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  • Two Iowa State Football Players Named to the CoSIDA Academic All-America Football Team

Two Iowa State Football Players Named to the CoSIDA Academic All-America Football Team

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Football

The College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) announced its 2020 Academic All-America Football Team today, recognizing the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performance on the field and in the classroom.

A pair of Cyclones were named to the distinguished team in senior Charlie Kolar (TE), who was named to the first team, and senior Brock Purdy (QB), who was a second-teamer

Kolar joins Jordan Carstens (2001-02) as the only two-time Academic All-America football players in Cyclone history, earning first-team honors in back-to-back seasons (2019-20). He is the first and only football player in school history to earn All-America honors on the field and in the classroom.

A native of Norman, Okla., Kolar was one of the best tight ends in the nation in 2020, garnering All-America honors by Walter Camp and the AFCA for the second-straight season.

The Mackey Award finalist led all Big 12 tight ends in receptions (44), receiving yards (591) and touchdown receptions (7) in 2020. He ended the season with a 24-game reception streak, the fourth-best string in Cyclone history, and has the most career catches (106), receiving yards (1,425) and touchdown catches (17) in the history of the program.

Kolar graduated in the fall with a 3.99 cumulative GPA in mechanical engineering.

Purdy, a three-time All-Big 12 quarterback, who became the first signal-caller in Cyclone history to earn first team all-league honors since 1981, had another phenomenal season in 2020.

The Gilbert, Ariz., native, who owns or shares 25 school records, set ISU's school record for completion percentage (66.6%) and threw for 2,750 yards, the fifth-best single-season total in school history, in 2020.

Purdy was the 2021 PlayStation Fiesta Bowl Offensive MVP and will enter his senior season with the most QB wins in school history at 23.

A business major, Purdy holds a cumulative 3.66 GPA and is a two-time First-Team Academic All-Big 12 selection.

Iowa State Football CoSIDA Academic All-Americans
1952- Max Burkett (First Team)
1974- Tom Goedjen (Second Team)
1975- Jim Wingender (Second Team)
1982- Mark Carlson (First Team)
1996- Tim Kohn (Second Team)
1999- Dave Brcka (First Team)
2001- Jordan Carstens (Second Team)
2002- Jordan Carstens (First Team)
2002- Jack Whitver (Second Team)
2019- Charlie Kolar (First Team)
2020- Charlie Kolar (First Team)
2020- Brock Purdy (Second Team)