Junior running back Tevin Coleman was named First Team All-Big Ten at running back by both the Big Ten coaches and selected media members.
He joins Wisconsin’s back Melvin Gordon on the first team. Gordon won Running Back of the Year.
Coleman is the program’s first running back to earn the honor since Levron Williams in 2001.
“When Nate Sudfeld went down, you knew you had to stop Tevin Coleman and he still did great things,” said former IU Coach and Big Ten Network analyst Gerry DiNardo on the selection show.
Coleman became the 18th player in FBS history to eclipse 2,000 yards in a season, rushing with 2,036 yards on 270 attempts for a per carry average of 7.54, both IU records. He also had a nose for the end zone, scoring 15 times.
Among other records, Coleman ranked fourth in all-purpose yards with 2,177, rushing touchdowns with 15, attempts with 290 and ranked eighth in points with 90. He was the lead back for an IU team that set the single-season record for most rushing yards in a season in program history, accounting for 3,163 total yards on the ground.
Coleman didn’t discriminate when it came to putting up large rushing totals. Penn State was the lone team to hold Coleman to under 100 yards where he managed just 71 yards on 20 carries.
His best game came just a week later against Rutgers where he rushed for 307 yards on 32 carries.
One of three Doak Walker Award finalists, Coleman’s next decision will be whether or not to return for a senior season.
Coleman said last week that he will spend the first few weeks of the offseason discussing his future with IU Coach Kevin Wilson, who has said he believes players should only declare for the draft if they are likely to be first-round picks.
“What Tevin ought to do now is go through the process of finding out his draft status because this is a mature decision,” Wilson said Saturday. “The guys that don’t make it in the NFL don’t make it because they’re immature. It ain’t like the first guy out gets picked out.
“He needs to evaluate the value of being a great college football player and the value of why (Wisconsin’s) Melvin Gordon comes back and Anthony Thompson. He needs to evaluate the health value of his body. There’s all kinds of things.”
