Updated College Football All-American Team Projections for 2013
It's roughly the midpoint of the 2013 college football season, and some players have emerged as true halfway All-Americans.
Whereas preseason slam dunks like Alabama's Amari Cooper and South Carolina's Jadeveon Clowney have struggled to get rolling, others behind them have stepped up and taken their spots as the nation's most productive players.
A lot has changed since Week 1, and a lot can still change before the end of the season.
But after Week 7, these players are worthy of All-American status.
Quarterback
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Marcus Mariota, Oregon
Mariota kept the train rolling Saturday, walking into a hostile environment with his best skill player—De'Anthony Thomas—hobbled and thoroughly shredding a very good defense.
When put next to his effortless stat-padding against decent teams like Tennessee and Virginia, that performance gives Mariota the body of work of a Heisman and All-American front-runner.
A lot can still change, and more than any year in recent memory, there appear to be about seven or eight guys legitimately capable of claiming this spot.
But for now, Mariota is a hair above the field.
Second Team: Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M
Running Back
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Melvin Gordon, Wisconsin
After getting stymied for the first time all year at Ohio State, Gordon used the bye week to prepare for a thrashing of Northwestern.
Wisconsin's ground game got back on track against the Wildcats, and Gordon led the charge with 22 carries for 172 yards and a touchdown.
Despite placing 52nd nationally in carries (90), Gordon ranks third in rushing yards (870) and is averaging almost 10 yards per touch. Those are All-American numbers indeed.
Bishop Sankey, Washington
Sankey is still a workhorse like no other in college football—a throwback to the days of yore when running backs would touch the ball 30 times per game and carry their team to victory.
He leads the nation in both carries (159) and yards (899) and already has the two best defenses on his schedule—Stanford and Oregon—in his rearview mirror.
Sankey combined to rush for 292 yards and four touchdowns against the Cardinal and Ducks, earning every single yard against imposing competition. Running on Arizona State will feel like playing versus air for him Saturday.
Second Team: Lache Seastrunk, Baylor
Second Team: Mike Davis, South Carolina
Wide Receiver
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Brandin Cooks, Oregon State
It was a workmanlike performance for Cooks in the Beavers' win over Washington State, hauling in a ho-hum 11 passes for 137 yards and two touchdowns.
He has the receiving triple crown right now, leading FBS with 63 receptions, 944 yards and 11 touchdowns. Stats like that, if continued all season, will be impossible to ignore.
It also doesn't hurt that Oregon State is playing well, doing its best to avenge a Week 1 loss to FCS Eastern Washington. That Cooks' stats aren't in vain make them even more impressive.
Mike Evans, Texas A&M
Evans had his second "down game" of the year at Ole Miss on Saturday, finishing with just 46 yards on four catches. In 33 percent of the Aggies' games this year, he has been a statistical no-show.
But what Evans has done in the other four games is enough to get him this spot, especially his eye-popping 279 receiving yards against Alabama on the year's biggest stage (to date).
No receiver has ever shredded a Nick Saban secondary quite like that, and the ease with which Evans got open against the Tide will be ingrained in voters' heads.
But if he doesn't shore up his consistency, there's a chance someone else could sneak in and nab his spot.
Second Team: Allen Robinson, Penn State
Second Team: Paul Richardson, Colorado
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Tight End
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Jace Amaro, Texas Tech
This seems a little unfair, since Amaro plays like a receiver, but he's technically a tight end in Kliff Kingsbury's offense and he's lighting up the box score on an undefeated team.
Amaro leads FBS tight ends with 47 catches (seventh among all players) and 606 yards, becoming the primary receiving threat in Lubbock.
Even though other teams know what's coming, they still can't seem to keep the ball out of Amaro's hands. That's the sign of an elite tight end.
Second Team: Devin Funchess, Michigan
All Purpose
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Odell Beckham Jr., LSU
Beckham leads the nation in all-purpose yards, thanks to his kickoff return ability and big-play prowess in the passing game.
He's not the traditional "all-purpose" player—that is, he's not some sort of scat running back 'tweener—but no player in college football has proved a more versatile threat this season.
No matter where Beckham lines up, he's almost always the most dangerous weapon on the field.
