May 19, 2006
Stanford, Calif. - The Sporting News has named quarterback Trent Edwards a 2006 First Team Preseason All-Pac-10 player, while offensive guard Alex Fletcher, linebacker Michael Okwo and punter Jay Ottovegio have picked up Second Team honors.
Edwards started all 11 games and threw for a career-high 1934 yards as a junior in 2005, completing 168-of-268 (62.7%) passes with 17 touchdowns and just seven interceptions to earn the team's Most Valuable Player award. He has been Stanford's starting quarterback for the last two seasons after seeing plenty of action as a redshirt freshman in 2003. Edwards has thrown for 4402 career yards, completing 393-of-709 (55.4T) passes for 28 touchdowns. He ranks eighth all-time at Stanford in career passing yards, total offense, attempts and completions, as well as ninth in the record book in touchdown passes.
Fletcher is coming off a redshirt freshman season in 2005 in which he earned First Team Freshman All-American honors by Scout.com, as well as honorable mention Freshman All-American recognition by the Sporting News. He was also named to the Pac-10's All-Freshman squad and was Stanford's Most Outstanding Freshman. Fletcher started all 11 games for Stanford in 2005 with eight at right guard and three filling in at center.
Okwo continued to show promise during a season hampered by injuries in 2005 that limited him to starting just the first three games of the season. He finished with 34 tackles (26 solo, 8 assists), 5.5 tackles for loss (-29 yards), 2.0 sacks (-21 yards) and a pair of pass breakups.
Ottovegio had his second consecutive solid season as the team's starting punter, averaging 40.6 yards per punt and knocking 22 down inside the opponents' 20-yard line. Ottovegio still has not had a punt blocked in his Stanford career.
Ottovegio and Edwards are also ranked among the publication's top players in the nation at their respective positions with Ottovegio the 13th-ranked punter and Edwards checking in at No. 17 among quarterbacks.
Stanford opens its 2006 football season with a pair of road games at Oregon (September 2, 12:30 pm, PT, ABC) and San Jose State (September 9) before playing its first game in the new Stanford Stadium against Navy on September 16.