PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Thirteen members of the Rutgers football team were named to the 2008 BIG EAST All-Academic Football Team, the league office announced on Thursday. Rutgers finished tied for second in the BIG EAST with 13 honorees.

WESTERMAN

Senior DE Jamaal Westerman (Brampton, Ontario) was named to the All-Academic squad in addition to earning Second Team All-BIG EAST honors for his efforts on the field in 2008. Westerman was named to the All-Academic team for four consecutive seasons.

Five Scarlet Knights were named to the All-Academic squad for the third consecutive year, including senior OL Mike Gilmartin (Estero, Fla.), junior CB Devin McCourty (Nanuet, N.Y.) and senior CB Jason McCourty (Nanuet, N.Y.).

For the second straight year, senior LS Jeremy Branch (Redlands, Calif.), sophomore LB Jim Dumont (Newtown, Pa.) and junior QB Jabu Lovelace (Tenafly, N.J.) were named to the All-Academic team.

First-time selections to the squad included freshman OL Art Forst (Manasquan, N.J.), sophomore P Teddy Dellaganna (Templeton, Calif.), sophomore FB Andres Morales (Bethlehem, Pa.), junior QB Domenic Natale (Sea Girt, N.J.), sophomore DT Charlie Noonan (Philadelphia, Pa.) and sophomore DL Alex Silvestro (Gibbstown, N.J.).

To be nominated, a player must have a cumulative grade-point index of at least 3.0, have completed a minimum of two semesters of academic work, and must have earned a letter during the 2008 season.

The Scarlet Knights finished the 2008 season 8-5 overall and won seven consecutive games to end the season, including the program’s third consecutive bowl victory with a 29-23 win over NC State in the PapaJohns.com Bowl. Rutgers has also been one of the elite programs in the nation academically as the Scarlet Knights were ranked No. 3 in the nation in the most recent APR figures released by the NCAA.