LEXINGTON, Ky. – Kentucky football players Blake Best, David Bouvier and Miles Butler have been named to the 2018 Google Cloud Academic All-District® Football Team, selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), it was announced Thursday.
All First-team Academic All-District® honorees advance to the Google Cloud Academic All-America® ballot. First- and second-team (if applicable) Academic All-America® honorees will be announced in early December. The award recognizes the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom.
Best, a junior from Duluth, Georgia, serves as the Wildcats’ long snapper on field goals and extra points and is perfect on all snaps in his two seasons (30 field goals, 73 extra points). He has a perfect 4.0 grade point average in economics and finance and is on track to graduate in December. He is a five-time Dean’s List honoree, as well as a member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll. He was also on the Academic All-District Football Team last season.
Bouvier, a senior from Lexington, Kentucky, came to UK as a walk-on wide receiver in 2014. He worked his way onto the field and caught his first career pass in the 2016 TaxSlayer Bowl as a sophomore. His work ethic and the respect he garnered from teammates and coaches earned him a scholarship this fall, his final season with the program.
Bouvier excels in the classroom as he is a three-time Southeastern Conference Honor Roll member and member of the Dean’s List. He graduated in May 2018 with two degrees – marketing and management – and a minor in communications. He is currently has a 3.573 GPA and is working toward a degree in kinesiology. He also is very active in community service projects.
The 5-foot-9, 168-pounder has played in all 10 games this season, catching a touchdown pass in each of his first two games, including the Cats’ streak-busting win at Florida. He also caught two critical passes on the final drive of the Cats’ last-second 15-14 win at Missouri. He has caught 14 passes for 189 yards and two scores this season.
Butler, a native of Paducah, Kentucky, earned a full scholarship from head coach Mark Stoops during fall camp for his work ethic on and off the field during his four-year career as a Wildcat. The kicker has hit 36 of 37 PATs in his career, including a streak of 35 in a row, dating back to 2015. He also has hit 3 of 7 field goals this season, 7 of 11 in his career.
Also exceling in the classroom and in leadership roles, Butler is on track to graduate in December with a perfect 4.0 grade point average. He will earn two degrees in finance and accounting, along with a minor in economics. He is a three-time SEC Honor Roll member and has been named to the Dean’s List seven semesters. This summer, Butler completed an internship with Ullico in Washington, D.C.
Butler is a Beta Alpha Psi Business/Accounting fraternity member and the coordinator/tutor for the LEAP Tutoring Lab where he was selected as the student coordinator in the summer of 2017. He oversees all tutors, coordinates schedules, and attends meetings with faculty to help improve accounting curriculum across the college of business. He also serves as the team liaison with the athletic ticket office and serves as a recruitment liaison by hosting, meeting with, and giving tours to potential special team recruits and their families. He’s also been active in community service projects.
The Google Cloud Academic All-America® program separately recognizes football honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA. First-team Academic All-District® honorees advance to the Google Cloud Academic All-America® ballot. First- and second-team (if applicable) Academic All-America® honorees will be announced in early December.
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