University of Memphis Athletics
Photo by: Ben Solomon
Miller and Pollard Earn SI Honors
Dec 07, 2017 | Football
Become fifth and sixth Tigers to earn SI All-American honors.
MEMPHIS – Senior wide receiver Anthony Miller and sophomore kick returner Tony Pollard were named second team All-America honorees by Sports Illustrated, Thursday. It is the first All-America honor for Miller and the third for Pollard, who was named a FWAA and USA Today Freshman All-American last season.
Miller will leave Memphis with virtually every receiving record at Memphis. He currently ranks second in the NCAA in receiving yards (1,407), receiving yards per game (117.3) and receiving touchdowns (17) and fifth in the country with 7.7 receptions per game. A two-time all-conference honoree, Miller holds the Memphis single game, single season and career records for pass receptions, most yards and receiving touchdowns. His 37 consecutive games with a catch is the second-longest streak in Memphis history and ranks eighth in the country among active streaks.
Pollard, the two-time defending American Athletic Conference Special Teams Player of the Year, leads the country with a 42.4 yard per return average on kickoffs and his four kickoff return touchdowns is tied with UL Monroe's Marcus Green to lead the nation.
In 12 games, Pollard has also added 34 catches for 501 yards and four touchdowns and has 29 rushes for 222 yards and two touchdowns.
The Tiger tandem, both Memphis natives, are the sixth and seventh players in Memphis history to be tabbed with All-America honors from Sports Illustrated and are the first honorees since Jamon Hughes earned honorable mention honors in 2010. This is the first time since 2005 that Memphis has had a pair of honorees in the same season. In back-to-back years, 2004 and 2005, Memphis had a pair of honorees.
Sports Illustrated All-America Honorees
2004 DeAngelo Williams (RB), 2nd Team
Gene Frederic (OL), Honorable Mention
2005 DeAngelo Williams (RB), 2nd Team
Stephen Gostkowski (K), 3rd Team
2009 Curtis Steele (RB), Honorable Mention
2010 Jamon Hughes (LB), Honorable Mention
2017 Anthony Miller (WR), 2nd Team
Tony Pollard (KR), 2nd Team
Bowl Game Hype
Sports Illustrated also provided an early look at the pulse of the football audience's thoughts on the upcoming Dec. 30th AutoZone Liberty Bowl Game between Memphis and Iowa State. The magazine ranked the bowl the second-most entertaining of the 40 games on the upcoming bowl slate.
Looking at Commencement
Memphis football was also named in a release from the American Football Coaches Association on Thursday morning. The AFCA, in a release honoring the seven schools who achieved a 100 percent graduation rate with their 2010 freshman class, cited the Tigers as one of 22 schools with a GSR over 90 percent. The GSR is based on a six-year graduation window for student-athletes. The GSR was developed by the NCAA as part of its academic reform initiative to more accurately assess the academic success of student-athletes. The GSR holds institutions accountable for transfer student, unlike the federal graduation rate. The GSR also accounts for midyear enrollees.
Miller will leave Memphis with virtually every receiving record at Memphis. He currently ranks second in the NCAA in receiving yards (1,407), receiving yards per game (117.3) and receiving touchdowns (17) and fifth in the country with 7.7 receptions per game. A two-time all-conference honoree, Miller holds the Memphis single game, single season and career records for pass receptions, most yards and receiving touchdowns. His 37 consecutive games with a catch is the second-longest streak in Memphis history and ranks eighth in the country among active streaks.
Pollard, the two-time defending American Athletic Conference Special Teams Player of the Year, leads the country with a 42.4 yard per return average on kickoffs and his four kickoff return touchdowns is tied with UL Monroe's Marcus Green to lead the nation.
In 12 games, Pollard has also added 34 catches for 501 yards and four touchdowns and has 29 rushes for 222 yards and two touchdowns.
The Tiger tandem, both Memphis natives, are the sixth and seventh players in Memphis history to be tabbed with All-America honors from Sports Illustrated and are the first honorees since Jamon Hughes earned honorable mention honors in 2010. This is the first time since 2005 that Memphis has had a pair of honorees in the same season. In back-to-back years, 2004 and 2005, Memphis had a pair of honorees.
Sports Illustrated All-America Honorees
2004 DeAngelo Williams (RB), 2nd Team
Gene Frederic (OL), Honorable Mention
2005 DeAngelo Williams (RB), 2nd Team
Stephen Gostkowski (K), 3rd Team
2009 Curtis Steele (RB), Honorable Mention
2010 Jamon Hughes (LB), Honorable Mention
2017 Anthony Miller (WR), 2nd Team
Tony Pollard (KR), 2nd Team
Bowl Game Hype
Sports Illustrated also provided an early look at the pulse of the football audience's thoughts on the upcoming Dec. 30th AutoZone Liberty Bowl Game between Memphis and Iowa State. The magazine ranked the bowl the second-most entertaining of the 40 games on the upcoming bowl slate.
Looking at Commencement
Memphis football was also named in a release from the American Football Coaches Association on Thursday morning. The AFCA, in a release honoring the seven schools who achieved a 100 percent graduation rate with their 2010 freshman class, cited the Tigers as one of 22 schools with a GSR over 90 percent. The GSR is based on a six-year graduation window for student-athletes. The GSR was developed by the NCAA as part of its academic reform initiative to more accurately assess the academic success of student-athletes. The GSR holds institutions accountable for transfer student, unlike the federal graduation rate. The GSR also accounts for midyear enrollees.
Players Mentioned
Football: Ryan Silverfield Press Conference-November 8, 2025
Saturday, November 08
Football: Sam Brumfield and Brady Kluse Press Conference-November 8, 2025
Saturday, November 08
Football: Jordon Hankins Press Conference-November 4, 2025
Tuesday, November 04
Football: Tim Cramsey Press Conference - November 3, 2025
Monday, November 03