PROVO, Utah — BYU senior captain Tanner Wall was today named to the Academic All-America First Team by College Sports Communicators for a second consecutive season.
The CSC Academic All-America award recognizes the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom. Wall is the only repeat selection from the 2024 CSC Academic All-America Team and becomes just the second BYU football player to be recognized twice as a first-team Academic All-American, joining wide receiver Chuck Cutler who was honored in 1987 and 1988.
Wall helped lead BYU to a 25-4 record while starting at safety over the past three seasons. The 6-1, 205-pound senior from Arlington, Virginia, was previously named 2025 first-team All-Big 12 by the conference coaches, All-America honorable mention by Phil Steele, Academic All-District by CSC and was also a member of the prestigious Allstate AFCA Good Works Team.
As a senior in 2025, Wall was second on the team in tackles (71) and interceptions (4). He was also a finalist for both the Allstate Wuerffel Trophy and the Pop Warner College Football Award as well as a semifinalist for the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Award. He graduated with a 3.86 GPA in the finance program and is currently enrolled in the MBA program at the Marriott Business School.
Wall was one of five Big 12 student-athletes to earn Academic All-America recognition this season. The others were linebacker Keyshaun Elliott (ASU) and tight end Boden Groen (Kansas) on first team as well as defensive back Brice Pollock (Texas Tech) and defensive lineman Edward Vesterinen (West Virginia) on the second team.
Wall also started all 13 games at free safety as a junior in 2024 and finished the year as BYU’s co-leader in interceptions (3) and was fourth in total tackles (53). For his on-field efforts, he was named All-Big 12 Third Team by College Football Network. Wall also achieved recognition on both the Fall Academic All-Big 12 Team and Commissioner's Honor Roll in each of BYU's first two seasons in the Big 12. Both awards forthcoming for the 2025 season.
Since quarterback Virgil Carter became the program's first Academic All-American in 1965, BYU football student-athletes have combined to earn 34 Academic All-America awards, including 18 first-team citations.
Established in 1952, the distinguished Academic All-America program is the longest running and premier award for athletic and academic success across championship college sports at all NCAA levels, the NAIA, two-year colleges and Canadian institutions.
BYU Academic All-Americans
| Year | Athlete | Team | Position |
| 1965 | Virgil Carter | 1st | QB |
| 1972 | Dan Taylor | 2nd | RB |
| 1973 | Dan Taylor | 2nd | RB |
| 1973 | Steve Stratton | 1st | RB |
| 1976 | Steven Miller | 2nd | OG |
| 1980 | Scott Phillips | 1st | RB |
| 1981 | Dan Plater | 1st | WR |
| 1983 | Steve Young* | 2nd | QB |
| 1984 | Marv Allen | 2nd | LB |
| 1986 | Ty Mattingly | 2nd | DL |
| 1987 | Chuck Cutler | 1st | WR |
| 1988 | Chuck Cutler | 1st | WR |
| 1988 | Tim Clark | 1st | DL |
| 1989 | Fred Whittingham | 1st | RB |
| 1990 | Andy Boyce | 1st | WR |
| 1992 | Brad Clark | 2nd | DB |
| 1992 | Bruce Jenne | 2nd | OL |
| 1992 | Eric Drage | 2nd | WR |
| 1993 | Eric Drage | 1st | WR |
| 1994 | Alan Boardman | 2nd | P |
| 1994 | Cory Cook | 2nd | DB |
| 1996 | Alan Boardman | 2nd | P |
| 1997 | Ben Cahoon | 2nd | WR |
| 2000 | Jared Lee | 1st | DB |
| 2001 | Ryan Denney | 1st | DL |
| 2005 | Nathan Meikle | 2nd | WR |
| 2008 | David Oswald | 1st | OL |
| 2008 | Kellen Fowler | 1st | DB |
| 2008 | Matt Bauman | 1st | LB |
| 2009 | Matt Bauman | 2nd | LB |
| 2009 | Scott Johnson | 1st | DB |
| 2010 | Bryan Kariya | 2nd | RB |
| 2024 | Tanner Wall | 1st | S |
| 2025 | Tanner Wall | 1st | S |