After one of the most entertaining seasons ever, it is time to crown college football’s All-Americans for 2007. Because of the emergence of some teams, the rise of unknown players and some eye popping stats, there were barely any easy selections this time around. These players are the best of the best… and without any further ado, here are FIO’s All-Americans.
First Team Offense
QB – Tim Tebow, So., Florida
Season Totals: 218-318 3,135 Yards, 29 TD, 6 INT; 194 Carries 838 Yards, 22 TD
The man who won the Maxwell and Davey O’Brien Awards, as well as the Heisman Trophy, deserves this spot on the team. I was almost tempted to put Chase Daniel or Colt Brennan here, but I only has two spots for three guys (knowing that Tebow had to take one of them), and it was not until I sat down and analyzed everything that I put him here. While I still believe that there is too much fuss about this guy, Tebow is a talented player and I have no problem with his awards or his spot on this team.
RB – Darren McFadden, Jr., Arkansas
Season Totals: 304 Carries 1,725 Yards, 15 TD; 21 Catches 164 Yards, TD; 6-11 123 Yards, 4 TD
D-Fad ran, passed and caught his way to a 2007 season that was better than his 2006 campaign. He is without a doubt the most dynamic player in the nation and the best offensive talent overall. This season, McFadden was awarded the Walter Camp Award, as well as the Doak Walker Award (which he won for the second year in a row). I would put this kid right up there with Herschel Walker and Bo Jackson when I talk about the best backs every to play in the SEC, and that could be the greatest compliment McFadden could ever get.
RB – Kevin Smith, Jr., UCF
Season Totals: 415 Carries 2,448 Yards, 29 TD; 21 Catches 230 Yards, TD
In 1988, Oklahoma St.’s Barry Sanders rushed for an astronomical 2,628 yards in a single season (11 regular season games plus a bowl game). In 2007, Kevin Smith is on pace for 2,636, which would break the record (although he will have had 14 games to do it). Even though he has two extra games, the fact that someone is even close to this record is astounding in itself – this record is the 56-game hit streak of college football and if Smith can break it, it would surely be an amazing feat.
WR – Michael Crabtree, Fr., Texas Tech
Season Totals: 125 Catches 1,861 Yards, 21 TD
If Crabtree can amass 200 receiving yards in his bowl game (not an absurd proposition being that he plays for Texas Tech) he will break the all-time record for most yards receiving in a season. The fact that Crabtree is only a redshirt freshman means that he will have at least one, yet up to three years, left to play college football. He is the only freshman ever to win the Biletnikoff Award as the nation’s best wide receiver. This kid can only get better and we hope to see this greatness out of him in the coming years.
WR – Ryan Grice-Mullen, Jr., Hawaii
Season Totals: 100 Catches 1,335 Yards, 12 TD
Grice-Mullen is one of the three receivers that Hawaii has who have amassed at least 3,000 yards receiving in their careers. Being that only a handful of guys in college football history have done that, it shows you the kind of talent that these players have. Although Davone Bess might be the biggest playmaker and Jason Rivers might have the most overall talent, Grice-Mullen is definitely the go-to guy for Colt Brennan. This kid has a knack for making big plays when his team needs him to and always brings his best to the field.
TE – Martin Rucker, Sr., Missouri
Season Totals: 81 Catches 815 Yards, 8 TD; 14 Rushes 50 Yards
Although he was not the biggest playmaker in the offense, Rucker was Chase Daniels’ security blanket. Whenever Daniel needed a big play or a 3rd down conversion, he went to Rucker to make the play. Rucker will have a great future ahead of him playing on Sundays.
OL – Jake Long, Sr., Michigan
The best OL prospect in the nation and a potential #1 overall draft pick, the 6’7”, 313 lbs. Long was the one constant for the Wolverines this season. He was a big part of Mike Hart’s success, and was able to shut down any defensive end that he faced.
OL – Anthony Collins, Jr., Kansas
At 6’5” and 320 lbs., Collins was the man mostly responsible for keeping Todd Reesing on his feet this season. He was rock solid at OT and excelled both in the pass and run games.
OL – Duke Robinson, Jr., Oklahoma
Allen Patrick and the rest of the Sooner running backs have Robinson to thank for most of the running room this season. The 6’5”, 330 lbs. guard plowed the way for the Sooner run game, and also kept freshman QB Sam Bradford on his feet and able to find receivers.
