Spanish Fort alum and Missouri cornerback Kris Abrams-Draine was a first-team selection to the Associated Press midseason All-America team where his nine passes defended and four interceptions through seven games lead the nation.

The 5-foot-11, 178-pound junior was also a midseason addition to the Chuck Bednarik Award watch list presented to the best defender in college football. He joins another former Toro on the list, Auburn’s DJ James who was a preseason selection.

Abrams-Draine has helped the No. 20 Tigers to a 6-1 overall record and a 2-1 mark in the Southeastern Conference where their lone loss came to then-23rd-ranked LSU. He was joined by wide receiver Luther Burden III (first team) and offensive lineman Javon Foster (second team) in representing Missouri on the AP midseason All-America team.

With 9 pass breakups on top of 4 interceptions, Abrams-Draine’s 13 total passes defended ranks first among the NCAA’s Football Bowl Subdivision schools. He sits ahead of three players tied with 11 and two tied with 10 total passes defended entering this week’s home game against South Carolina.

In the interception standings, Abrams-Draine’s 4 are tied for second in the nation behind a trio of sophomores who have all stolen 5 interceptions through their teams’ 7 games: Jeremiah Cooper from Iowa State, Brylan Green from Liberty and Maxwell Harrison from Kentucky.

With 31 total tackles between 22 solos and 9 assists, Abrams-Draine ranks third on his team to go along with 1.5 tackles for loss so far this season. He’s recorded at least 1 pass breakup in the last 6 games starting with Middle Tennessee State on Sept. 9.

At Spanish Fort, Abrams-Draine was a three-time first-team all-state honoree where he was recognized as the Class 6A Back of the Year in 2019 when he also played in the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Classic.

As a junior in 2018, he played as an LSU commit before finishing as Mr. Football runner-up in 2019 as an Ole Miss commit. Abrams-Draine moved from receiver to quarterback during his senior season and helped lead the Toros on a run to the state championship where he amassed 1,089 rushing yards with 12 touchdowns and threw for 160 passing yards with 2 touchdowns in addition to a pick-six.

After Abrams-Draine arrived on campus in Columbia, Missouri as a wide receiver, he transitioned to defensive back as a sophomore and debuted with 37 total tackles and 3 interceptions. He also added a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown against Tennessee as part of 471 return yards on 21 attempts his sophomore season.

This year, he’s pushed his collegiate career totals to 116 total tackles, 37 pass breakups, 7 interceptions and 2.5 tackles for loss defensively. On special teams, he’s now racked up 603 kick return yards on 29 attempts for an average of 20.8 yards per return.