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Ohio State leads USA TODAY Sports preseason college football All-America team

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Ohio State leads USA TODAY Sports preseason college football All-America team

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Every preseason All-America team begins with a debate at quarterback.

Georgia senior Carson Beck gets the nod as the first-team starter in the USA TODAY Sports preseason All-America team after throwing for 3,941 yards and 24 touchdowns in 2023, followed by second-team pick Dillon Gabriel. After starting his career at Central Florida and spending two years at Oklahoma, Gabriel takes over a loaded roster at Oregon as the Ducks step into the Big Ten.

The first and second teams are heavy on players from Ohio State. The Buckeyes lead all Bowl Subdivision teams with seven total selections, including first-team picks in running back Quinshon Judkins, offensive guard Donovan Jackson, cornerback Denzel Burke and safety Caleb Downs.

Four other programs placed at least three players in Georgia (four), Notre Dame (four), Alabama (four) and Oregon (three).

The preseason All-America teams were selected by a 19-person panel drawn from the USA TODAY Sports Network.

First team

OFFENSE

QB: Carson Beck, Georgia (Sr.)

While the Bulldogs fell short of the national championship in Beck’s debut, he outperformed former starter Stetson Bennett in most major statistical categories to establish himself as the favorite for the Heisman Trophy and the top spot in next year’s NFL draft.

RB: Ollie Gordon II, Oklahoma State (Jr.)

RB: Quinshon Judkins, Ohio State (Jr.)

Gordon (1,732 yards in 2023) will make a run at becoming the third player in program history to crack the 2,000-yard mark. Judkins (1,158 yards and 15 touchdowns) transferred from Mississippi to give Ohio State the best backfield pairing in the country, joining second-team All-America pick TreVeyon Henderson.

WR: Tetairoa McMillian, Arizona (Jr.)

WR: Luther Burden III, Missouri (Jr.)

TE: Colston Loveland, Michigan (Jr.)

McMillian (90 reception for 1,402 yards) is the only returning Power Four receiver to average over 100 receiving yards per game last season. Burden (86 for 1,212) has blossomed into a star and matched his status as one of the top recruits in program history. Loveland (45 for 649) will take on an even more important role for Michigan’s new starting quarterback, whomever that may be.

OT: Will Campbell, LSU (Jr.)

OT: Kelvin Banks Jr., Texas (Jr.)

OG: Tate Ratledge, Georgia (Sr.)

OG: Donovan Jackson, Ohio State (Sr.)

C: Parker Brailsford, Alabama (So.)

Campbell anchors an offensive line that paced the way for the nation’s top scoring offense (45.5 points per game). As Quinn Ewers’ blind-side protector, Banks is one of the most important pieces behind the Longhorns’ quest for the national title. A third-year starter, Ratledge helped Georgia rank first in the SEC last season in sacks allowed per game. Jackson is a two-time All-Big Ten pick who carries a 26-game starting streak into 2024. One of the most promising young players in the country, Brailsford followed new coach Kalen DeBoer from Washington after an all-conference rookie season.

P: Alex Mastromanno, Florida State (Sr.)

K: Graham Nicholson, Alabama (Sr.)

Mastromanno averaged a career-best 45.5 yards per punt in 2023 to become the first Ray Guy Award finalist in program history. Nicholson (27 of 28 on field goals) was the only kicker in the FBS last season to make more than 20 field goals with just one miss.

DEFENSE

DE: James Pearce, Tennessee (Jr.)

DE: Ashton Gillotte, Louisville (Sr.)

DT: Mason Graham, Michigan (Jr.)

DT: Howard Cross III, Notre Dame (Sr.)

Pearce (10 sacks and 14½ tackles for loss) looks like the next great defensive end in Tennessee history. Gillotte (11 sacks) will finish in the top three in school history in career sacks with another all-conference season. With eye-opening explosiveness and athleticism that belies his 320-pound frame, Graham (7½ tackles for loss) is an absurdly disruptive interior lineman. Cross (66 tackles) sets the tone for a defense that could be even better after finishing fifth nationally in yards per game.

LB: Harold Perkins, LSU (Jr.)

LB: Jay Higgins, Iowa (Sr.)

LB: Danny Stutsman, Oklahoma (Sr.)

Perkins has already accumulated 27 tackles for loss through two years and may be only beginning to crack into his loaded skill set. Higgins (171 tackles) is fresh off one of the most productive seasons for a defender in program history. After weighing the NFL draft, Stutsman (16 tackles for loss) opted for another year at OU and gives the Sooners an all-conference difference maker to ease the defense’s transition to the SEC.

CB: Will Johnson, Michigan (Jr.)

CB: Denzel Burke, Ohio State (Sr.)

S: Malaki Starks, Georgia (Jr.)

S: Caleb Downs, Ohio State (So.)

Johnson (four interceptions) may not leapfrog over Charles Woodson to be viewed as the best cornerback in program history, but he’s building a case for being placed alongside the former Heisman winner as the top defensive backs to come through Ann Arbor. Also in the Big Ten, Burke is a stopper on the outside who routinely draws the Buckeyes’ toughest assignments. Starks (52 tackles and three interceptions) was a day-one starter for the Bulldogs who continues to ratchet up his game. After a superb rookie year, Downs (107 tackles) left for Ohio State as the most impactful transfer of the offseason.

Returner: Zachariah Branch, Southern California (So.)

All-Purpose: Travis Hunter, Colorado (Jr.)

Branch (20.8 yards per punt return and two combined return touchdowns) is a game-changing returner set to take on a bigger role in the Trojans’ passing game. Hunter (721 receiving yards, three interceptions) does it all for the Buffaloes.

Second team

OFFENSE

QB: Dillon Gabriel, Oregon (Sr.)

RB: Omarion Hampton, North Carolina (Jr.)

RB: TreVeyon Henderson, Ohio State (Sr.)

WR: Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State (Sr.)

WR: Tez Johnson, Oregon (Sr.)

TE: Brant Kuithe, Utah (Sr.)

OT: Ajani Cornelius, Oregon (Sr.)

OT: Wyatt Millum, West Virginia (Sr.)

OG: Tyler Booker, Alabama (Jr.)

OG: Clay Webb, Jacksonville State (Sr.)

C: Cooper Mays, Tennessee (Sr.)

P: James Ferguson-Reynolds, Boise State (Jr.)

K: Andrew Borregales, Miami (Sr.)

DEFENSE

DE: Mykel Williams, Georgia (Jr.)

DE: Nic Scourton, Texas A&M (Jr.)

DT: Tyleik Williams, Ohio State (Sr.)

DT: Deone Walker, Kentucky (Jr.)

LB: Deontae Lawson, Alabama (Jr.)

LB: Nick Martin, Oklahoma State (Jr.)

LB: Barrett Carter, Clemson (Sr.)

CB: Benjamin Morrison, Notre Dame (Jr.)

CB: Travis Hunter, Colorado (Jr.)

S: Xavier Watts, Notre Dame (Sr.)

S: Dillon Thieneman, Purdue (So.)

Returner: Jayden Harrison, Notre Dame (Sr.)

All-Purpose: Barion Brown, Kentucky (Jr.)

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