Iowa State record-setting receiver Xavier Hutchinson named to AP All-Big 12 first-team unanimously
Iowa State record-breaking receiver Xavier Hutchinson was a unanimous first-team All-Big 12 selection on the Associated Press team selected by the media that was announced Friday.
Another Cyclones record-breaker, defensive end Will McDonald, made the second team.
Hutchinson was second nationally in receptions with 107 in 2022, while breaking his own school record. He also was the national leader in receptions per game, averaging 8.9 a game this season. He caught at least eight passes in 11 of his 12 games during his final season.
“X is a unique player,” said coach Matt Campbell during the season. “He can do a lot of different things. The best thing is, getting the football in his hands. He is a dynamic playmaker.
“I’m most grateful for his approach to how he’s gone about his business in terms of his own process. We talk a lot about perfecting yourself and becoming the best version of yourself, and part of that is having a process to do that day in and day out. Xavier has been fantastic at that.”
McDonald finished his brilliant career with 34 sacks, tying the Big 12 record of Texas Tech’s Aaron Hunt. He’s listed on some 2023 mock NFL drafts as a first or second-rounder.
“What he’s accomplished as a man, what he’s done in terms of academically and socially, and really, what he’s going to become when he leaves here – those are going to be the things I’m probably most proud of,” Campbell said.
“He’s been a great football player but a way greater human being. That smile he walks in with 90 percent of the time, and what he’s become as a man – I’m well beyond proud of him.”
More:Here's how the 2022 Iowa State football season played out game by game
TCU quarterback Max Duggan, who played high school ball for his father at Lewis Central in Council Bluffs, was unanimously selected as the AP’s Big 12 offensive player of the year.
Iowa State columnist Randy Peterson is in his 51st year writing sports for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at rpeterson@dmreg.com, and on Twitter @RandyPete
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: ISU football's Xavier Hutchinson is unanimous first-team all-Big 12
