Butler, Frix & Murray Honored

FOOTBALL

Georgia punter Drew Butler, snapper Ty Frix and quarterback Aaron Murray have been named to the 2011 Capital One Academic All-District football team as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

They rank among the nation’s top student-athletes who now have been recognized for their combined performances athletically and in the classroom. District winners advance to the national ballot for Academic All-America consideration, and that team is announced on December 8th.

Butler earned Academic All-America distinction in 2010. This is the first time that Frix and Murray have made the All-District team. To be nominated, a student-athlete must be at least a sophomore with a 3.3 GPA or higher and have participated in at least 50 percent of their team’s games. The Dawgs and the University of Alabama led the way with three selections apiece on the 20-member All-District 4 squad.

Butler, who is currently enrolled in graduate school in kinesiology, earned a telecommunications degree last spring with a 3.62 grade point average (GPA). He is one of the top punters in the country, and recently, he was named a National Football Foundation National Scholar-Athlete. Also, he is a finalist for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award and the ARA Sportsmanship Award. He has a 45.5 career punting average.

Frix holds a 3.72 GPA in Biological Engineering. He is in his third season as the starting snapper for Butler and senior place-kicker Blair Walsh. Frix earned the Scholar-Athlete award for the football team in 2010 and was awarded a scholarship.

Murray, a redshirt sophomore, has a 3.38 GPA in Psychology. He leads the SEC in total offense and is closing in on the school record for touchdown passes in a season. This year, he has completed 155 of 255 passes for 2,060 yards and 23 touchdowns.

These three Dawgs have been instrumental in Georgia’s seven-game winning streak. The 14th-ranked Dawgs are 7-2 overall and 5-1 in the Southeastern Conference. Up next, they play host to No. 24 Auburn Saturday on CBS at 3:40 p.m. ET.

The Academic All-District teams are divided into eight geographic regions across the United States and Canada. Georgia is in District 4 along with Alabama, Florida, and South Carolina.