Georgia Tech DE Jeremiah Attaochu selected as 3rd-team All-American by Associated Press

Sep 21, 2013; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets defensive end Jeremiah Attaochu (45) celebrates a tackle for a loss in the second half against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Bobby Dodd Stadium. Georgia Tech won 28-20. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports

Every fan of the Georgia Tech football program already knows about defensive end Jeremiah Attoachu, but now, he’s been recognized on a national scale.

Attaochu has been selected as a 3rd-team All-American by the Associated Press, and the honor is extremely well-deserved. We already brought you news of Attaochu’s All-ACC honors, but this is a new level of recognition, and one where the numbers fully support the choice.

On the year, the senior defensive end from Washington, DC accumulated 12 sacks, but his play stepped up greatly in conference play and against Georgia, as Attaochu netted 10 of those sacks in the final 5 games. In addition to the sack numbers, he was a full-on terror against opposing defenses with consistent pressure and an impressive 15.5 tackles for loss on the campaign.

It has been a long time since Tech placed a guy on the All-American radar (back in 2009 when both Demaryius Thomas and Derrick Morgan was chosen), and that is a testament to the dominance of Attaochu. As a senior, he’ll certainly be missed for the 2014 Jackets, but he has one more chance to leave an impression when Tech takes the field against Ole Miss in the Music City Bowl.