Between 1995 and 2007, Duke placed just one player on national postseason All-America teams.
Fast forward to 2014 and the Blue Devils have now placed two players on the Walter Camp All-America team for the first time in program history.
The Walter Camp Football Foundation announced Thursday that offensive guard Laken Tomlinson was named to the first team offense and safety Jeremy Cash was named to the second team defense. Duke has now placed players on the Walter Camp All-America teams in four of the last five years. Defensive back and kick returner DeVon Edwards (2013), safety Matt Daniels (2011) and kicker Will Snyderwine (2010) also received All-America honors from the Walter Camp Foundation.
Tomlinson is already raking in multiple national honors after anchoring one of the best offensive lines in the country at the guard position. The Blue Devil line is ranked first in the FBS only giving up 3.33 tackles for loss per game and is ranked 11th in the nation allowing 1.08 sacks per game.
The Chicago native is expected to be a high draft pick come April and could even go in the first two rounds depending on how he performs at the NFL Combine and Duke's pro day in early 2015. He will be the program's third draft pick in as many years, as Sean Renfree was drafted by the Falcons in the seventh round in 2013 and Ross Cockrell was drafted in the fourth round last April.
Cash, who was a pinned a second-team All-American at the safety position by USA Today last season, had his best season in a Duke uniform, leading a defense that was 20th in the FBS in scoring defense allowing 19.6 points per game. The transfer from Ohio State is the only safety in the nation with more than 100 tackles, 10 tackles for loss and five sacks this season. He also has a pair of interceptions this season.
The Plantation, Fla., native is first Duke player to receive back-to-back All-America honors since linebacker Keith Stoneback in the 1970s, according to the university's sports information office. Cash told the Herald-Sun that he would explore forgoing his final season of eligibility for the NFL following the team's bowl game on Dec. 27.
The Blue Devils face No. 15 Arizona State in the Hyundai Sun Bowl on Dec. 27 at 2 p.m. in El Paso, Texas. The game will be televised nationally on CBS.
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