Sports Illustrated All-America Teams 2017

[aubiefifty 18,395]

si.com

 

All-America Teams 2017: Baker Mayfield, Lamar Jackson

December 07, 2017

22-28 minutes

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1 of 28 Sue Ogrocki/AP

QB: Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma (Unanimous)

Mayfield threw just five interceptions all year (and none after Nov. 4) and shone brightest in the Sooners' biggest games, taking the drama out of the Heisman race with weeks to spare.

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2 of 28 Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

RB: Bryce Love, Stanford

Love had Barry Sanders's single-season rushing record in his sights when a midseason high ankle sprain curbed his explosiveness down the stretch—but only slightly. After posting a run of 60 yards or more in six of his first seven games, he failed to break one that long in his final five games, finishing the year with a measly 1,973 yards and 8.3 yards per carry.

3 of 28 AP/Shutterstock

RB: Rashaad Penny, San Diego State

In addition to outdueling Love in San Diego State's upset win over Stanford, Penny closed the year out with four straight 200-plus-yard games.

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4 of 28 David Stacy/Icon Sportswire

WR: James Washington, Oklahoma State

Washington led the nation's receivers with 1,423 yards and was able to walk in several of his 12 touchdowns after he and Cowboys QB Mason Rudolph blew the top off opposing secondaries.

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5 of 28 David Stacy/Icon Sportswire

WR: David Sills V, West Virginia

If Sills caught a pass, it was likely for six: A stunning 18 of his 60 receptions in 2017 were touchdowns, and he turned in seven multi-score games for the high-flying Mountaineers.

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6 of 28 Jamie Squire/Getty Images

TE: Mark Andrews, Oklahoma

Andrews led the Sooners in receptions and paced the nation's tight ends with 906 receiving yards, thriving as Mayfield's most dependable target in all game situations.

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7 of 28 Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

OT: Orlando Brown, Oklahoma

Brown was a wire-to-wire SI All-America pick, making the first team in the preseason and at midseason. He's a big part of the reason Mayfield was so upset Oklahoma wasn't a finalist for the Joe Moore Award, given to the nation's best O-line.

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8 of 28 Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire

OT: Mike McGlinchey, Notre Dame

McGlinchey is bound for the NFL, where he'll be one of the most coveted tackle prospects in the class, a 6'8", 315-pound technician.

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9 of 28 Dan Sanger/Icon Sportswire

G: Beau Benzschawel, Wisconsin

Benzschawel was a key cog in the predictably punishing Badgers line that set up true freshman Jonathan Taylor to pile up 1,847 rushing yards in his debut season.

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10 of 28 Tony Avelar/AP

G: Quenton Nelson, Notre Dame

Nelson and McGlinchey helped pave the way for running back Josh Adams to construct a dark-horse Heisman campaign as the Irish worked their way into the national title race.

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11 of 28 Scott W. Grau/Icon Sportswire

C: Billy Price, Ohio State

Price didn't missing a beat moving from guard to center ahead of his senior campaign, providing stability amid Ohio State's quarterback uncertainty and setting up freshman J.K. Dobbins for a breakout.

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12 of 28 Keith Srakocic/AP

DL: Bradley Chubb, NC State (Unanimous)

The only unanimous defensive selection on this year's first team, Chubb was a regular presence in ACC backfields, racking up 10.0 sacks and finishing second in the nation with 26.0 tackles for loss.

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13 of 28 AP/Shutterstock

DL: Hercules Mata'afa, Washington State

Mata'afa landed in the top 10 nationally with 9.5 sacks and 21.5 tackles for loss—and he missed two games and sat out virtually the entire second half of a third after a targeting ejection in the Apple Cup.

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14 of 28 Matthew Pearce/Icon Sportswire

DL: Mat Boesen, TCU

Boesen was a steadily disruptive presence all year long for the Horned Frogs' stingy defense, but he exploded for 5.5 of his 11.5 sacks in one record-setting game against Baylor.

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15 of 28 Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire

LB: Josey Jewell, Iowa

The heart and soul of the Hawkeyes' disciplined defense, Jewell compiled 125 total tackles, the third-most in the country.

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16 of 28 Jamie Squire/Getty Images

LB: Roquan Smith, Georgia

Smith's sideline-to-sideline speed set the tone for Georgia's senior-laden defensive unit all year. He had 10 solo tackles in the Bulldogs' first SEC championship game win since 2005.

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17 of 28 AP/Shutterstock

LB: Dorian O'Daniel, Clemson

On the Tigers' deep, unrelenting defense, O'Daniel played more snaps than anyone but second-team selection Clelin Ferrell, pacing the team with 95 total tackles and two pick-sixes.

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18 of 28 Butch Dill/AP

LB: Jeff Holland, Auburn

Auburn's front seven helped elevate the Tigers from also-rans at midseason to SEC title game participants, and Holland led the team by wide margins in sacks (9.0), tackles for loss (12.0) and quarterback hurries (22).