OL – Martin O’Donnell, Sr., Illinois
Juice Williams and Rashard Mendenhall owe most of their productivity this season to this 6’4”, 284 lbs. senior. O’Donnell was the leader of the offensive line for Ron Zook’s club and took great pride in creating huge holes for Illini backs to run through.
C – Jonathan Luigs, Sr., Arkansas
This season’s Rimington Award Winner for best center in the country is as good as they get. Luigs is a smart offensive lineman and moves great for his size (6’4”, 305 lbs.). He is the reason that D-Fad and Felix Jones get all of those yards, which is why he is the best in the nation.
K – John Sullivan, Sr., New Mexico
Season Totals: 28-29 Extra Points, 26-29 FG (Long of 46), 106 Points
Although coming into the season he was relatively unknown, Sullivan let his performance do his talking for him. With NFL teams always looking for solid kickers, this guy will definitely have a job next September.
KR – Felix Jones, Jr., Arkansas
Season Totals: 18 Returns 564 Yards, 2 TD
Often seen as D-Fad’s sidekick, Felix Jones will have the backfield all to himself next season if he decides to stay in school (which he should). This season, he earns All-American honors as a return man. Jones is almost as electric as McFadden every time that he touches the ball, and on kickoff returns in 2007, he often made teams who kicked to him pay.
First Team Defense
DL – Chris Long, Sr., Virginia
Season Totals: 75 Tackles (19 TFL), 14 Sacks, INT, 2 FF, 7 PD, BK
The son of Howie Long could be better than his father. Chris recorded 75 tackles from the defensive end position this season, which is an amazing total when you take into account the fact that he was often facing double and even triple teams. His 14 sacks placed him among the leaders in the nation and helped earn him the Hendricks Award as the nation’s best defensive end. When April rolls around, Long should hear his name called very early in the draft.
DL – George Selvie, So., South Florida
Season Totals: 57 Tackles (31.5 TFL), 14.5 Sacks, 3 FF, BK
When you see a player with almost 62% of their tackles behind the line of scrimmage, you know that you are looking at a dominant force. Like Long, Selvie was also facing constant double teams, but was able to fight through them and totally disrupt offenses. Being that he is only a sophomore, Selvie will be back next season and should be even more dominant in 2008.
DL – Glenn Dorsey, Sr., LSU
Season Totals: 64 Tackles (11.5 TFL), 6 Sacks, 3 PD
Dorsey is possibly the best overall player in America, and proved it last week when he won the Outland Trophy, the Nagurski Award and the Lombardi Award. Not only was he facing double teams all season, he had to fight through a knee injury that he sustained after a cheap chop block against Auburn. Hopefully Dorsey will be fully healed for the National Championship Game against Ohio St. and we will get to see him at full speed on a college field one last time.
DL – Sedrick Ellis, Sr., USC
Season Totals: 56 Tackles (12.5 TFL), 8.5 Sacks, 6 PD
Ellis is probably the best player on USC’s defense and that is quite an honor to have. He had a big season for the Trojans and continued to play well even when the defense struggled a bit mid-season. Ellis was a constant performer who played well week in and week out, and almost never seemed to have a bad game.
LB – Jordon Dizon, Sr., Colorado
Season Totals: 149 Tackles (11 TFL), 4 Sacks, 2 INT, FF, 3 PD, TD
Dizon led the nation in tackles and anchored a vastly improved Colorado defense (for further emphasis, I’ll throw in this one in too). He went from unknown to huge playmaker in 2007, and was the unquestioned leader of the defense and played his way onto this team.
LB – Dan Connor, Sr., Penn State
Season Totals: 136 Tackles (14 TFL), 6.5 Sacks, INT, 6 PD
Penn State’s all-rime leading rackler (325) played his way onto this team through hard work and an insatiable want to get to the ball carrier. Connor won the Bednarik Award this season as the best defensive player in all of college football, making it the third consecutive season in which a Penn State linebacker won the award (Paul Posluszny won the award in 2005 and 2006). Connor also cemented himself as a legacy at Linebacker U and can now be named along with Ham, Millen, Conlan, Arrington and Posluszny as the best linebackers in school history.
LB – James Laurinaitis, Jr., Ohio State
Season Totals: 103 Tackles (8.5 TFL), 5 Sacks, 2 INT, PD
It really bothers me that Laurinaitis won the Butkus Award as the nation’s best linebacker because he only had 39 solo tackles this season. I would have rather have seen the award go to Jordon Dizon or Dan Connor, and I believe that Laurinaitis won the award simply because of his name. He is a tremendous player and a great linebacker and deserves a spot on this team, but I am not sure that he was the best linebacker in the nation this season.
