Northwestern’s Dan Persa (Bethlehem, Pa./Liberty) was selected as the All-Big Ten first team quarterback by a vote of the conference coaches while wide receiver Jeremy Ebert (Hilliard, Ohio/Hilliard Darby) is an All Big Ten first team choice of the conference media.
Persa, one of the most valuable and dynamic players in the Big Ten and all of college football, led Northwestern to a 7-3 record in 10 starts this season before suffering a season-ending injury in a victory over the then-No. 13 Iowa Hawkeyes on Nov. 13.
He ranks second in the Big Ten in passing yardage per game (258.1), total offense per game (310.0) and led the nation in completion percentage (73.5).
Persa connected on 15 touchdown passes against just four interceptions, completing 222 of his 301 attempts for 2,581 yards while rushing for another 519 yards and nine touchdowns. He accounted for 83 percent of Northwestern’s touchdowns in the 10 games he played this year, either throwing or running for 24 out of the 29 scored in those contests.
Persa is the fifth quarterback in Northwestern history to earn All-Big Ten first team honors, joining Brett Basanez (2005), Steve Schnur (1996), Maurie Daigneau (1971) and Don Burson (1941). Persa was chosen as the All-Big Ten second-team quarterback by the media this year.
Ebert gives the Wildcats two All-Big Ten first-teamers for the second-straight season. He leads the conference with 76.6 receiving yards per game while ranking fifth in receptions per game with 4.92. He is tied for fifth on NU’s single-season receiving touchdown list with eight this year while currently sitting 81 yards shy of becoming the third Wildcat in program history with 1,000 receiving yards in a single season.