Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic

Michigan State fifth-year senior punter Mike Sadler was the first four-time Academic All-American in school history. He was named to the Capital One Division I Academic All-America First Team, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), for the second consecutive year in 2014. Sadler earned first-team honors in 2013 and second-team accolades in 2011 and 2012.
 
He also was just the third Spartan (Dean Altobelli, 1985-86; Steve Wasylk, 1992-93) and 34th Big Ten football player to earn first-team Academic All-America honors twice. A member of the 2014 National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete Class, Sadler was selected as one of 17 finalists for the William V. Campbell Trophy, which is given to the nation’s top scholar-athlete.
 
A native of Grand Rapids, Michigan, Sadler graduated with a bachelor’s degree in applied engineering sciences in May 2013 with a 3.97 grade-point average. After obtaining his undergraduate degree, he turned his sights toward a master’s degree in public policy and produced a 3.59 graduate GPA. Sadler also was just the 20th four-time Academic All-Big Ten selection (2011-14) in program history.
 
In addition, he is a two-time Big Ten Distinguished Scholar (2012-13). Sadler was presented the scholar-athlete award at the 2013 and 2014 Spartan Academic Excellence Gala for having the highest GPA on the team for players who reached at least junior academic status.
 
Sadler also earned All-America status on the field, as he was named a first-team All-American in 2013 by CBSSports.com and ESPN.com. An honorable mention All-Big Ten selection during the 2014 season, Sadler ranked sixth in the Big Ten with a 41.3-yard punting average, including 14 punts placed inside the 20. He ranked second in MSU history in punts (265) and punting yards (11,188) and sixth in punting average (42.2 yards).