Second Team: De'Anthony Thomas, Oregon
Offensive Line
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OT Jake Matthews, Texas A&M
Matthews has made the switch from right to left tackle look seamless, and it's not hard to understand why NFL scouts think so highly of him. Good luck trying to get past Matthews and sacking Johnny Manziel on the same play.
OG Gabe Jackson, Mississippi State
The Bulldogs' offense is not very good and neither is the team as a whole. But Jackson has impressed throughout the season—especially against LSU—and might also be playing himself into a high NFL draft selection.
C Hroniss Grasu, Oregon
Grasu is one of the underrated pieces on Oregon's offense. The Ducks ask him to move around a lot and be very mobile, and rarely does he let them down. It's important to have a blue-chip center in an offense like Oregon's, and Grasu is as blue-chip as they come.
OG Cyril Richardson, Baylor
Baylor's offense isn't the traditional, downhill attack most think of when talking about good guard play. But that shouldn't serve to diminish what Richardson has done throughout his career. He helps pave some massive holes for Lache Seastrunk & Co.
OT Cameron Erving, Florida State
A former defensive tackle, Erving his surprisingly light feet and quickness for a man his size (6'6'', 320 pounds). As good as Jameis Winston has been this year, Erving's work on his blind side has been every bit as responsible for Florida State's high-powered offensive attack.
Second Team: OT Jack Mewhort, Ohio State
Second Team: OG David Yankey, Stanford
Second Team: C Gabe Ikard, Oklahoma
Second Team: OG Spencer Long, Nebraska
Second Team: OT La'El Collins, LSU
Defensive Ends
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Vic Beasley, Clemson
Beasley continues to post otherworldly stats for the Tigers, notching his ninth sack and 12th tackle for loss of the season against Boston College on Saturday.
The nine sacks lead all FBS players and the 12.0 TFL are tied with Pitt's Aaron Donald (more on him in a bit) for most among BCS players.
For the first time in what feels like forever, Clemson has a defense good enough to make it a national title threat. Beasley is by far the best player on that defense—and as of today, he just might be the best in America.
Michael Sam, Missouri
Sam is a microcosm of his team, which has performed well all year but only now—after winning at Georgia—can expect to get the national recognition it deserves.
He leads the SEC and ranks sixth in the FBS with 10.0 tackles for loss, and he's also tied with Chris Smith for the SEC lead in sacks (6.0).
Though Missouri's defense is far from a powerhouse, it's proven capable of providing timely stops and getting the ball back to its high-powered offense.
Sam, who also proved his big-play prowess with a touchdown against Georgia, is a major reason why.
Second Team: J.R. Collins, Virginia Tech
Second Team: Leonard Williams, USC
Defensive Tackles
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Aaron Donald, Pittsburgh
Donald has been the most disruptive force in college football this year—regardless of whether people have been paying attention.
He leads the nation in both sacks per game and tackles for loss per game, making an average of two or three negative plays each time his Pitt Panthers take the field.
That is much easier said than done for interior rushers, but Donald, despite facing constant double teams, has powered through the A-gap and wreaked havoc on opposing offenses. He deserves this reward.
Kerry Hyder, Texas Tech
Hyder has anchored the middle of Texas Tech's upstart defense, which, much like Clemson's, might finally be good enough to make it a legitimate BCS threat.
His 9.0 tackles for loss are tied for 12th in the nation, and he's only getting stronger now that Big 12 play is in full swing, posting 3.5 in the last two games against Kansas and Iowa State.
The Cyclones exposed some holes in Texas Tech's defense Saturday, and as teams digest that tape, Hyder's contributions will become even more paramount.
Second Team: DaQuan Jones, Penn State
Second Team: Anthony Johnson, LSU
Linebackers
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Anthony Barr, UCLA
Barr has played himself into the No. 1 overall pick conversation, and just a few years into his transition from running back to linebacker, it's scary to think that he might not even be close to his ceiling.
He leads all FBS linebackers with 10.0 tackles for loss and is tied for the FBS lead with four forced fumbles.
Playing for an undefeated (and now top 10) team, he has become the by-example leader of a team with BCS dreams. That's a formula for All-American status.
