Alabama Football’s Minkah Fitzpatrick and Bradley Bozeman Named to Walter Camp All-America Team
Junior defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick and senior center Bradley Bozeman have been named to the 2017 Walter Camp All-America Team, the Walter Camp Foundation announced Thursday evening.
Fitzpatrick was named to the Camp first team while Bozeman was a second-team selection. This is Fitzpatrick’s second selection to the nation’s oldest All-America team. The Old Bridge, N.J., native was as second-team pick in 2016. This is the first selection for Bozeman.
Already regarded as one of the top defensive backs in the nation, Fitzpatrick is the Tide’s fifth-leading tackler with 52 stops this season and has added six tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, seven pass breakups, three quarterback hurries, one forced fumble and a blocked kick through 12 games in 2017.
In his second season as the Crimson Tide’s starting center, Bozeman has graded out at an average of 85.6 percent as a senior with 16 knockdown blocks and just seven missed assignments in 724 snaps (99.0 percent success rate). The Roanoke, Ala., native has allowed just two sacks and four pressures all season and has blocked for six 100-yard rushing games this year, giving him 17 in his 28 career starts at center.
The Walter Camp All-America teams are selected by the head coaches and sports information directors from all FBS schools and certified by Marcum LLP, a New Haven, Conn.-based accounting firm. This is the 128th edition of the Walter Camp All-America team.
Earlier on Thursday, Fitzpatrick, Bozeman and junior defensive back Ronnie Harrison were named the Sports Illustrated All-America Team. Fitzpatrick was a first-team choice while Bozeman and Harrison were among the second-team honorees.
Alabama’s leader in tackles with 68 stops this season, Harrison has added 3.5 tackles for loss (-20 yards), 2.5 sacks (-18 yards) and three pass breakups to his 2017 totals. He is tied for the team lead with three interceptions and collected 43 tackles against the run, ranking second among Tide defenders in that category. The Tallahassee, Fla., native is tied for sixth in the SEC in and was named the SEC Co-Defensive player of the week for his performance against LSU.