By: JC Nevils
Now that the regular season has ended and bowl season is in full
motion, I think it’s a great time to drop my All-American list. I plan
on dropping a First team along with a Freshman team. Until then,
here is my First Team All-American list.
Quarterback
QB: Jayden Daniels, LSU
The newly cemented Heisman trophy winner did it all this
season for the Tigers. He completed 72.2 percent of his passes for
3,812 yards and 40 touchdowns. He also added 1,134 yards on the
ground, which led all FBS QB’s along with 10 scores. This one was a
no brainer.
Running Backs
RB: Ollie Gordon II, Oklahoma State
Before the season began Ollie Gordon II wasn’t even the
starter. Fast forward to week four when he finally got his chance,
and the rest was history. He broke out and absolutely never looked
back. The Doak Walker Award winner (Best RB) finished the season
with 1,732 yards and 21 touchdowns. He added 324 yards receiving
which gave him 2,062 yards from scrimmage on the year, which led
the entire country. He will also be back ladies and gentlemen.
RB: Cody Schrader, Missouri
Coming from a small D-II school in Truman State to D-I is
always a big jump, but to jump all the way to the SEC and do what
Cody did? Simply amazing. The St. Louis native exploded on the
scene as arguably the best running back in the country with his
tough and rugged style.
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He finished the season with 1,617 yards and
14 scores along with 22 receptions and another 192 yards. His best game of his career came when he became the first-ever player to rush for over 200 yards on the ground while also going for over 100 yards receiving against Tennessee. He
certainly has stamped his name in the record books.
Wide Receivers/Tight End
WR: Malik Nabers, LSU
He was already a playmaker having eclipsed the 1,000-yard
mark the season before, but he became a superstar this
season. For the year he finished with 86 catches, a nation-leading
1,546 yards, and 14 touchdowns.
WR: Rome Odunze, Washington
The nation’s second-leading receiver in yards belongs to Rome Odunze. He was someone to be reckoned with a season ago
as well, but took it to a different level this year. He finished with 81
catches for 1,428 yards along with 13 scores to lead the Huskies to
an undefeated record and College Football Playoff.
WR: Marvin Harrison Jr, Ohio State
The stud from up north is simply a freak of nature physically
on the field. He makes any DB that tries to guard him look like a
toddler just trying to hang on. While the offense was up and down at
times, he still finished with 1,211 yards, which was good for ninth in
the country on 67 catches with 14 scores. The Biletnikoff Award
winner should be a very high draft choice this upcoming summer.
TE: Brock Bowers, Georgia
The back-to-back John Mackey award winner as the best
Tight End in the country had himself one heck of a career. Even
with missing a few games this season, he still finished with 56
catches for 714 and six scores. He also added a touchdown on the
ground. Expect him to be a first-round lock in next year’s NFL draft.
Offensive Line
OT: Joe Alt, Notre Dame
OG: Cooper Beebe, Kansas State
C: Jackson Powers-Johnson, Oregon
OG: Clay Webb, Jacksonville State
OT: Taliese Fuaga, Oregon State
Joe Alt came in this year with high expectations and certainly
lived up to them, which is why he will be an early pick in the 2024
draft. Cooper Beebe finished the season with another Big 12
Offensive Lineman of the Year award, while Jackson Powers-Johnson and Taliese Fuaga finished as First Team All-PAC-12. Clay Webb was a standout for first-year FBS program Jacksonville State, as he did not allow any pressures up until November
to round out the group.
Defensive Line
DE: Jalen Green, James Madison
James Madison had a heck of a year led by their
defense, who accumulated the most tackles for loss on the season. Jalen Green accounted for 21 of them along with 15.5 sacks, two
forced fumbles, and an interception returned for a score to become
the Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year.
DT: Jer’Zhan Newton, Illinois
For a second season in a row, it was the Jer’Zhan Newton
show in Champaign. He finished with 52 tackles, 8.5 for a loss, and seven sacks to
earn Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year.
