Charlotte 49ers defensive tackle named to All-Conference USA first team

Charlotte 49ers defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi established many firsts for the school’s football program, which recently completed its fourth season.

And though Ogunjobi, a 6-foot-3, 297-pound senior, played his last college game Nov. 26, he’s continued padding his legacy.

Conference USA on Tuesday announced Ogunjobi received first-team all-conference honors in a vote by the league's 13 head coaches. He’s the first player from Charlotte to secure first-team honors, coming a year after making second team.

For the fourth straight season, Ogunjobi led the 49ers in tackles for loss, making 13.5 tackles this season. He also led the 49ers in sacks for third time, recording three this season.

Shortly after playing his final college game, Ogunjobi became the first Charlotte player to accept an invitation to the Senior Bowl, a postseason All-Star game for NFL prospects. This came after becoming the program’s first player named to preseason national watch lists, such as the Bednarik Award for the nation's top defender and the Outland Trophy for the nation's top interior lineman.

In addition to Ogunjobi’s first-team selection, seven 49ers received honorable mention all-conference honors: running back Kalif Phillips; receiver Austin Duke; offensive lineman Nate Davis; linebacker Nick Cook; defensive lineman Brandon Banks; kick returner Chris Montgomery; and long snapper Keaston Sinicki.

Safety Ben DeLuca and linebacker Tyriq Harris became the program’s first players named to the C-USA All-Freshman Team.

This story was originally published December 6, 2016 at 6:49 PM with the headline "Charlotte 49ers defensive tackle named to All-Conference USA first team."