Baylor Football Puts 15 on Academic All-Big 12 Team

Baylor football placed 15 student-athletes on the 2016 Academic All-Big 12 Team, the league announced Thursday. The Bears had five first-team selections and 10 second-team honorees.

The 10 athletes on the second team are the most in program history, surpassing the school record of eight established in 2001. Meanwhile, the 15 total honorees are fourth-most in program history.

In total, BU has produced 248 Academic All-Big 12 selections since the league's inception in 1996, and 93 of those selections have come in the last seven years. The Bears have placed at least five on the first team in each of the last 12 seasons.

Baylor’s first team selections were Blake Blackmar, Cole Edmiston, Tyler Jaynes, Chris Lutzel and Blake Murphy. Representing the Bears on the second team were Chris Callahan, JaMycal Hasty, Lynx Hawthorne, Lenoy Jones Jr., Patrick Lawrence, Verkedric Vaughns, Iain Hunter, Ross Matiscik, Keith Orcutt and Xavier Phillips.

Edmiston and Jaynes both earned first-team recognition for a second consecutive year, while Hawthorne is a three-time second-team honoree.

To qualify, student-athletes must maintain a 3.00 GPA or higher either cumulative or the two previous semesters and must have participated in 60 percent of their team's scheduled contests. Freshmen and transfers are not eligible in their first year of academic residence. Senior student-athletes who have participated for a minimum of two years and meet all the criteria except percent of participation are also eligible. First team members consist of those who have maintained a 3.20 or better GPA while the second team selections hold a 3.00 to 3.19 GPA.

Across the Big 12, 93 athletes were first team members, while 83 comprised the second team.

Next up for Baylor is a home date with Kansas State at 11 a.m. CT Saturday in McLane Stadium. The game will serve as Senior Day for the Bears.

Keep up with the Bears all season long by following @BUFootball on Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat.

BAYLOR'S 2015 ACADEMIC ALL-BIG 12 HONOREES (PREVIOUS AWARDS) 
First Team
Blake Blackmar | Jr. | Supply Chain Management | Houston, Texas
Cole Edmiston | Sr. | Professional Selling & Finance | Gatesville, Texas (2015 first team)
Tyler Jaynes | Sr. | Health Science Studies | (Pre-Med) | Gatesville, Texas (2015 first team)
Chris Lutzel | So. | Pre-Business | Huntersville, N.C.
Blake Murphy | Sr. | Mechanical Engineering | Lake Forest, Calif.

Second Team
Chris Callahan | Sr. | Poltical Science | Houston, Texas
JaMycal Hasty | So. | Health, Kinesiology, & Leisure | Studies | Longview, Texas
Lynx Hawthorne | Sr. | Health, Kinesiology, & Leisure | Studies | Refugio, Texas (2014 &’15 second team) 
Iain Hunter | Sr. | Sports, | Sponsorship & Sales & Finance | Katy, Texas
Lenoy Jones Jr. | So. | Health, | Kinesiology, & Leisure | Studies | Waco, Texas
Patrick Lawrence | Jr. | Supply Chain Management | Waxahachie, Texas
Ross Matiscik | So. | Pre-Business | McKinney, Texas
Keith Orcutt | Sr. | Risk | Management & Insurance | Little River, Texas
Xavier Phillips | Sr. | Psychology | Fort Worth, Texas
Verkedric Vaughns | Jr. | Health, | Kinesiology, & Leisure | Studies | Mesquite, Texas