DT: T’Vondre Sweat, Texas
The 6’4 342-pound run-stuffing giant did exactly what was
expected of him. He finished the regular season with 42 tackles,
eight for loss, and two sacks to earn Big 12 Defensive Player of the
Year. He even caught a touchdown in the conference championship.
Washington needs to know where he is every single play if they’re going to have success in the CFP semifinal.
DE: Laiatu Latu, UCLA
Originally starting at Washington and then having to
medically retire from a neck injury, it has been tough on Latu. That
all changed though when he was cleared and ended up at UCLA.
The last year or so he has been good, but this season he took it to a
different level. The PAC-12 Defensive Player of the Year closed out
the year with an FBS-leading 21.5 tackles for loss, 13 sacks, two
forced fumbles, and two interceptions just for good measure.
Linebackers
LB: Edgerrin Cooper, Texas A&M
While it wasn’t the greatest season for A&M, Edgerrin Cooper
certainly showed his talents. While being great in coverage, he also
added 84 tackles with 17 for a loss to go along with eight sacks.
LB: Payton Wilson, NC State
The nearly unanimous ACC Defensive Player of the Year has
been a menace to deal with the last couple of seasons, but this
season he turned it up even more. He finished the season with 138
tackles, 17.5 for loss, six sacks, and three interceptions. He will be a
steal at the next level.
LB: Tyrice Knight, UTEP
Originally an unknown starting out in JUCO at Independence
College, he eventually found his way at UTEP. While he has
been steady his entire career, he saved his best for last. He finished
the season with 140 tackles (84 solo), 15.5 for a loss, and 4.5 sacks.
Defensive Backs
CB: Cooper DeJean, Iowa
Cooper DeJean may just be my favorite player in the entire
country. He’s just simply a ball player. He does it all. While not only
being a lockdown corner, he can play every position in the
secondary along with being one of the most dangerous return men in
the nation. He finished the year with 41 tackles and two
interceptions, as he was rarely tried. He also had a punt return for a
score.
CB: Kool-Aid McKinstry, Alabama
While his numbers might seem light with only 27 tackles and
seven pass deflections, there is a great reason for that. When you are a lockdown corner, people don’t try you often, or at all for that
matter. And on the rare occasion that he was targeted, he only gave up a paltry 4.9 yards per target, per Pro
Football Focus. He’ll be a first-rounder come draft time.
NB: Sebastian Castro, Iowa
Despite the horrid offensive output, the Hawkeyes still
finished 10-2 behind a stingy defense, which was led by the
secondary. I already talked about DeJean, but Sebastian Castro was
a dawg himself at the slot position. He ended the year with 61
tackles (eight for loss), three interceptions, and ZERO touchdowns
allowed.
S: Xavier Watts, Notre Dame
The recently presented Nagurski Trophy winner had an
outstanding season. As a ball-hawking master, he finished the season
with an FBS-leading seven interceptions along with 47 tackles.
S: Tykee Smith, Georgia
Previously an All-American at West Virginia, he hasn’t been
quite the same up until this year. Gaining the starting position again
before the fall, he ended the season with a co-team-best 68 tackles,
8.5 for loss, and four interceptions.
Specialists
K: Graham Nicholson, Miami (Ohio)
The MAC champions also have a championship kicker. For the
year he went 26-27 on field goals while going 9-10 in the 40-yard
range and making his lone 50-plus attempt. He also went 35-36 on
extra point attempts.
P: Tory Taylor, Iowa
When your offense is putrid, that means you will do a lot of
punting to the other team. Tory Taylor would know plenty about that
as he led the FBS with 86 punts with an average of 47.9 per attempt,
which was good for third nationally. That earned him his second Big
Ten Punter of the Year honor.
KR/PR: Zachariah Branch, USC
Other than the quarterback position with Jayden Daniels,
this one was by far the easiest choice. Branch was the only returner
in the nation to return both a kickoff and a punt for a touchdown this season. He also led the FBS with 22.1 yards per
punt return.
