The Sporting News 2024 preseason All-American team is a reflection of the new era of realignment in college football.
Two-thirds of the players on our first and second teams play in the SEC and Big Ten. Ohio State led all schools with seven players on our team – including first-team selections Caleb Downs and Donovan Jackson. Five Buckeyes made our second team.
Notre Dame had five players on this year's team – including three first-team selections on defense with Howard Cross III, Benjamin Morrison and Xavier Watts. Alabama and Georgia – the traditional SEC powers – had four players each. Quarterback Carson Beck leads the Bulldogs' selections after a breakout season in the SEC.
Michigan, Oregon and Texas each had three players on our team. The Wolverines had three first-team selections in Colston Loveland, Mason Graham and Will Johnson.
The SEC had 23 players on this list; followed by the Big Ten with 16. The Big 12 and ACC had five players each – perhaps a sign of the challenge to keep up in the Power 4 era.
Sporting News is one of five outlets used to determine consensus All-American status at the end of the season. A look at this year's Preseason All-American team:
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First team offense
QB: Carson Beck, Georgia
Beck led all returning quarterbacks with 3,941 passing yards last season, and he settled into the role as the leader for Georgia in his first year as a starter. He averaged 282.2 yards with 14 TDs and three interceptions against ranked teams. Beck had consistent splits across the board, and now the challenge is to lead the top-ranked Bulldogs through a new-look SEC that brings a tougher schedule. Beck, Texas' Quinn Ewers and Alabama's Jalen Milroe will play a round robin in the regular season. The quarterback who wins it might be here at the end of the year.
RB: Ollie Gordon II, Oklahoma State
Gordon – a SN first-team All-American in 2023 – won the Doak Walker Award last season as part of a season where he rushed for 1,732 yards and 21 TDs for the Cowboys in 2023. Gordon had a two-week stretch against West Virginia and Cincinnati last season where he rushed for 553 yards on 10.2 yards per carry. He is a game-changing running back who will continue to put up prolific numbers in the Big 12.
RB: Omarion Hampton, North Carolina
Hampton – a SN second-team All-American in 2023 – enjoyed a breakout season with 1,504 yards and 15 TDs for the Tar Heels. He had a streak of six straight games with 100 yards or more. According to Pro Football Focus, Hampton averaged 4.2 yards per carry after contact – the most among FBS work-horse running backs with at least 250 carries in 2023. Hampton averaged more than 5.0 yards per carry in every game where he had 20 carries or more.
WR: Luther Burden III, Missouri
Burden – a second-team SN All-American in 2023 – is a fantastic route runner who worked mostly out of the slot last season. He totaled 86 receptions for 1,212 yards and nine TDs. He also can play outside, and he scored five TDs in six games against ranked opponents last season. The production slipped in the second half of last season given more attention in coverage, but Burden will continue to produce in what should be a loaded receiving corps at Missouri this season.
WR: Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona
McMillan is an all-around threat – and a huge target at 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds – who had 90 catches for 1,402 yards and 10 TDs for the Wildcats last season. He torched rival Arizona State for 11 catches and 296 yards and had four straight 100-yard games to end the season. He is great at the contested catch, and he will be quarterback Noah Fifita's favorite target with new coach Brent Brennan. He could be Arizona's first All-American receiver since Dennis Northcutt in 1999.
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WR: Tez Johnson, Oregon
Johnson is a well-rounded receiver who is active in all facets of Oregon's passing game. He caught 22 of 33 targets on passes of 10 yards or more, and he became more comfortable in the second half of last season. He had 100 yards or more in four of the Ducks' last six games. Johnson should continue to see favorable coverage opposite Texas A&M transfer Evan Stewart.
TE: Colston Loveland, Michigan
Loveland is the classic Michigan tight end, and a building block for the offense under new coach Sherrone Moore. Loveland can play in-line or in the slot – and he showed that ability to get down field with seven catches on seven targets on passes of 20 yards or more last season. He had a 72.6% catch percentage. He will be active in an offense that will have a new starting quarterback in place of J.J. McCarthy.
T: Will Campbell, LSU
Campbell did not allow a sack last season at left tackle for the Tigers – and he has gone 15 games through two seasons without allowing a sack. He allowed just two hurries in the Tigers' last four games. Campbell is a durable force who has delivered on the five-star hype, and he is half of a formidable tackle tandem that includes Emery Jones on the other side for LSU in 2024.
G: Tate Ratledge, Georgia
Ratledge should be known for more than his mullet and mustache. He has started in 27 of 29 games for Georgia the last two seasons. Ratledge did not allow a sack and had just one penalty last season, and he continues to improve as a dominant run blocker for an offense that averaged 191.2 rushing yards per game last season. Look for Ratledge to be a reliable piece on a massive Georgia offensive line in 2024.
