CB JaCorey Shepherd joins LB Ben Heeney, P Trevor Pardula on all-Big 12 first team

Three other Jayhawks honored by Big 12 coaches

Kansas' Ben Heeney, left, JaCorey Shepherd (24) and T.J. Semke celebrate Shepherd's broke up pass during the second half of their game against Central Michigan Saturday afternoon at Memorial Stadium.

Two days after earning a second-team all-Big 12 honor from The Associated Press, Kansas University cornerback JaCorey Shepherd received a promotion of sorts from the league’s coaches.

Shepherd, a senior who finished third in the nation with 19 pass break-ups during the 2014 season, earned first-team all-Big 12 honors in a vote of the conference’s coaches revealed Wednesday by the Big 12. The former wide receiver who switched to cornerback near the end of the 2012 season, plucked three interceptions and allowed just two passing touchdowns all season. His six passes defended in KU’s 34-14 victory over Iowa State marked the most in the country this season by a single player in one game.

Shepherd joined Ben Heeney, a senior linebacker who finished second in the Big 12 with 127 tackles and led the Big 12 and the nation in solo tackles per game (7.3) on the first team. His 21 tackles in KU’s loss at Texas Tech were the most in a single game by a Big 12 player this season and his 17 solo stops in that game were the second most in conference history.

Trevor Pardula, a senior punter who led the Big 12 with a 44.3-yard average on 83 punts, also earned first-team honors. Heeney and Pardula both earned first-team all-Big 12 honors from the Associated Press earlier this week.

Wednesday’s announcement marked the first time any KU player had been voted by the coaches to the all-Big 12 first team since wide receiver Dezmon Briscoe in 2009. It also was the largest number of KU players picked to first team since 2007, when KU’s Orange Bowl championship squad landed four players on the list.

Joining that trio in the eyes of the coaches were senior tight end Jimmay Mundine, a second-team all-Big 12 selection, and senior defensive end Michael Reynolds and senior safety Cassius Sendish, who each earned honorable mention nods.

The first-team nod was a first in the careers of all three Jayhawks. Heeney had been named second-team all-Big 12 during each of the past two seasons.

Shepherd wins Selmon

Shepherd on Wednesday also won the Lee Roy Selmon Community Spirit Award, given annually to “athletes who go above the call of a student, amateur or professional athlete by demonstrating a deep care for others and their community.”

Best known off the field for his work in the Big Brothers, Big Sisters program, Shepherd also was involved in a dozen or so other community outreach efforts during his time at KU and also was a two-time Academic All-Big 12 second-team honoree and a four-time Athletic Director’s Honor Roll member.

Shepherd, one of 10 finalists for the Senior CLASS Award, traveled to Tampa, Florida, to attend the banquet at which the Selmon award was handed out.