Millen, Kelly Named Freshmen All-Americans by College Football News

Millen, Kelly Named Freshmen All-Americans by College Football News

December 6, 2022

CONTACT: Kyle Neaves, Associate Athletic Director for Communications

(228) 424-6921 | Kyle.Neaves@Colostate.edu

Millen, Kelly Named Freshmen All-Americans by College Football News

The honors continue a run of freshmen All-Americans for CSU dating back to 2019.

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Colorado State redshirt freshmen Clay Millen and Grady Kelly were named Freshmen All-Americans for their 2022 season by College Football News, the organization announced on Tuesday.

Millen and Kelly were stalwart starters in the lineup for a young and developing Rams’ squad in 2022, starting 10 games each during their first full season of competition, and appeared on the outlets Honorable Mention squads.

In his first season as the Rams starting signal caller, Millen set the program single-season record for completion percentage at 72.2 (169 for 234) with an 8.2 yards per attempt average, the best by a Colorado State quarterback since Patrick O’Brien (8.3) and Collin Hill (8.2) in 2019. Additionally, Millen’s 72.2 mark will also set an FBS record for a freshman – surpassing Kedon Slovis’ mark of 71.9 set in 2019 – and is currently the second-highest mark for any Mountain West quarterback in league history.

Kelly appeared in all 12 games for the Rams where he tallied 43 total tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, and two pass breakups. He posted Pro Football Focus’ seventh-highest pass rush grade by any freshman defensive tackle in the country. In conference play, Kelly anchored a defense that allowed the fourth-fewest yards and the second-fewest yards per play. 

Millen is the first freshman quarterback in school history to be named to an All-American team of any level since Kenny Hyde in 1925, Colorado State’s first-ever All-American. Kelly is the first freshman defensive lineman to earn All-American honors since Matt Rupp in 2005.

The Rams have now had a freshman All-American selection in each full season dating back to 2019. Millen and Kelly join teammate Jack Howell, a 2021 Football Writers Association of America Freshman All-American, in that group.

– STALWART –

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