PHILADELPHIA – Continuing to etch himself further into the University of Pennsylvania football team history books, senior defensive lineman Jake Heimlicher was named third-team Associated Press (AP) All-America, announced on Tuesday afternoon.
 
He is Penn's first All-American since wide receiver Justin Watson in 2017, who also found a place on the third team for his performance. Heimlicher is the first defensive player to earn All-America honors since defensive end Tyler Drake in 2015, who went on to win the Asa S. Bushnell Cup for Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year.
 
Heimlicher has been no stranger to postseason accolades after the tremendous season on the field he had, already being named a First Team All-Ivy selection and a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award for FCS National Defensive Player of the Year. The All-America honor is just the cherry on top of his impressive Quaker career.
 
He recorded an Ivy League-leading nine sacks in 2022, the most by a Penn player since Mike Germino's 9.5 in 1999. Heimlicher finished the regular season ranked 10th in the country in that category. He was named Ivy Defensive Player of the Week in back-to-back weeks to begin the season and finished the year tied for the team lead with one interception.
 
The two-time team captain was a key part of a defensive line that allowed the fewest rushing yards per game (89.4) in the Ivy League and was the second-stingiest rushing defense in the nation during the regular season, behind only current national semifinalist South Dakota State.
 
Heimlicher closed his Penn career with 17.5 sacks, the sixth-most in program history.