MORE: Georgia ranked No. 1 in preseason AP poll
C: Parker Brailsford, Alabama
Brailsford is a key addition who followed coach Kalen DeBoer to Alabama via the transfer portal. He was the center for Washington last season – and he started 13 games there and two games at right guard for a unit that won the Joe Moore Award. Brailsford – a redshirt sophomore – will be an anchor in the middle for the Crimson Tide, which will be a team strength under DeBoer.
G: Donovan Jackson, Ohio State
Jackson – a 6-foot-4, 320-pound guard – emerged as one of the best interior linemen in the FBS last season. He allowed one sack the entire season – which was the only blip in a nearly flawless final five games of 2023. He played 827 snaps for the Buckeyes without a penalty – an amazing stat. He is among several Ohio State players who bypassed the 2024 NFL Draft for a shot at the national championship.
T: Ajani Cornelius, Oregon
Oregon coach Dan Lanning is working with two impressive tackles in Cornelius and Josh Conerly Jr., this season. Cornelius did not allow a sack in 541 pass-blocking snaps in his first season as a starter last season, according to PFF. Cornelius allowed just one quarterback hit and 10 hurries. Cornelius is going to attract more NFL attention in 2024 with the Ducks facing elite Ohio State and Michigan defenses in the Big Ten.
AP: Travis Hunter, Colorado
Hunter – a SN first-team selection in 2023 – is the all-purpose athlete on this team. According to PFF, he played 1,074 snaps for the Buffaloes in 2023 between receiver and defensive back. He had 57 catches for 721 yards and five TDs at receiver and 30 tackles, three interceptions and five pass breakups on defense. What will this future first-round pick do for an encore?
First-team defense
DL: Mason Graham, Michigan
Graham – a second-team SN All-American in 2023 – was part of a dominant Michigan defense in 2023. Graham closed last season on a high note with seven quarterback hurries and four hits in Michigan's last four games that led to the national championship. He is a disruptive force on the interior with a knack for shedding blocks off the snap, and he should improve with new defensive coordinator Wink Martindale.
DL: Howard Cross III, Notre Dame
Cross – a second-team SN All-American in 2023 – is part of an experienced interior tag team with Rylie Mills at Notre Dame. Cross continues to be a game-changer with his quickness in the middle. He had 66 total tackles last season – double from the total from the previous season. He excels against the run and continues to develop as a pass rusher. Cross bypassed the 2024 NFL Draft and should continue to be a force for defensive coordinator Al Golden.
DL: Deone Walker, Kentucky
Walker – a 6-foot-6, 348-pound defensive tackle – is a force on the interior line for the Wildcats. He had eight sacks and 39 hurries with freakish athletic talent that will get noticed at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine. Early season tests against Georgia and Ole Miss will give Walker a chance to build some of that attention. That combination of size and speed will be hard to miss.
EDGE: James Pearce, Tennessee
Pearce will be in the conversation as the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft if he replicates the pass-rushing production from 2024. He had 13 sacks, 11 quarterback hits and 28 quarterback hurries. He will have to be more dominant in games against ranked teams – where he had three sacks and five hurries in four games last season. Pearce also must prove he is more than just a pass-rush specialist. He has the talent to do both.
EDGE: Nic Scourton, Texas A&M
Scourton is one of the most-intriguing transfer portal additions of the 2023 season. He had 10 sacks and 15 tackles for loss at Purdue last season – and that included a two-sack, four-hurry performance against Michigan. The tools are there to be an elite pass rusher – and he will benefit from playing under Mike Elko at Texas A&M in a homecoming of sorts. Will that translate in the SEC? We think so.
LB: Jay Higgins, Iowa
Higgins – a second-team SN All-American in 2023 – led the FBS with 171 tackles in 2023. He had 10 games with at least 12 total tackles and closed last season with 14 solo tackles in the Citrus Bowl loss to Tennessee. He had the third-lowest missed tackle rate at his position at 5.1%, and he also finished with three pass breakups and an interception. Iowa linebackers Jack Campbell (2022) and Josey Jewell (2017) were consensus All-Americans in recent seasons. Will Higgins join them?
LB: Jason Henderson, Old Dominion
Henderson – a first-team SN All-American in 2023 – is the consummate throw-back, find-the-football-linebacker. He was second in the FBS with 170 tackles in 2023 and has tallied 436 tackles with the Monarchs. He also had 19.5 tackles for loss – which was two behind first round pick Laitau Latu of UCLA. Henderson has three games with 20-plus tackles for his career. Henderson could catch Troy's Carlton Martial – who holds the FBS total tackle record of 577, which was set from 2018-22.