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19 of 28 Charlie Neibergall/AP

CB: Josh Jackson, Iowa

Jackson tied for the national lead in interceptions with seven, but his two against Ohio State—including a one-handed snag in the red zone—was the defining performance of the season's most memorable upset.

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20 of 28 Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

CB: Carlton Davis, Auburn

The 6'1" junior was rarely tested by opposing quarterbacks but shined when he was, turning in a team-leading 11 pass breakups.

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21 of 28 Kevin Liles

S: Minkah Fitzpatrick, Alabama

The transcendent star of the latest relentless Crimson Tide defense, Fitzpatrick did a little bit of everything patrolling the secondary of a unit that finished second nationally in yards allowed and first in points allowed.

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22 of 28 Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire

S: DeShon Elliott, Texas

Elliott emerged as a big-play artist for the Longhorns early in the season, taking a pair of interceptions back for touchdowns. His playmaking ability at 6'2" and 210 pounds makes his early jump to the NFL completely understandable.

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23 of 28 Christian Petersen/Getty Images

K: Matt Gay, Utah

Gay connected on 27 of his 31 field goal attempts, going 5-of-6 from outside 50 yards, and didn't miss an extra point all year.

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24 of 28 John Raoux/AP

P: Johnny Townsend, Florida

Townsend had a lot of work to do as the Gators' offense sputtered from the opening games of the season, and he delivered with the second-best average in the country at 47.5 yards per punt.

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25 of 28 Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images

Return man: Dante Pettis, Washington

No player has found the end zone on special teams more often than Pettis, who returned his ninth career punt for a touchdown in November, capping a year in which he took it the distance four times.

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26 of 28 Rob Tringali

All-Purpose: Saquon Barkley, Penn State

Barkley's season-long rushing numbers were reined in by defenses dead-set on avoiding getting gashed on the ground, but he remained a unique weapon in the passing game (594 receiving yards) and took two opening kickoffs back for touchdowns in 2017.

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27 of 28 Getty Images [3]

Second-Team Offense

QB: Lamar Jackson, Louisville. RB: Kerryon Johnson, Auburn; Saquon Barkley, Penn State. WR: Michael Gallup, Colorado State; Anthony Miller, Memphis. TE: Troy Fumagalli, Wisconsin. OT: Isaiah Wynn, Georgia; Chukwuma Okorafor, Western Michigan. G: Will Hernandez, UTEP; Braden Smith, Auburn. C: Bradley Bozeman, Alabama.

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28 of 28 Getty Images [3]

Second-Team Defense

DL: Vita Vea, Washington; Ed Oliver, Houston; Clelin Ferrell, Clemson. LB: Malik Jefferson, Texas; Sutton Smith, Northern Illinois; Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, Oklahoma; Joe Dineen, Kansas. CB: Parry Nickerson, Tulane; Julian Love, Notre Dame. S: Ronnie Harrison, Alabama; Jaquan Johnson, Miami. K: Daniel Carlson, Auburn. P: Michael Dickson, Texas. Return: Tony Pollard, Memphis. All-Purpose: Joel Lanning, Iowa State.

[corchjay 5,311]

1st teamers -

Holland

C. Davis

2nd teamers

KJ

Braden

Carlson

[around4ever 4,139]

Not bad.  I'm a little surprised Braden Smith (or as Gary calls him Branden) wasn't 1st Team. It sure would be nice if Holland and Davis stuck around another year but I doubt that's going to happen. 

[milehighfan 1,255]

5 hours ago, around4ever said:

Not bad.  I'm a little surprised Braden Smith (or as Gary calls him Branden) wasn't 1st Team. It sure would be nice if Holland and Davis stuck around another year but I doubt that's going to happen. 

You never know. I never thought Lawson would come back, but he did. Actually, I don't expect either one to return but you never know.

[WDE0007 166]

7 hours ago, milehighfan said:

You never know. I never thought Lawson would come back, but he did. Actually, I don't expect either one to return but you never know.

I think Lawson coming back in '16 had more to do with his medical redshirt in 2014 and his injury-riddled 2015 season. He had to prove he was healthy again.

[AUld fAUx@ 2,584]

13 hours ago, corchjay said:

1st teamers -

Holland

C. Davis

2nd teamers

KJ

Braden

Carlson

and his 3rd 2nd in Groza

http://www.al.com/auburnfootball/index.ssf/2017/12/daniel_carlson_finishes_as_run.html

[LKEEL75 2,567]

2 hours ago, AUld fAUx@ said:

and his 3rd 2nd in Groza

http://www.al.com/auburnfootball/index.ssf/2017/12/daniel_carlson_finishes_as_run.html

Are you freaking kidding me.  That is ridiculous!!!  This kid is by far the best kicker in the nation!

[AUld fAUx@ 2,584]

6 minutes ago, LKEEL75 said:

Are you freaking kidding me.  That is ridiculous!!!  This kid is by far the best kicker in the nation!

and quite humble

good kid