T'Vondre Sweat joins elite company among Texas' unanimous All-Americans

T’Vondre Sweat became a unanimous All-American on Thursday after all five of the NCAA’s recognized All-America selectors in the WCFF, the AFCA, the AP, the FWAA, and the Sporting News named him a first-team defensive tackle. He joined the ranks of some of the best players to not just wear burnt orange, but to play college football in the process.

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Inside Texas looks at the company Sweat joined, which includes fellow Outland Winners, Heisman honorees, and players whose jersey numbers won’t be worn again at Texas.

Scott Appleton, 1963

The Brady native and offensive tackle won unanimous All-America honors in 1963 as the Longhorns won their first national championship. He was Texas’ first Outland Trophy winner as nation’s outstanding interior lineman. Appleton was All-SWC in 1962 and 1963 and was a tri-captain in 1963, when he finished fifth in the Heisman Trophy balloting.

Justin Blalock, 2006

Blalock, a Plano native and offensive tackle, was four-year starter who set a Texas record for consecutive starts with 51. During that span, he played in three consecutive bowl wins, including back-to-back Rose Bowls and the 2005 National Championship, and was a two-time All-American and a three-time first-team All-Big 12 pick. Blalock capped his career with a senior season that saw him become the Longhorns’ 18th unanimous first-team All-American while being named a finalist for the Lombardi Award (nation’s top lineman) and Outland Trophy. He was also selected as the inaugural Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year in 2006.

Earl Campbell, 1977

Campbell, the running back from Tyler, was a unanimous All-American in 1977, the same season he captured the Heisman Trophy. He led nation in rushing (1,744 yards) and had 10 100-plus yard rushing games as a senior, when he was also team captain and team MVP. Campbell also garnered All-America honors in 1975 and was a three-time All-SWC selection. He ended his collegiate career with 4,443 rushing yards.

Michael Dickson, 2017

Dickson, a punter from Sydney, Australia, was voted a unanimous All-American in 2017 after he finished his career as Texas’ all-time leader in punting average at 45.32 yards per kick. He punted a school-record 226 times for a school-record 10,242 yards and was the recipient of the 2017 Ray Guy Award. Dickson was the 2016 and 2017 Big 12 Conference Special Teams Player of the Year and a first-team All-Big 12 at punter in both 2016 and 2017. He was also an All-American in 2016 and earned honorable mention All-Big 12 honors in 2015.

DeShon Elliott, 2017

Elliott, a safety from Rockwall, garnered unanimous All-America honors in 2017, the same year he was a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award. He played in 31 career games with 13 starts and was a unanimous first-team All-Big 12 selection and a first-team All-Big 12 pick by the Associated Press in 2017. Elliott was the first player since 2009 at Texas with an interception in three straight games and the only Longhorn dating back to 1947 with two interceptions in back-to-back games.

Jerry Gray, 1983 and 1984

Gray, a Lubbock native, earned unanimous All-American honors as a defensive back in 1983 and 1984 after also being named the Southwest Conference defensive player of the year both seasons. Gray was the team’s MVP as a junior and senior and had 297 tackles and 16 interceptions in his career on the 40 Acres. He was team captain in 1984 and played in the 1985 Hula Bowl. Gray was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2013.

Michael Huff, 2005

Huff, a safety from Irving, was a two-time All-American who earned consensus first-team honors as a senior in 2005. He was Texas’ first-ever Thorpe Award winner as the nation’s top defensive back in 2005, he capped a tremendous season and career that year by earning defensive MVP honors in Texas’ BCS Championship game victory over USC. A starter in 50 of 51 career games, Huff was a two-time first-team All-Big 12 pick and racked up 318 tackles, 26 tackles for loss, seven interceptions, 44 pass breakups, six caused fumbles and three fumble recoveries over his stint on the 40 Acres.

