Cornell football player Ryder Kurtz has been named to the Phil Steele Midseason All-American First Team, according to an announcement from the publication on Friday.
Kurtz, who plays tight end for the Big Red, has been an important part of the team’s passing game this season. Over four games, he has made 17 catches for 222 yards and two touchdowns. He is averaging 13.1 yards per catch and 55.5 all-purpose yards per game. Among Ivy League players, Kurtz ranks seventh in receiving and leads all conference tight ends in average yards per game.
His standout performance this season was against Yale on September 27, where he recorded five receptions for 91 yards and a touchdown, including a 29-yard catch. In the season opener at Albany on September 20, Kurtz caught six passes for 68 yards and a touchdown.
Over his career, Kurtz has 53 receptions for 663 yards and holds the Cornell record for touchdown catches by a tight end, with six. He averages 4.1 catches and 51.0 yards per game across 13 career games.
Cornell will continue its season at home on Saturday, hosting Bucknell at 1 p.m. on ESPN+.
