Kansas University’s football team led the Big 12 North with three players on the preseason All-Big 12 team.

Cornerback Aqib Talib, defensive tackle James McClinton and offensive tackle Anthony Collins all made the first team in a vote by members of the Big 12 media.

No other North team had more than two selections.

Talib was the easy pick, after leading the nation with 28 passes defended and earning a slew of preseason honors already. Aside of the honor announced Friday, Talib was named to Playboy magazine’s All-America team and also was named first-team All-America by Phil Steele’s magazine.

Talib was a first-team postseason pick last year, while McClinton was picked second team by the Associated Press and Collins an honorable mention. McClinton hit the map after putting up gaudy numbers for an interior lineman, registering 51 tackles and 141â2 stops for a loss in 2006.

Collins, meanwhile, is one of KU’s top NFL prospects, and is making the switch from right tackle to left tackle. At 6-foot-5, 310 pounds, he provides a solid blocking option for the quarterback’s blind spot as he heads into his junior year.

The 27-man preseason team featured seven players from Texas, four from Oklahoma and three each from Kansas, Texas A&M and Oklahoma State.

The teams were led by Texas quarterback Colt McCoy, who was named the Offensive Player of the Year, and Oklahoma defensive back Reggie Smith, the Defensive Player of the Year. Nebraska quarterback Sam Keller, an Arizona State transfer, was preseason Newcomer of the Year.