Gillikin Named CoSIDA First Team Academic All-American

EVANSTON, Ill. — Former Northwestern football long snapper and current Feinberg School of Medicine student Tyler Gillikin was selected to the 2020-21 Academic All-America Division I First Team by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), the organization announced Monday.
 
Gillikin is the first Northwestern football student-athlete to earn Academic All-America honors since Justin Jackson and Austin Carr were named to the second team in 2016 and he is the program's first student-athlete to earn first-team distinction since Patrick Ward did so in 2012.
 
A member of the 2021 NFF Hampshire Honor Society and Patrick Manley Long Snapper of the Year award nominee, Gillikin is entering his second year at Northwestern's prestigious Feinberg School of Medicine after finishing his undergraduate degree in biological sciences with a 3.98 grade point average in 2020. He was the only Power Five starter in 2020 to also be enrolled in medical school.  The Atlanta, Georgia, native was a semifinalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy in 2020, presented to the nation's best football scholar-athlete. Gillikin was Northwestern's started long snapper since 2017.
 
The 2020-21 Academic All-America® Division I Football Team features 12 members with a 4.00 GPA and 25 members with at least a 3.90 GPA as either undergraduate or graduate student-athletes. The 25 members on the first team have an average GPA of 3.90.
 
For more information regarding the Academic All-America® program, visit https://academicallamerica.com/.
 
FIRST TEAM
Pos.          Name                           School                                      Yr.             GPA              Major
QB             Mac Jones                   University of Alabama              Gr.             4.00/4.00     Communication Studies (UG) / Sports Hospitality (G)
RB             Jake Chisholm (2)        University of Dayton                 Jr.              3.98          Pre-Med
RB             Ezra Gray (1)               Alabama State                          Gr.             4.00/4.00 CIS (UG) / Applied Technologies (G)
WR            Britain Covey               University of Utah                      Sr.             3.86          Business
WR            Austin Williams             Mississippi State University     Gr.             4.00/4.00 Finance (UG) / MBA (G)
TE              Charlie Kolar (1)           Iowa State University               Sr.             3.99          Mechanical Engineering
OL             Blaise Andries (2)         University of Minnesota            Sr.             3.85          Mathematics
OL             Mike Caliendo              Western Michigan University     Gr.             3.90/3.88 Biological Sciences
OL             Harry Crider                  Indiana University                    Gr.             3.90/3.96 Criminal Justice & Public Safety
OL             Landon Dickerson        University of Alabama              Gr.             3.68/3.72 Sports Mgmt. (UG) / MBA (G)
OL             Wes Genant ($) (%)     South Dakota State University  Sr.             3.89          Biochemistry / Pre-Medicine
K                Anders Carlson            Auburn University                     Gr.             3.92          Pro Flight Management / Aviation
DL              Thomas Booker           Stanford University                    Jr.              3.88          Economics / Communication
DL              Matt Henningsen         University of Wisconsin             Gr.             4.00          Electrical Engineering
DL              Tarron Jackson             Coastal Carolina University     Sr.             3.43          Mathematics
DL              Kingsley Jonathan        Syracuse University                 Sr.             3.71          Information Management & Technology
LB              Silas Kelly                     Coastal Carolina University     Gr.             3.85/3.84 MBA
LB              Rick Mottram (1)           Bucknell University                  Sr.             3.96          Mechanical Engineering
LB              Riley Whimpey             Boise State University              Sr.             3.82          Business
DB             Spencer DeMedal (1)   Duquesne University                Sr.             3.97          Biology
DB             Robby Hauck                University of Montana             Sr.             3.95          Management Info. Systems
DB             Kekaula Kaniho (2)      Boise State University              Sr.             3.96          Health Science
DB             K.J. Smith (1)               University of North Alabama    Gr.             4.00/4.00 Health (G)
P                John Haggerty III        Western Kentucky University     Gr.             4.00/4.00 Organizational Leadership (G)
ST              Tyler Gillikin                Northwestern University             Gr.             3.98          Biomedical Sciences (UG) / Medical School (G)