Football
December 12, 2024
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HERO Sports G5 All-America Teams
CFN All-America Teams
RENO, Nev. – Nevada cornerback Michael Coats Jr. added to his 2024 career year Thursday, being named to the Group of Five All-America First Team by HERO Sports, and All-America Honorable Mention by College Football Network.
The honors add to Coats’ selection to the All-Mountain West First Team on defense earlier this month. He is also the first Nevada player to earn All-America recognition since Drue Watts was named to College Football News’ Freshman Third Team in 2022.
Coats’ breakout 2024 campaign saw him end the regular season second in the country with 17 passes defended (four interceptions, 13 pass breakups), trailing only Miami (OH)’s Raion Strader, who had 20. Coats’ four interceptions were tied for fifth in the country, and he tied for third with 13 pass breakups.
Coats’ season was highlighted by his performance in Nevada’s 42-37 win over Oregon State on Oct. 12. In that win, he picked off two passes and broke up an additional five, making for seven passes defended in a single contest. From that point on, Coats was rarely challenged by opposing passers, adding one more interception Oct. 26 at Hawai’i. In fact, 11 of his 13 pass breakups and three of his four interceptions came over the team’s first seven games, as Coats quickly established himself as a lockdown corner.
He paced a secondary which ranks second in the Mountain West and 38th in the country in passing defense, allowing just 198.6 yards a game. That’s a stark improvement from the 2023 campaign, in which the Wolf Pack defense gave up 254.1 passing yards a game, ranking dead last in the Mountain West and 112th in FBS.