8:00 AM
Alabama, Cincinnati, Georgia, and Michigan will compete in the College Football Playoff in 2021, and they are all on the All-America team.
The Tide have four All-Americans, while the others have three.
Just like the polls, production matters more than projections, so too did the preseason All-America team for the offense, defense and special teams.
The offense.
The quarterback is from the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Tua Tagovailoa is one of the quarterbacks who played at Alabama, but he might not be the first one to win the trophy. In his first season as the starter, Young ranked second in the nation in Total QBR. He had a 42% completion rate with 4,322 yards and 43 touchdown passes. He was at his best in the SEC championship game, with .
The Michigan State Spartans have a running back named Kenneth Walker III.
The Wake Forest transfer was the key to the Spartans' revival. Walker had 1,636 yards to go with 18 rushing touchdown and was second in the FBS in rushing. Walker had to work hard for most of his production, and his 970 yards after first contact was the most among the players in the FBS. He evaded tackles 48 times, second most among running backs, and his 38 broken tackles were tied for third most.
Sean Tucker is a running back for the Syracuse Orange.
Tucker became a star for the Orange on the 60th anniversary of the winning of the Heisman. The freshman broke Joe Morris' 42-year-old school record for rushing yards in a season with 1,496 and set another mark with nine games of 100 yards or more. Tucker became the first Syracuse player to have 100 yards rushing and receiving in the same game in a 62-24 win over Albany.
Jordan Addison is a player for the Pittsburgh and the Carolinas.
This season, the quarterback and the running back were unstoppable and the team won 11 games for the first time since 1981 when Dan Marino was under center. He had 93 catches for 1,479 yards and 17 touchdown catches, the most by a Pitt player since Larry Fitzgerald had 22 in 2003). In the school's 48-38 win against Virginia on Nov. 20, Addison had four catches for 136 yards and a touchdown.
David Bell came up huge in the Boilermakers' upsets of Iowa and Michigan State.
David Bell is a player for the Boilermakers.
The Boilermakers' star wide receiver answered the bell against the competition. In three games against top-five opponents, Bell had 33 reception for 888-276-5932 888-276-5932 888-276-5932s. In the upsets of then-No. 2 Iowa. He had 11 catches with more than 200 yards in each game. Bell is second in catches per game with 8.6, fourth in yards per game with 116.9, seventh in reception with 93 and ninth with 1,286 yards. He will enter the draft.
Brock is a tight end for the Georgia Bulldogs.
The wine from his hometown of Napa, California, might get better with time, but the Bulldogs didn't have to wait for him to deliver. Georgia has a freshman who leads the team with 47 catches for 791 yards. His 11 touchdown catches are the most by a Georgia tight end. Bowers is a route runner. He set an SEC championship game record for tight ends with 10 catches for 139 yards in a loss to Alabama.
Evan Neal is from Alabama.
Neal was a force for Alabama's rebuilt offensive line. Neal moved from right tackle to the left side to replace Alex Leatherwood, and he led the Tide with 32 knockdown blocks. He allowed just five quarterback pressures and 1.5 sacks. Alabama's offensive line didn't allow a sack against Georgia in the SEC championship game after some early season struggles.
Zion Johnson, Boston College Eagles.
Johnson didn't start playing football until his senior year of high school, but he has become one of the best offensive linemen in the country. He allowed just one sack in 2,288 career snaps with the Eagles and had just four blown blocks this season. He is rated as the second guard in the draft.
You can win up to $1 million with your bowl picks. Pick your favorites.
The Iowa Hawkeyes have a C: Tyler Linder.
One of the best players in Iowa history, Linderbaum moved from the defensive line to center after his freshman season. The Rimington Trophy, which is given to the best center in the NCAA, was one of the reasons why Linderbaum was named the Big Ten offensive lineman of the year. He allowed just four quarterback pressures in the entire season. McShay rates him as the No. 17 prospect and the No. 1 center for the 2022.
Texas A&M's Kenyon Green is an OG.
Green has started 35 games in a row, the only returning starter from the offensive line. He was named SEC offensive lineman of the week three times this season. The O-line didn't allow a sack in Texas A&M's upset of Alabama. He is the top guard prospect in the draft.
Charles Cross is from Mississippi State.
Cross is under more pressure than any other offensive lineman in the college game because he is the left tackle in the pass-happy offense. He allowed just five pressures and one sack in 668 pass blocks, which was second most in the country behind teammate LaQuinston Sharp. McShay rates Cross as the ninth prospect overall and the second offensive tackle available for the draft.
All-purpose: Jameson Williams.
What do you give the team that seems to have everything? The transfer portal has a big-play threat. Williams had a 1,450 yard season with 15 touchdown. He had 21.3 yards per catch, which was second most among players with more than 30 catches. Williams was third in the FBS with 690 yards after catch, and he had only three drops. He had two returns for touchdown against Southern Miss, including a 100 yard return on the game's opening play.
Defense.
The Michigan Wolverines are represented in the DE by Aidan Hutchinson.
