Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty was a unanimous selection and Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter occupies two first-team positions on The Associated Press midseason All-America team released Thursday.
Miami’s Cam Ward was the runaway winner for top quarterback, the SEC held down four of the five spots on the offensive line and 10 of the AP preseason All-America first-team picks were on the midseason first-team as well.
Nine players from the Southeastern Conference and six from the Big Ten are on the first team, as determined by a panel of media members who vote each week in the AP Top 25 college football poll.
Jeanty has run for more than 200 yards in three of his six games and is averaging a nation-leading 208 per game and 9.9 per carry. His 17 rushing touchdowns are most in the country.
Only 25 teams have more rushing yards this season than Jeanty’s 1,248, the highest six-game total by a player since Garrett Wolfe had 1,343 for Northern Illinois in 2006, according to Sportradar.
Hunter has appeared on offense, defense and special teams and played as many as 147 snaps in a game, according to Pro Football Focus. Hunter is Colorado’s leading receiver, with 46 catches for 587 yards and six touchdowns. As a cornerback, he has two interceptions and three pass breakups, and he forced a fumble in overtime to secure a win over Baylor.
Ward is the national passing leader, completing 69.8% of his passes for 369.8 yards per game with 20 touchdowns and five interceptions. His best performance came in a 39-38 win at California, where he threw for 437 yards and led the Hurricanes to four straight touchdowns to erase a 25-point deficit midway through the third quarter.
(x-denotes AP preseason All-America first-team pick)
First team — Offense
Quarterback — Cam Ward, fifth-year, Miami.
Running backs — Ashton Jeanty, third-year, Boise State; Kaleb Johnson, third-year, Iowa.
Tackles — x-Kelvin Banks Jr., third-year, Texas; x-Will Campbell, third-year, LSU.
Guards — Dylan Fairchild, fourth-year, Georgia; Tyler Booker, third-year, Alabama.
Center — Seth McLaughlin, fifth-year, Ohio State.
Tight end — Tyler Warren, fifth-year, Penn State.
Wide receivers — Tre Harris, fifth-year, Mississippi; x-Tetairoa McMillan, third-year, Arizona; Nick Nash, sixth-year, San Jose State.
All-purpose player — x-Travis Hunter, third-year, Colorado.
Kicker — Alex Raynor, sixth-year, Kentucky.
First team — Defense
Edge rushers — Trey White, third-year, San Diego State; Donovan Ezeiruaku, fourth-year, Boston College.
Interior linemen — x-Mason Graham, third-year Michigan; Walter Nolen, third-year, Mississippi.
Linebackers — x-Jay Higgins, fifth-year, Iowa; Danny Stutsman, fourth-year, Oklahoma; Shaun Dolac, fifth-year, Buffalo.
Cornerbacks — Nohl Williams, fifth-year, California; Travis Hunter, third-year, Colorado.
Safeties — x-Xavier Watts, fifth-year, Notre Dame; x-Malaki Starks, third-year, Georgia.
Defensive back — x-Will Johnson, third-year, Michigan.
Punter — x-Alex Mastromanno, fifth-year, Florida State.
Second team — Offense
Quarterback — tie, Dillon Gabriel, sixth-year, Oregon; Kurtis Rourke, sixth-year, Indiana.
Running backs — Dylan Sampson, third-year, Tennessee; Omarion Hampton, third-year, North Carolina.
Tackles — Wyatt Milum, fourth-year, West Virginia; Josh Simmons, fourth-year, Ohio State.
Guards — Donovan Jackson, fourth-year, Ohio State; Willie Lampkin, fifth-year, North Carolina.
Center — Brady Small, second-year, Army.
Tight end — Harold Fannin Jr., third-year, Bowling Green.
Wide receivers — Ryan Williams, first-year, Alabama; Jack Bech, fourth-year, TCU; Tai Felton, fourth-year, Maryland.
All-purpose player — tie, Cam Skattebo, fifth-year, Arizona State; Desmond Reid, third-year, Pittsburgh.
Kicker — Ben Sauls, fifth-year, Pittsburgh.
Second team — Defense
Edge rushers — Kyle Kennard, fifth-year, South Carolina; Nic Scourton, third-year, Texas A&M.
Interior linemen — Derrick Harmon, third-year, Oregon; Ty Hamilton, fifth-year, Ohio State.
Linebackers — Jalon Walker, third-year, Georgia; Colin Ramos, fourth-year, Navy; Chris Paul Jr., fourth-year, Mississippi.
Cornerbacks — Jahdae Barron, fifth-year, Texas; Trey Amos, fifth-year, Mississippi.
Safeties — Caleb Downs, second-year, Ohio State; Jaylen Reed, fourth-year, Penn State.
Defensive back — tie, Lathan Ransom, fifth-year, Ohio State; Trey Rucker, fifth-year, Oklahoma State.
Punter — James Burnip, fourth-year, Alabama.
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