Quentin Jammer, 2001

Jammer, a defensive back from Angleton, was named a unanimous All-American in 2001. He played in 49 career games, with 41 starting assignments, including three bowl games (1999 Cotton Bowl; 2000-01 Holiday Bowls) and was Texas’ first-ever Jim Thorpe Award finalist. Jammer was a two-time first-team All-Big 12 selection (2000-01), twice named the Longhorns’ outstanding defensive back (2000-01) and earned a spot on Playboy’s prestigious preseason All-America team. Jammer famously allowed only one touchdown pass in 28 career starts at cornerback and at the end of his career he ranked first on Texas’ all-time list for pass breakups (57).

Derrick Johnson, 2004

Johnson, a linebacker from Waco, earned unanimous first-team All-American accolades in 2004, the same season he garnered the Bronko Nagurski Trophy as the nation’s top defensive player and the Butkus Award as the nation’s top linebacker. He was a finalist for the Bednarik Award (the nation’s top defensive player), the Lombardi Award (nation’s top lineman) and the Lott Trophy (defensive player of the year) in 2004 and the only defensive player among the 10 finalists for the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award. Johnson was a unanimous selection as the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year in 2004 and earned a spot on the prestigious Playboy preseason All-America Team for the second time in 2004. He was one of three Butkus Award finalists in 2003 and was the first player in Texas history to be honored as a Butkus finalist and was a semifinalist for the award in 2002.

Johnnie Johnson, 1978 and 1979

Johnson, a defensive back and La Grange native, won unanimous All-American honors in both 1978 and 1979. He was an All-Southwest Conference selection from 1977-79 and named to the SWC All-Decade team of the 1970s. Johnson was selected as the nation’s best defensive back in 1978 by the Downtown Athletic Club and was a team co-captain in 1979. He Had career totals of 1,004 return yards and 13 interceptions.

Colt McCoy, 2009

McCoy, a quarterback from Tuscola, was a 2009 unanimous first-team All-American selection. He went 45-8 in 53 career starts and his 45 victories were the most in NCAA history. McCoy is Texas’ only two-time All-American quarterback, a two-time Walter Camp Football Foundation Player of the Year, the 2009 Maxwell Award (collegiate player of the year) and won the Davey O’Brien Award (nation’s top quarterback) and the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award (nation’s top senior quarterback). He was the 2009 Big 12 offensive player of the year and the only quarterback in NCAA history to win 10 or more games in four seasons. His No. 12 jersey was retired in 2010.

Bud McFadin, 1950

McFadin, a two-way lineman who earned unanimous All-American honors in 1950 for his work on the offensive side of the ball, was the MVP of the 1951 Cotton Bowl and helped Texas to the 1950 Southwest Conference Championship and a No. 3 final ranking. He was the SWC’s most valuable player as a senior and won MVP honors of a college all-star game between amateur football’s top players and the NFL champion. He played 11 NFL seasons before he was inducted into the National Football Foundation Hall of Fame in 1980.

Steve McMichael, 1979

A native of Freer, McMichael was with the Longhorns from 1975 through 1979 and earned unanimous All-American honors as a defensive tackle in his senior season. He was the team MVP in 1979 and even served as the Longhorns’ backup placekicker during the 1979 season. He graduated as the school’s all-time leader in tackles (369) and sacks (30). Texas was 34-12-1 during his time with the Longhorns. McMichael went onto a successful career in the NFL, including a victory in Super Bowl XX.

Brian Orakpo, 2008

Orakpo, a product of Lamar High School in Houston, played in 47 career games for the Longhorns and started 21. He won the Nagurski Trophy, the Lombardi Award, and the Hendricks Award in 2008 on his way to unanimous first-team All-American honors. He was the Big 12 defensive player of the year in 2008. For his career, he posted 132 tackles, 22 sacks, 38 tackles for loss, 62 pressures, six passes defended, six forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery. Orakpo’s best season was during the Longhorns’ 2008 run to a 12-1 record.

