STILLWATER – Oklahoma State defensive end Collin Oliver was named the Most Inspirational Freshman Player and earned Freshman All-America honors from the Football Writers Association of America Monday. He was honored by the FWAA in a virtual ceremony Monday evening.

Also a finalist for the 2021 FWAA Freshman of the Year, Oliver is one of 32 total freshmen and 24 true freshmen on the 2021 team. He is the fourth FWAA Freshman All-America selection in Oklahoma State history and joins Andre Sexton (2006), Shaun Lewis (2010) and Justice Hill (2016) as Cowboy honorees. He is the first Cowboy to be named the FWAA’s Most Inspirational Freshman Player.

A true freshman from Edmond, Oklahoma, Oliver had an unprecedented year at Oklahoma State. He was a unanimous selection as the Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year by the league's coaches and also earned spots on true freshman All-America teams by ESPN, 247Sports, The Athletic and Pro Football Focus.

Oliver had 11.5 sacks in 2021 to rank No. 7 among all FBS players, No. 1 in the Big 12 and No. 1 among all Power Five freshmen. That total broke OSU's freshman sack record (tracked since 1981) of 9.0 set by Rodney Harding in 1981 and is the seventh-best overall total in school history.

On top of his sack numbers, Oliver also led the Cowboys and ranked No. 1 among all Power Five freshmen with 15.5 tackles for loss on the season.

Oliver, who was also a semifinalist for the Shaun Alexander Freshman Year of the Award, helped Oklahoma State lead the FBS in sacks and rank No. 2 in tackles for loss in 2021. OSU also led the Big 12 and ranked No. 5 in the country in total defense.

Some of Oliver’s biggest moments from the year included recording the game-winning sack on Oklahoma’s final offensive snap of the Bedlam game and recording multiple-sack performances against Oklahoma and in both matchups against Baylor.