Two Bears Earn Preseason AP All-American Nods
The Associated Press announced their preseason college football All-American teams Monday, with the Baylor Bears being represented on both sides of the ball as left tackle Connor Galvin and nose tackle Siaki Ika both earned a spot on the second team.
Galvin adds this honor to the lengthy list of awards and watch lists he has appeared on this offseason. The 2021 Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year has received preseason All-American status from five different publications this year, after being named an All-American by two different outlets after last season.
Galvin leads a group of four returning offensive linemen for the Bears this season, by far the team's most experienced unit.
On the other side of the line of scrimmage, junior Siaki "Apu" Ika also earned a spot on the second team. Ika has been named a preseason All-American by four different publications and also appeared on the AP All-Big 12 first team.
Ika burst onto the national scene in 2021, terrorizing opposing backfields with 6.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks en route to being named the conference's Newcomer of the Year after transferring from LSU.
While Galvin's offensive line is the Bears' most experienced position room, the defensive line is seasoned as well. Ika is the anchor in the middle and has a legitimate shot to be the Bears' second straight Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, but the team also adds Jaxon Player from Tulsa and returns Gabe Hall and Cole Maxwell.
Ika and Galvin account for two of the Big 12's six AP Preseason All-American selections.
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Covering Baylor for Inside The Bears and the Locked on Baylor podcast. You can follow me for more Baylor content at @realcamstuart on Twitter. Originally from Rockland, Massachusetts and a Baylor alum, so I might mix the occasional bias and/or Boston sports tweet in there every once in a while.