The pride of Illinois Fighting Illini defense, pass-rushing phenom DE Whitney Mercilus, may need to buy a bigger trophy case.
In addition to his Ted Hendricks Defensive End of the Year award, his AFCA, Walter Camp, and CBS All-American and All-Big Ten first team positions, and his AP First-Team All-American award, Whitney now has a spot on the SB Nation 2011 Football All-America Team:
Defensive Line
Melvin Ingram, South Carolina
Whitney Mercilus, Illinois
Sam Montgomery, LSU
Devon Still, Penn State
Mercilus, who Bill Connelly calls a "sack machine," led the NCAA with 14.5 sacks and has since declared his intentions to enter the 2012 NFL Draft.
For more, keep tabs on SB Nation Chicago and SB Nation's NCAA football page. For more on the Fighting Illini, check out Hail to the Orange, SB Nation's Illinois Fighting Illini blog.
Can't get enough of Whitney Mercilus? Check out Mocking the Draft's analysis on the soon-to-be-NFL defensive end.