CB: Will Johnson, Michigan
EA Sports College Football 25 ranked Johnson as the No. 1 player, and the real-life version is every bit as exciting in Michigan's secondary. He battled injuries in 2024, but he had four interceptions while being targeted 37 times. Quarterbacks had a 44.7% completion percentage against Johnson, and he played well against first-round receivers such as Marvin Harrison Jr. and Rome Odunze. This cornerback class is elite, so Johnson will have to prove that ranking right on the field.
CB: Benjamin Morrison, Notre Dame
Morrison – a second-team SN Preseason All-American in 2023 – continued his work as a play-making cornerback for the Irish. He has nine interceptions and 14 pass breakups the last two seasons. He has earned a reputation as a big-game player, too. He had interceptions against USC and then Oregon State in the Sun Bowl, and he allowed just five receptions on 11 targets for 51 yards in two games against Ohio State the last two seasons.
S: Caleb Downs, Ohio State
Downs – a second-team SN All-American at Alabama in 2023 – is arguably the most-talented player in the FBS. He had 70 total tackles, two interceptions and a forced fumble as a freshman. Downs will be a fit in Jim Knowles' defense at Ohio State – and there is a chance he is more active as a punt returner – he had one TD last season – and perhaps as a role player on offense.
S: Xavier Watts, Notre Dame
Watts is reigning Nagurski Award winner and the lone returner in the secondary from the SN All-America first-team in 2023. He also is the third Irish defender on our first-team defense. He tied for the FBS lead with seven interceptions last season, and he did not allow a touchdown in coverage. He had two interceptions and a fumble return for a TD against USC last season. Watts also added 50 total tackles.
DB: Tacario Davis, Arizona
Davis – a 6-foot, 194-pound cornerback – made an impact for the Wildcats in 2023. According to PFF, he allowed a 42.6% completions on 54 targets – which ranked seventh among qualifying cornerbacks. That came with 12 pass breakups. Those numbers are comparable to Toledo's Quinyon Mitchell – who was a first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Don't be surprised when Davis works into that conversation for 2025.
First-team specialists
K: Graham Nicholson, Alabama
Nicholson – a first-team SN All-American – is the returning Groza Award winner. He hit 26 of 27 field-goal attempts at Miami, Ohio, late season. He had a 93.3% field-goal percentage with the RedHawks the last three seasons, and that included a 10 of 11 conversion rate from 40 yards or more in 2023. Nicholson transferred to Alabama, where he replaced 2023 SN second-team All-American Will Reichard.
P: Alex Mastromanno, Florida State
Brown - an SN second-team selection in 2023 – is impressive across the board in the punting categories. He averaged 45.4 yards per punt with a 43.2 net yards on those punts. He landed 30 punts — or 44.8 percent – inside the 20-yard line. He is another Australian punter carving an impressive path toward an NFL future.
KR: Barion Brown, Kentucky
Brown - an SN first-team selection in 2023 – closed last season with kickoff returns for TDs against Louisville and Clemson in Kentucky's final two games. That gave the multi-talented returner three returns for TDs on the season. Brown averaged 36.0 yards per kickoff return – the most of any player in the FBS with at least 10 kickoff returns.
PR: Zachariah Branch, USC
Branch - an SN first-team selection in 2023 – had a 96-yard kickoff return for a TD in his debut last season, and he added a punt return TD against Stanford. He averaged 20.4 yards per punt return and had a return of 35 yards or more in five different games. He will take that field-flipping ability to the Big Ten.
Second-team offense
QB: Quinn Ewers, Texas
RB: Tahj Brooks, Texas Tech
RB: TreVeyon Henderson, Ohio State
WR: Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State
WR: Ricky White, UNLV
WR: Tre Harris, Ole Miss
TE: Mitchell Evans, Notre Dame
T: Earnest Greene, Georgia
G: Tyler Booker, Alabama
C: Cooper Mays, Tennessee
G: Clay Webb, Jacksonville State
T: Kelvin Banks Jr., Texas
AP: Ashton Jeanty, Boise State
Second-team defense
DL: Tyleik Wiliams, Ohio State
DL: Walter Nolen, Ole Miss
DL: Jack Sawyer, Ohio State
LB: Ashton Gillotte, Louisville
LB: Harold Perkins, LSU
LB: Barrett Carter, Clemson
LB: Danny Stutsman, Oklahoma
CB: Denzel Burke, Ohio State
CB: Jabbar Muhammad, Oregon
S: Malaki Starks, Georgia
S: Dillon Thieneman, Purdue
DB: Malachi Moore, Alabama
Second-team specialists
K: Bert Auburn, Texas
P: Jeremy Crenshaw, Florida
KR: Jayden Harrison, Notre Dame
PR: Tucker Holloway, Virginia Tech