C.J. Mosley, Alabama
Mosley doesn't put up eye-popping stats and rarely shows up on the highlight film. But the impact he makes on Alabama's defense is undeniable.
His sideline-to-sideline range allows the Tide to do a variety of things on defense without worrying about running backs getting to the edge, and he's the vocal leader of America's scariest front seven.
How could he not make this team?
Kyle Van Noy, BYU
Van Noy, like Barr, played himself into first-round NFL consideration in 2012, and his 2013 performance has only served to improve that stock.
His 9.5 tackles for loss trail Barr by just 0.5 and his game tape is every bit as impressive. He's nearly impossible to block coming off the edge and he has an innate knack for big plays.
He and Ohio State's Ryan Shazier should battle for this spot all season.
Second Team: Ryan Shazier, Ohio State
Second Team: Max Bullough, Michigan State
Second Team: Khalil Mack, Buffalo
Cornerbacks
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Kyle Fuller, Virginia Tech
No. 1 cornerback Antone Exum has missed all of the season (so far) rehabbing an injury, but in his stead, Fuller has stepped in and blossomed into one of America's best shutdown players.
He did a number on Alabama's Amari Cooper in Week 1 and hasn't let up since, combining with younger brother Kendall, a 5-star true freshman, to form one of the best secondaries in the country.
And with Exum poised to return in the next few weeks, that unit should only get better.
Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, Oregon
Oregon's defense stole the show in the first half of last week's game at Washington and, per usual, Ekpre-Olomu was one of its stars.
The All-American candidate was a blanket in coverage against Washington's very good receivers, and he also stepped up to make a few impressive tackles in the running game.
One day soon, the Ducks' defense will get the credit it deserves. And Ekpre-Olomu might be the individual part who sees his performance rewarded.
Second Team: Darqueze Dennard, Michigan State
Second Team: Loucheiz Purifoy, Florida
Safeties
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Ed Reynolds, Stanford
Reynolds is everything you could want from a safety: smart, strong, fast, skilled and explosive.
Even after the Cardinal squandered their perfect season Saturday, none of that has changed. Reynolds finished that game with 12 total tackles, doing everything he could to help the defense rebound from a slow start with a very impressive second-half performance.
It was the second time this year that Reynolds has finished a game with 12 total tackles. Between that and the big-play ability he showed last year, he's truly the most complete safety in college football—at least so long as Ha Ha Clinton-Dix is suspended.
Cody Riggs, Florida
Florida's cornerback trio—Loucheiz Purifoy, Marcus Roberson and Vernon Hargreaves III—gets all of the love, but Riggs, a former corner whom they displaced to safety, has been every bit as good.
Stepping into the void left by Matt Elam, Riggs moved to safety this year and has immediately become one of America's best.
Not only does he have the coverage skills of a former cornerback, he also has the sound and explosive tackling skills of a linebacker. His 6.5 tackles for loss this year are the most among all FBS defensive backs.
Second Team: Hakeem Smith, Louisville
Second Team: Vinnie Sunseri, Alabama
Specialists
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K Michael Hunnicutt, Oklahoma
Oklahoma's spotty offense has forced Hunnicutt into frequent action this year, stalling in field-goal range almost as often as it finds its way into the end zone.
Hunnicutt leads the nation with 14 makes on 15 attempts, a percentage that—if it holds—will make him a strong Groza candidate.
P Cody Mandell, Alabama
Alabama's offense hasn't been quite what everyone expected this year, but the way its special teams are playing, it's hardly made a difference.
Mandell is a big part of that unit, ranking fifth in the FBS and second among BCS punters with an average of 46.75 yards per kick.
And when Mandell is pinning teams deep against the dreaded Alabama defense, it's almost impossible for them to score.
Ret. Ty Montgomery, Stanford
Montgomery almost single-handedly won the Washington game a couple of weeks ago, returning the opening kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown and setting up another huge score with a return deep into UW territory.
For the year, he leads America with a kick-return average of 37.25 yards and is tied for the national lead with two touchdowns.
He's not too shabby as a receiver, either.
Second Team: K Andy Phillips, Utah
Second Team: P Trevor Pardula, Kansas
Second Team: Ret. Bralon Addison, Oregon
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