Bijan Robinson, 2022

A product of Salpointe Catholic in Tucson, Ariz., Robinson was the focal point of the offense during Steve Sarkisian’s first two seasons as head coach of the Longhorns. During his freshman season, Robinson broke James Saxton’s decades-old yards per carry record by posting a phenomenal 8.2 yards per tote. He followed that up with an 1127-yard season in 2021 where he rushed for 11 touchdowns and added four more through the air. Robinson became the fourth all-time leading rusher in school history in 2022 with a 1580 yard season that saw him reach the end zone 20 total times. For his Texas career, he rushed 539 times for 3410 yards and 33 touchdowns. Robinson won the Doak Walker Award in 2022, given annually to the nation’s top running back.

James Saxton, 1961

The first running back from Texas to be named an All-American, Saxton, a Palestine product, started his career as a quarterback but moved to halfback ahead of the 1960 season. He led the team in rushing that year with 407 yards before his breakout 1961. He finished third in Heisman voting in 1961, and held the yards per carry average record until Robinson broke it in 2020. During his All-American season, Saxton rushed 107 times for 846 yards and nine touchdowns. He finished his Texas career with 1524 yards.

Jonathan Scott, 2005

Scott started 45 career games for the Longhorns, including the 13 as part of Texas’ perfect 2005 season that ended in a national championship. Scott was a two-time All-American but earned unanimous honors in 2005. Texas won 11 games three times during his career and at least 10 all four seasons. In 2004, Scott allowed one sack all season as part of a team that registered six 300-yard rushing games and finished with a win over Michigan in the Rose Bowl. The Longhorn offense in 2005, his unanimous All-American season, ranked first in scoring offense (50.2 ppg), second in rushing offense (274.9 ypg) and third in total offense (512.1 ypg).

Brad Shearer, 1977

Before Sweat earned the Outland Trophy, the last Longhorn to take home the award honoring the nation’s top interior lineman was Shearer. He was an All-American and All-SWC selection in 1977 and averaged 10 tackles per game during his standout season. The Longhorns were ranked No. 1 for much of the campaign thanks to Shearer’s efforts on defense opposite Campbell on the offensive side.

Kenneth Sims, 1981

Sims was the team MVP in back to back seasons, 1980 and 1981, and was a consensus All-American in 1980 before earning the unanimous nod in 1981. He also won the Lombardi Trophy in 1981, which honors the nation’s best lineman. He was the last Texas player to be picked No. 1 overall in the NFL draft when the New England Patriots picked him first in the 1982 draft.

Jerry Sisemore, 1971 and 1972

One of a few multi-time unanimous All-Americans, the Plainview native led Texas to three SWC championships and was a co-captain of the 1972 Longhorns. Texas was 28-4 during his time on the Forty Acres with the program’s third national championship coming in 1970. He was selected third overall by the Philadelphia Eagles in 1973 and enjoyed a lengthy NFL career with multiple Pro Bowl appearances.

Johnny Treadwell, 1962

Responsible for one of the most famous tackles in Texas football history, Treadwell and Pat Culpepper made a goal line stand to stop No. 7 Arkansas and give No. 1 Texas the chance to go down and score to win the game, a chance they took advantage of to defeat the Razorbacks 7-3. Treadwell played from 1960 through 1962 and was a standout two-way lineman. He was honored for his exploits on the offensive side of the football.

Ricky Williams, 1997 and 1998

Williams left Texas as one of the most decorated players in the history of college football. His 1997 season was spectacular as Williams took home unanimous All-American honors, the Big 12 offensive player of the year award, and the Doak Walker Award for his 1893 yard season. He followed that with his Heisman Trophy campaign in 1998, rushing for 2124 yards, 27 touchdowns, and breaking Tony Dorsett’s NCAA record for rushing yards. He finished his career first in school history in a number of categories and his No. 34 is one of six retired by the school.

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Bill Wyman, 1973

One of the best centers to ever wear burnt orange, Wyman was a two-time All-SWC player in addition to his All-American status. Wyman was named to the Cotton Bowl, Southwest Conference, and All-South All-Decade teams of the 1970s. The Longhorns won three straight SWC titles and finished in the top 10 in 1972 and 1973. Wyman was 26-7 as a player including a 10-1 year in 1972.

Joe Cook contributed to this article