After breaking his ankle last November, Hutchinson was able to return and lead the UM to the College Football Playoff and a spot as a Heisman Trophy finalist. The Big Ten defensive player of the year had 58 tackles and 14 sacks, which was a Michigan record. He had seven tackles and three sacks in the win over Ohio State. Hutchinson was able to create pressure 17.5% of the time and caused 19 incompletions, two interceptions and four turnovers.
Jordan Davis is a defensive player for the Georgia Bulldogs.
At first glance, the stat line of Davis might seem lackluster: 28 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, nine quarterback hurries and two sacks. The junior's impact on Georgia's top-ranked scoring defense was much more than that. Georgia's linebackers were freed up by the double-team blocks of Davis, who was at 6-foot and 340 pounds. Davis' favorite snack is Swedish Fish, which he devours like running backs. He ran for a 1-yard touchdown in the 56-7 win over Charleston Southern.
Jeremaine Johnson II is from Florida State.
The decision to transfer from Georgia to Florida State paid off, as he was named the Atlantic Coast Conference defensive player of the year. He had 70 tackles, 17.5 tackles for loss, 11.5 sacks, two forced turnovers and a defensive touchdown in his only season with the Seminoles. He created 41 defensive pressures and 12 incompletions.
Will Anderson Jr. is arguably the best player in the country.
Will Anderson Jr. is a LB for the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Anderson is the best player in the country, even though Young might win the award. Anderson led the country with more tackles for loss than anyone else. Anderson was second on the team in tackles with 92 and he also had nine quarterback hurries and two pass breakups.
LB: Nakobe Dean.
The field general of Georgia's defense, Dean, had 61 tackles, five sacks, 8.5 tackles for loss and two forced turnovers. The Butkus Award winner as the top inside linebacker in the country, Dean is rated as the No. 8 prospect overall and the No. 1 inside linebacker available for the draft in 2022. He is a good tackler in the run game and can match up with running backs and tight ends in space. He had a 50-yard intercept return for a touchdown in Georgia's win over Florida.
LB: Utah's Devin Lloyd.
Lloyd was a finalist for the Butkus Award two times and helped the Utah win their first conference title. His 22 tackles for loss were the second most in the league. The junior had 13 tackles in two games. Lloyd is a safety in high school.
LB: Malcolm Rodriguez, Oklahoma State Cowboys.
Rodriguez was 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 The Cowboys surrendered only 16.8 points this season, after allowing 23.5 points per game in 2020. Rodriguez was a two-time state wrestling champion in high school, and he is a sure tackler. He missed 11 tackles this season.
Cincinnati had an perfect regular season.
The CB is from the Cincinnati Bearcats.
The youth football coach gave the nickname "Sauce" to Gardner when he was 6 because he liked dipping sauces. Throughout his career at Cincinnati, opposing quarterbacks have rarely doubled dipped on him. He had allowed just 14 catches on 32 targets in 12 games and had never allowed a touchdown in his career going into the title game. He had 35 tackles, four tackles for loss, and three sacks in helping the Bearcats finish the season with a perfect record and become the first team from a Group of 5 conference to make the playoffs.
Roger is a CB for the auburn tigers.
In high school, he committed to South Alabama because he thought it would be the best place to get a scholarship. After his senior season, the coaches at auburn came around to offer him, and he has developed into one of the best defensive backs in the country. He had 49 tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack, two interceptions and 14 pass breakups. McShay ranks him as the 13th prospect overall and the 2nd corner.
Verone McKinley III is from Oregon.
He was second on the team with 72 tackles and led the team with six picks. He picked off four passes in the month of September, including one at the 35-yard line that sealed the Oregon victory over Ohio State. He's made six of his 11 career picks in the red zone. McKinley is a high school coach's son and has grown up around the game.
S: Jalen Pitre.
Pitre was named the Big 12 defensive player of the year. He was the only player in the college game that year with at least three turnovers, three forced turnovers and two turnovers. Pitre led the Big 12 with 17.5 tackles for loss and he was third on his team with 55 tackles. He was the leader of a defense that allowed only 19.2 points per game and helped the Bears win a Big 12 title a year after they finished 2-7 in coach Dave Aranda's first season.
The teams are special.
Matt Araiza is a player for the San Diego State Aztecs.
The Aztecs' field-position weapon this season was the hometown star, who pinned more than half of his 76 punts inside the opponents' 20-yard line. He had 39 punts inside the 20-yard line, most of them inside the 10. San Diego State's opponents had an average starting field position of 20 yards after Araiza's punts. Araiza averaged 51.4 yards.
Noah Ruggles is a player for the Ohio State Buckeyes.
A transfer from North Carolina, Ruggles led the kickers in scoring with 122 points. He made all of his extra point attempts. The first Ohio State kicker to do so was Ruggles, who made four field goals against Penn State and Nebraska. He went 14-of-15 on field goal tries inside 40 yards.
Marcus Jones is a player for the Houston Cougars.
Jones is a pretty good defensive back for Houston, and he had a record-breaking impact on returns when he was there. He has nine career touchdown returns, which is tied for the most in the country with Washington's Dante Pettis and Idaho's Avery Williams. Jones' total of return for touchdown is tied for sixth most in the NCAA. His 100 yard return for a touchdown with 17 seconds left in the game was the most important return in the game.