CB – Antoine Cason, Sr., Arizona
Season Totals: 71 Tackles (4 TFL), Sack, 5 INT, 2 FF, 14 PD, 4 Total TD
2007’s Jim Thorpe Award winner backed up the preseason hype with his stellar play on the field. In Arizona’s biggest game of the season, Cason intercepted a pass and returned it for a touchdown, and also returned a punt for a touchdown. He was often given the task of locking down the opposition’s best receiver and he always rose to the occasion. Cason has tremendous talent and will be able to show it off on Sundays in 2008.
CB – Aqib Talib, Jr., Kansas
Season Totals: 61 Tackles (4 TFL), 4 INT, 13 PD, 5 Total TD
If you were looking for the leader of the Kansas Jayhawks defense, all you had to do was listen. Talib would have no problems talking your ear off and letting you know why he thinks Kansas had the best defense in the nation. He was a big reason for why Kansas’ defense ranked among the elite in the nation this season, as he shut down pretty much every single receiver that he faced. If he goes pro, Talib is a first round pick, but he may stay in school and work on his game. Either way, Talib will cause quarterbacks fits again next season.
S – Jamie Silva, Sr., Boston College
Season Totals: 115 Tackles (4 TFL), 1.5 Sacks, 6 INT, 2 FF, 3 PD, 2 FF, FR, 2 Total TD
Often overshadowed by fellow defensive back DeJuan Tribble, Silva stepped into the limelight this season as a hard-hitting, playmaking safety who roamed the field and was not scared to come up and help stop the run. Totaling 115 tackles from the safety position is no small feat, but look at his stats and you will see that he excelled in every facet of the game. That is why he makes this team.
S – Craig Steltz, Sr., LSU
Season Totals: 97 Tackles (5 TFL), Sack, 6 INT, 3 FF, 7 PD
Speaking of hard-hitting safeties, Craig Steltz from LSU takes the spot as the other 1st Teamer at the safety position. On a defense with tremendous talent, Steltz separated himself from the rest with his relentless pursuit of the ball and knack for making the big play. Steltz was also tremendous at reading a quarterback’s eyes and breaking on the ball, as is evidenced by his six interceptions. All of these things make Craig Steltz and All-American.
P – Kevin Huber, Jr., Cincinnati
Season Totals: 53 Punts 2,484 Yards (Long of 62), 46.9 Y/P, 18 Inside 20
Huber’s leg made the Bearcats defensive job easy. It always seemed that teams had to play with a long field, which enabled the Bearcats to be aggressive. Huber’s punts often set the opposition up with that bad field position, which is evidenced by his 18 punts inside the 20. With an average of almost 47 yards per punt, Huber was able to get Cincinnati out of many deep holes.
PR – Kevin Robinson, Sr., Utah State
Season Totals: 20 Return 378 Yards, TD
Robinson was the leading punt returner in the nation this season and was one of the few bright spots for this Aggie team. Robinson was often able tp put the Utah St. offense in good field position, but (like the rest of the team) the offense struggled for most of the season. Utah St. was not very good, but that does not take away from what this kid has done. That is why Robinson is on this team.
Second Team Offense
QB – Colt Brennan, Sr., Hawaii
RB – Ray Rice, Jr., Rutgers
RB – Matt Forte, Sr., Tulane
WR – Jordy Nelson, Sr., Kansas State
WR – Early Doucet, Sr., LSU
TE – Travis Beckum, Jr., Wisconsin
OL – Sam Baker, Sr., USC
OL – Ryan Clady, Jr., Boise State
OL – Adam Kraus, Jr., Michigan
OL – Tony Hills, Sr., Texas
C – Steve Justice, Sr., Wake Forest
K – Thomas Weber, Fr., Arizona State
KR – Jeremy Maclin, Fr., Missouri
Second Team Defense
DL – Greg Middleton, Jr., Indiana
DL – Vernon Gholston, Jr., Ohio State
DL – Greg Hardy, So., Mississippi
DL – Bruce Davis, Sr., UCLA
LB – Ali Highsmith, Sr., LSU
LB – Matthew Castelo, Sr., San Jose State
LB – J Leman, Sr., Illinois
CB – Justin King, Jr., Penn State
CB – Chevis Jackson, Sr., LSU
S – Robert Vaughn, So., UCONN
S – Shane Carter, So., Wisconsin
P – Durant Brooks, Sr., Georgia Tech
PR – C.J. Spiller, So., Clemson |
