Every preseason All-America team begins with a quarterback debate.
Georgia senior Carson Beck is named a starter on 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 enter the Big Ten.
The first and second teams feature players from the state of Ohio. The Buckeyes lead all Bowl Subdivision teams with seven total selections, including first-team picks like 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 from the USA TODAY Sports Network.
First team
OFFENSE
QB: Carson Beck, Georgia (Sr.)
Although the Bulldogs fell short of the national championship in Beck’s debut, he surpassed former starter Stetson Bennett in most major statistical categories to establish himself as the favorite for the Heisman Trophy and the No. 1 overall pick 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 try to become the third player in program history to break the 2,000-yard mark. Judkins (1,158 yards and 15 touchdowns) transferred from Mississippi to give Ohio State the best defensive duo in the country, teaming with second-team All-America pick TreVeyon Henderson.
WR: Tetairoa McMillian, Arizona (Jr.)
WR: Luther Burden III, Missouri (Jr.)
YOU: Colston Loveland, Michigan (Jr.)
McMillian (90 receptions for 1,402 yards) is the only Power Four returning receiver who averaged more than 100 receiving yards per game last season. Burden (86-for-1,212) became 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, whoever that may be.
AT: Will Campbell, LSU (Jr.)
AT: Kelvin Banks Jr., Texas (Jr.)
OG: Tate Ratledge, Georgia (Sr.)
OG: Donovan Jackson, Ohio State (Sr.)
W: Parker Brailsford, Alabama (So.)
Campbell is the anchor of an offensive line that has paved the way for the nation’s highest-scoring offense (45.5 points per game). As Quinn Ewers’ blindside protector, Banks is one of the most important pieces behind the Longhorns’ quest for a 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 selection and carries a 26-game starting streak through 2024. One of the most promising young players in the country, Brailsford followed new coach Kalen DeBoer from Washington after a debut all-conference season.
Q: 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 field goals) was the only FBS kicker last season to make more than 20 field goals with only one miss.
DEFENSE
OF: James Pearce, Tennessee (Jr.)
OF: Ashton Gillotte, Louisville (Sr.)
DT: Mason Graham, Michigan (Jr.)
DT: Howard Cross III, Notre Dame (Sr.)
Pearce (10 sacks and 14½ tackles for loss) appears to be 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 telling 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.
POUND: Harold Perkins, LSU (Jr.)
POUND: Jay Higgins, Iowa (Sr.)
POUND: Danny Stutsman, Oklahoma (Sr.)
Perkins has already racked up 27 tackles for loss in two years and may just be starting to develop his skill set. Higgins (171 tackles) is fresh off one of the most productive seasons for a defensive back in program history. After evaluating the NFL draft, Stutsman (16 tackles for loss) opted for another year at OU and gives the Sooners an all-conference edge 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 surpass Charles Woodson to be viewed as the best cornerback in program history, but he is building a case to be placed alongside the former Heisman winner as Ann Arbor’s best defender. Also in the Big Ten, Burke is an outside hitter who routinely draws the Buckeyes’ toughest assignments. Starks (52 tackles and three interceptions) was an Opening Day starter for the Bulldogs, who continue to improve their play. After a stellar rookie year, Downs (107 tackles) left for Ohio State as the most impactful transfer of the offseason.
Returner: Zachariah Branch, Southern California (So.)
Multifunctional: Travis Hunter, Colorado (Jr.)
Branch (20.8 yards per punt return and two return touchdowns combined) is a game-changing returner who should take on a larger 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.)
YOU: Brant Kuithe, Utah (Sr.)
AT: Ajani Cornelius, Oregon (Sr.)
AT: Wyatt Millum, West Virginia (Sr.)
OG: Tyler Booker, Alabama (Jr.)
OG: Clay Webb, Jacksonville State (Sr.)
W: Cooper Mays, Tennessee (Sr.)
Q: James Ferguson-Reynolds, Boise State (Jr.)
K: Andrew Borregales, Miami (Sr.)
DEFENSE
OF: Mykel Williams, Georgia (Jr.)
OF: Nic Scourton, Texas A&M (Jr.)
DT: Tyleik Williams, Ohio State (Sr.)
DT: Deone Walker, Kentucky (Jr.)
POUND: Deontae Lawson, Alabama (Jr.)
POUND: Nick Martin, Oklahoma State (Jr.)
POUND: 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.)
Multifunctional: Barion Brown, Kentucky (Jr.)
This article originally appeared in USA TODAY: College football preseason All-America team led by Ohio State
