A number of IU football players were named to Athlon's preseason all-conference squad.
Safety Jonathan Crawford, receiver J-Shun Harris, offensive lineman Coy Cronk and receiver Nick Westbrook all picked up preseason accolades from the publication this week.
Crawford was named preseason second team All-Big Ten at safety, trailing only Ohio State's Jordan Fuller in the rankings. Crawford has started 38 career games already at safety, and has totaled 209 tackles, 16 pass breakups, eight interceptions and five fumble recoveries in his career prior to his senior season.
He earned honorable mention All-Big Ten honors in 2017.
Harris earned third team preseason honors as a punt returner, behind Penn State's DeAndre Hopkins and Michigan's Donovan Peoples-Jones, respectively. Prior to a season-ending injury against Maryland in the eighth game of last season, he had returned 14 punts for 266 yards (a 19.0 average) and two touchdowns.
Both Cronk and Westbrook picked up fourth team honors. Cronk has started 25 consecutive games entering his junior season at IU, while Westbrook caught 54 passes for 995 yards and six touchdowns in his sophomore campaign in 2016.
Westbrook suffered a season-ending injury against Ohio State in last year's season-opener, qualifying him for a medical redshirt.
Michigan led the conference with 14 selections, followed by Wisconsin and Ohio State with 12. Michigan State earned 11 preseason picks, and Penn State earned nine to round out the top five.
IU will play all five of those teams minus Wisconsin in 2018.
The Hoosiers host Michigan State on Sept. 22 and Penn State on Oct. 20. They'll travel to Ohio State on Oct. 6 and Michigan on Nov. 17.
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