KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee redshirt sophomore offensive lineman Ryan Johnson and senior defensive end Kyle Phillips were both named to the 2018 Google Cloud Academic All-District® Football Team, selected by CoSIDA, which recognizes the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom.
Johnson, a Brentwood, Tenn. native is the starting center for the Vols and is perusing a degree in Civil Engineering. Johnson is classified as a senior with a current GPA of 3.88. He is a second-year starter on the offense who is expected to graduate a year early in December. He is just one of two Vols to start every game on the offensive line this season at guard (1) and center (9). He has been key in leading a dramatic improvement on the offense this season. He is a member of the 2017 SEC Academic Honor Roll, a four-time Dean’s List member and speaks to elementary schools in the area.
Phillips is a Nashville native and a starting defensive end for the Vols. He earned his degree a year early in Recreation & Sport Management and is now perusing a master’s degree in sport management. Phillips has recorded 43 tackles (20 solo & 23 assists) with 5.5 tackles for a loss of 38 yards, three sacks, an interception return for a touchdown, a forced fumble, fumble recovery and four passes defended. He is a semifinalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy, a member of the Wuerffel Trophy Watch List, a three-time member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll, an AFCA Good Works Team nominee and has been named to the Dean’s List four times.
Johnson and Phillips mark the 27th and 28th Academic All-District or Academic All-Americans presented by CoSIDA in UT history. The Vols now have six academic All-District honorees in the last three years as the pair joins Parker Henry (2016, 2017), Todd Kelly, Jr. (2016) and Dylan Wiesman (2016) as recent winners.
First-team Academic All-District® honorees advance to the Google Cloud Academic All-America® ballot. First-and-second team Academic All-America® honorees will be announced in early December.
For more information about CoSIDA’s Google Cloud Academic All-District® and Academic All-America® Teams program, visit AcademicAllAmerica.com or the Academic All-America® homepage on CoSIDA.com.
