Per GoBearcats:
Cincinnati senior linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. collected First Team All-America honors from the Walter Camp Foundation on Thursday.
This is the 133rd edition of the Walter Camp All-America team, the nation’s oldest college football All-America team. Twenty-six players were selected to the first team by the 131 Football Bowl Subdivision head coaches and sports information directors. In addition, 26 players were selected to the Second Team.
Pace Jr. capped the 2022 season by ranking as the nation’s highest-graded linebacker (93.1) according to Pro Football Focus. He was a finalist for the Butkus Award, given to the nation’s top linebacker, and a finalist for the Bednarik Award, presented to the nation’s top overall defensive player.
A Cincinnati native and Colerain High School product, Pace Jr. tallied 120 tackles to go along with 19.5 TFLs and 9.0 sacks in 2022, while leading a defense that ranked fifth nationally in yards per play allowed (4.52).
His 19.5 TFLs rank third in the nation, while his 120 stops are the 10th-most in the country and his nine sacks sit 14th.
He collected National Linebacker of the Month honors from the Butkus in October.
Pace Jr. was named an All-American by CBS Sports earlier this week.
In Week 4, he was outstanding against Indiana, tallying 15 tackles, 4.5 TFLs (fifth-most in UC history), 2.5 sacks and three QB hurries en route to AAC Defensive Player of the Week, Bednarik National Player of the Week and PFF Defensive Player of the Week honors.
Pace Jr. finished 10th in the nation with 125 tackles in 2021 while playing for Miami (Ohio). He had six sacks in a game for the Redhawks against Akron in 2019, as well.
He joins Coby Bryant (2021) as recent Walter Camp First Team All-Americans.
