Sporting News 2023 Midseason All-American college football team

Bill Bender

Sporting News 2023 Midseason All-American college football team image

The outgoing Pac-12 has been the top story on the field for the first half of the college football season, and the 2023 Sporting News Midseason All-American Team reflects that. 

Seven players from the conference made the first team – including the Washington connection of quarterback Michael Penix Jr. and wide receiver Rome Odunze. 

Penix has emerged as the Heisman Trophy front-runner. He averages 384.2 yards of total offense and led the Huskies to a 36-33 victory against Oregon in Week 7. Odunze and Ohio State's Marvin Harrison Jr. were among the seven SN Preseason All-Americans who made the Midseason Team. 

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The SEC remains the dominant conference. The conference had nine players on our first team, including Georgia tight end Brock Bowers – who might miss the rest of the season with an ankle injury. Bowers had 41 catches for 567 yards and four TDs through seven games for the defending national champions. Safety Malachi Starks also made the first team. Alabama also had two first-team selections with Dallas Turner and Kool-Aid McKinstry.

Notre Dame had the most players on this list with three, including running back Audric Estime, tackle Joe Alt and defensive lineman Howard Cross III. Ohio State had two players on the first team in Harrison and cornerback Denzel Burke. 

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Colorado's Travis Hunter also made the first team despite missing three games. The two-way star made an impression in Deion Sanders' first month as the Buffaloes' coach, however, and that should continue down the stretch.

Sporting News is one of five outlets used to determine consensus All-American status, so it's a good idea to stay on this team. With that in mind, our picks for 2023 midseason All-Americans.

This list is sure to change some in the second half of the season. 

Sporting News Midseason All-Americans 

Offense

A look at the offensive players on the Sporting News Midseason All-American team: 

PLAYER POS SCHOOL
Michael Penix Jr. QB Washington
Audric Estime RB Notre Dame
Ray Davis RB Kentucky
Marvin Harrison WR Ohio State
Rome Odunze WR Washington
Malik Nabers WR LSU
Brock Bowers TE Georgia
Jackson Powers-Johnson C Oregon
Zak Zinter G Michigan
Cooper Beebe G Kansas State
Olu Fashanu T Penn State
Joe Alt T Notre Dame
Travis Hunter ATH Colorado

Defense

A look at the defensive players on the Sporting News Midseason All-American team: 

PLAYER POS SCHOOL
Jonah Elliss DL Utah
Howard Cross III DL Notre Dame
Laiatu Latu DL UCLA
Dallas Turner EDGE Alabama
Jason Henderson LB Old Dominion
Edgerrin Cooper LB Texas A&M
Jay Higgins LB Iowa
Kool-Aid McKinstry CB Alabama
Denzel Burke CB Ohio State
Jaylin Simpson S Auburn
Malachi Starks S Georgia

Special teams

A look at the special teams' players on the Sporting News Midseason All-American team: 

PLAYER POS SCHOOL
Graham Nicholson K Miami, Ohio
Tory Taylor P Iowa
Zachariah Branch RET USC

Bill Bender

Bill Bender Photo

Bill Bender graduated from Ohio University in 2002 and started at The Sporting News as a fantasy football writer in 2007. He has covered the College Football Playoff, NBA Finals and World Series for SN. Bender enjoys story-telling, awesomely-bad 80s movies and coaching youth sports.