, Furman Bisher, Pat Harmon, Fred Russell, Edwin Pope, Murray Olderman, Paul Zimmerman – and the list goes on and on. The FWAA All-America team is steeped in tradition and history and is selected by a writers' group with those same attributes.

2014 FWAA ALL-AMERICA COMMITTEE

Mark Anderson Las Vegas Review-Journal Mountain West

Lee Barfknecht Omaha World-Herald National

Zach Barnett Football Scoop Conference USA

Kirk Bohls Austin American-Statesman Big 12

Aaron Brenner Charleston Post & Courier ACC

Lee Feinswog Sports225.com SEC

Tommy Hicks Mobile Press Register Sun Belt

Joey Johnston Tampa Tribune American

Marc Morehouse Cedar Rapids Gazette Big Ten

Phil Steele Phil Steele Publications National

John Wagner Toledo Blade Mid-American

Jon Wilner San Jose Mercury News Pac-12

2014 AFCA FBS Coaches' All-America Team

Offense

Pos Name Ht. Wt. Cl. School Coach Hometown (High School)

WR Amari Cooper 6-1 210 Jr. Alabama Nick Saban Miami, Fla. (Northwestern)

WR Kevin White 6-3 210 Sr. West Virginia Dana Holgorsen Plainfield, N.J. (Emmaus)

TE Nick O'Leary 6-3 247 Sr. Florida St. Jimbo Fisher Palm Beach, Fla. (Dwyer)

OL Brandon Scherff 6-5 320 Sr. Iowa Kirk Ferentz Denison, Iowa (Denison)

OL Arie Kouandjio 6-5 315 Sr. Alabama Nick Saban Hyattsville, Md. (DeMatha Catholic)

C Reese Dismukes 6-3 295 Sr. Auburn Gus Malzahn Spanish Fort, Ala. (Spanish Fort)

OL Rob Havenstein 6-8 333 Sr. Wisconsin Gary Andersen Mount Airy, Md. (Linganore)

OL Tre' Jackson 6-4 330 Sr. Florida St. Jimbo Fisher Jesup, Ga. (Wayne County)

QB Marcus Mariota 6-4 219 Jr. Oregon Mark Helfrich Honolulu, Hawaii (St. Louis)

RB Melvin Gordon 6-1 213 Jr. Wisconsin Gary Andersen Kenosha, Wis. (Bradford)

RB James Conner 6-2 250 So. Pittsburgh Paul Chryst Erie, Pa. (McDowell)

RB Tevin Coleman 6-1 210 Jr. Indiana Kevin Wilson Tinley Park, Ill. (Oak Forest)

Defense

Pos Name Ht. Wt. Cl. School Coach Hometown (High School)

DL Vic Beasley 6-3 235 Gr. Clemson Dabo Swinney Adairsville, Ga. (Adairsville)

DL Shane Ray 6-3 245 Jr. Missouri Gary Pinkel Kansas City, Mo. (Bishop Miege)

DL Joey Bosa 6-5 278 So. Ohio St. Urban Meyer Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (St. Thomas Aquinas)

DL Leonard Williams 6-5 300 Jr. USC Steve Sarkisian Daytona Beach, Fla. (Mainland)

LB Scooby Wright III 6-1 246 So. Arizona Rich Rodriguez Windsor, Calif. (Cardinal Newman)

LB Hau'oli Kikaha 6-3 246 Sr. Washington Chris Petersen Hau'ula, Hawaii (Kahuku)

LB Trey DePriest 6-2 250 Sr. Alabama Nick Saban Springfield, Ohio (Springfield)

DB Gerod Holliman 6-2 213 So. Louisville Bobby Petrino Miami, Fla. (Southridge)

DB Senquez Golson 5-9 176 Sr. Mississippi Hugh Freeze Pascagoula, Miss. (Pascagoula)

DB Landon Collins 6-0 222 Jr. Alabama Nick Saban New Orleans, La. (Dutchtown)

DB Ifo Ekpre-Olomu 5-10 195 Sr. Oregon Mark Helfrich Chino Hills, Calif. (Chino Hills)

Specialists

Pos Name Ht. Wt. Cl. School Coach Hometown (High School)

P Tom Hackett 5-11 187 Jr. Utah Kyle Whittingham Melbourne, Australia (Scotch College)

PK Roberto Aguayo 6-1 203 So. Florida St. Jimbo Fisher Mascotte, Fla. (South Lake)

AP Tyler Lockett 5-11 175 Sr. Kansas St. Bill Snyder Tulsa, Okla. (Booker T. Washington)

l Comments: (319) 398-8256; marc.morehouse@thegazette.com