Brown a Consensus Freshman All-American

Central Michigan University true freshman wide receiver/return specialist Antonio Brown of Miami (Fla.) Norland High School has been named to the 2007 Football Writers Association of America Freshman All-America team.

Central Michigan head coach Butch Jones refers to Antonio Brown as "lightning in a bottle." The nickname would seem most fitting for Brown, the CMU true freshman sensation who yesterday was named to the 2007 Football Writers Association of America Freshman All-America team.

Brown, the Mid-American Conference Freshman of the Year, was named to the team as an Athlete. In November, Brown was named to the Scout.com Freshman All-America team as a return specialist.

“Antonio has definitely added another dimension not only to our offense, but to our return game as well," Jone said. "Antonio is very explosive and is a threat every time he has the ball in his hands. Each week he has continued to develop all the little nuances that are associated with being a good football player."

Brown caught a school-record 102 passes for 1,003 yards and six touchdowns this season to help lead the Chippewas to an 8-6 record and their second consecutive MAC championship. He is just the fourth player in CMU history to post at least 1,000 receiving yards in a single season. His 102 receptions are the second-most by a freshman in Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A) history.

The 5-foot-11, 175-pound speedster out of Miami (Fla.) Norland High School also excelled on special teams, averaging 26.2 yards per kickoff return. He was selected first team All-MAC as a return specialist and named MAC West Division Special Teams Player of the Week after returning a kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown in a 35-10 win over Northern Illinois on Sept. 29.

"His maturation as a true freshman and what he has been able to accomplish this season is a testament to his work ethic, competitiveness, and ability to learn," Jones said. "(CMU wide receivers coach) Zach Azzanni has done an outstanding job of preparing him week in and week out. “

The FWAA team was selected by a group of writers led by FWAA vice-president Mike Griffith of the Knoxville News-Sentinel.

In addition to the FWAA and Scout.com Freshman All-America teams, Brown was a second team All-American selection by the Sporting News as a wide receiver and second team selection by Rivals.com as a kick returner.