PROVO -- Two weeks ago, seniors Jonny Harline and John Beck hooked up to complete one of the most memorable come-from-behind victories in BYU football history. Today, both players have been listed among the nation's top college football players. Harline has been named a First Team All-American by SI.com and CBSSportsline.com. Beck has earned All-America honorable-mention honors by SI.com. Freshman defensive lineman Jan Jorgensen has also been selected as one of the nation's top freshmen. Jorgansen was tapped Third Team Freshman All-American by The Sporting News.
Harline, a two-time All-Mountain West tight end, led the Cougars with 754 yards receiving and led the league with 11 touchdown receptions, including a career-high three touchdowns in the Cougars' 33-31 victory over Utah. Harline was twice featured on ESPN SportsCenter's Play of the Day, receiving national recognition for his one-handed touchdown grab against No. 15 TCU and his game-winning touchdown reception against Utah. Harline has been credited with at least 50 yards receiving in eight games during the 2006 season, including six games over 70 yards. The Orem, Utah, native had over 100 yards receiving in two of the Cougars' final three games. Harline finished the 2006 season as one of the top tight ends in the country. Harline's 11 touchdowns and 15.4 yards-per-reception ranked tops among all eight semifinalists for the Mackey Award.
Beck, the unanimous Mountain West Conference Offensive Player of the Year, led the league in nearly every passing category. The native of Mesa, Ariz., led the league in passing yards per game (319.1), total offense per game (316.0), passing efficiency (173.3), completion percentage (70.4) and touchdown completions (30). During the season he had four games with over 300 yards passing, including 10 games with over 250 yards passing. He completed at least 65 percent of his attempts in 10 of the 11 games he played during the season and had three or more touchdown completions in seven games, including five games with four TD's. En route to becoming BYU's all-time second leading passer, Beck was named the Mountain West Conference Offensive Player of the Week a record seven times during the season.
Jorgensen was the top-ranked defensive lineman for the Cougars this season. The native of Helper, Utah, racked up 30 tackles during the year, including 12 solo takedowns. Jorgensen was credited with 4.5 tackles for a combined loss of 25 yards, including a team-best four sacks. Jorgensen was also credited with two fumble recoveries and two hurries.