Illinois wide receiver Mike Dudek was named a first-team Freshman All-American by Scout.com and was a true-freshman All-American according to ESPN.com and 247sports.com. Dudek also was named to ESPN.com's Big Ten All-Freshman team, a group that included both true-freshmen and redshirt-freshmen.
The Naperville, Illinois, native broke school freshman records with 69 catches for 965 yards in his inaugural campaign, and stands tied with College Football Hall of Famer David Williams for the UI freshman receiving touchdowns record with six. Dudek also earned All-Big Ten second team honors by league media and honorable mention All-Big Ten laurels by conference coaches on Dec. 1.
Dudek was the Big Ten's top receiver during conference play, posting 50 catches for 716 yards (89.5 yards per game) and three TDs in eight league games. He also leads all FBS freshmen in receiving yards per game on the season (80.4 ypg) heading into the Illini's matchup with Louisiana Tech in the Zaxby's Heart of Dallas Bowl on Dec. 26.
