The Top 10 All-American Candidates from Non-BCS Conferences
With the first BCS rankings set to be released Sunday, we are nearing the midway point of the season. That not only means bowl speculation, but also talk of All-American candidates.
While most All-Americans are from the major conferences, there are always a few from non-BCS leagues.
Last season, only kicker Cairo Santos from Tulane and punter Ryan Allen out of Louisiana Tech were first-team selections.
There were also two second-team performers, including Quinton Patton of Louisiana Tech and Jordan Lynch of Northern Illinois. On the third team were names like Stefphon Jefferson of Nevada, Eric Fisher of Central Michigan and Dri Archer from Kent State.
Those were the only seven players from non-BCS conferences who were AP All-Americans.
Which players are likely to accomplish the feat this season?
Quarterbacks like Derek Carr of Fresno State, Shane Carden of East Carolina and Keith Wenning of Ball State might be better than the names that make the list, but with guys like Marcus Mariota, Johnny Manziel, Tajh Boyd and Jameis Winston at quarterback there is no chance for these players to be All-Americans.
With that being said, position has a lot to do with it.
Here are 10 players with a legitimate shot to become All-Americans in 2013.
*Notre Dame and BYU are not included on the list.
*Stats according to ESPN.com.
Honorable Mentions
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Here are five players who just missed making the list.
Brett Smith, QB, Wyoming
Smith can do a little bit of everything. He earns honorable mention because of his ability to beat teams with his arm or his legs. With an All-American spot reserved for an all-purpose player, he could easily be selected. Just ask Jordan Lynch or Dri Archer who were choices in 2012. In six games, Smith has already passed for 1,854 yards with 15 touchdowns and four interceptions. He has also rushed for 422 yards and three more touchdowns on 60 carries.
Austin Rehkow, P, Idaho
Rehkow is not only an All-American caliber punter, but he is also the teams starting kicker as well. His strength is certainly as a punter. He is currently fifth in the country with an average of 47 yards per punt. He also leads the nation in total punt yards with 2,350. He is 6-of-11 on field goal attempts, but has an excellent shot to be an All-American punter.
Davante Adams, WR, Fresno State
Adams is a bit of a wild card, but he might be one of the most talented players on the list. With a guy like Derek Carr throwing him the football, he has an excellent shot to finish the season strong. So far he has caught 52 passes for 496 yards and seven touchdowns in only five games. He went over 1,300 yards with 14 touchdowns as a freshman in 2012. If he can finish with similar numbers, he will be in the All-American conversation.
Tyler Larsen, C, Utah State
Larsen is one of the best centers in the country, no matter what conference we are talking about. He is a fifth-year guy who has excellent size at 6'4", 312 pounds. He was a First-Team All-WAC performer in 2011 and 2012. This season he was a preseason Fourth-Team All-American selection by Phil Steele.
David Fluellen, RB, Toledo
The running back position is another that is tough to crack for non-BCS players, but Stefphon Jefferson of Nevada pulled the trick last year. This year there are two with a legitimate shot. One of them is Fluellen. He has already totaled 846 yards and nine touchdowns on only 129 carries. He also has 22 receptions for 182 yards. At 6.6 yards a carry, he is having an excellent senior season, ranking fourth in the nation in rushing yards.
No. 10 Jeremiah Detmer, K, Toledo
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Junior Jeremiah Detmer is 11-of-12 on field goal attempts so far this season with a long of 46 yards. He has also hit all 18 of his extra points. There are only six kickers in the country who have made more field goals and only two of those kickers have a better percentage.
Detmer is 4-of-4 on attempts of 40 or more yards and has the leg to hit from very deep.
There are some other kickers with slightly better numbers, including Michael Hunnicutt from Oklahoma and Vincenzo D'Amato out of California, but with some excellent games down the stretch, Detmer could sneak onto one of the All-American teams.
No. 9 Isaiah Newsome, S, Louisiana-Monroe
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There are not many safeties who have put up numbers like Newsome, but the Louisiana-Monroe senior is one of the best in the country at his position.
He has already totaled four interceptions this season, ranking third in the country. Last weekend, in a 21-14 victory over Texas State, he single-handedly won the game for the Warhawks. Newsome picked off two passes and took both of those back for touchdowns. Each of those returns went over 70 yards.
Newsome also has 28 tackles on the year with two passes defensed.
No question he is a major playmaker for the Warhawks.
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No. 8 Zac Murphy, P, Miami
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It is not often that a punter is the best player on a team, but that is the case for Zac Murphy at Miami.
Murphy is not a player many people have heard of, but the punter leads the country with an average of 47.7 yards a punt.
He has a long of 84 yards and has seen a lot of action for a Miami team that is off to a 0-6 start to the season.
With the way Miami has struggled this season, he is likely going to see a lot of action down the stretch.
That is certainly a good thing for a punter. If that happens, he is more likely than not to be on one of the All-American teams.
No. 7 Willie Snead, WR, Ball State
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Willie Snead is not only one of the best wide receivers from a non-BCS conference, but he is also near the top of the country at his position.
He has already hauled in 51 passes for 867 yards and seven scores. Snead is the definition of a big-play receiver. At 17 yards a reception, he is first nationally for players with over 40 catches. He also ranks second in the country in receiving yards.
Snead has an excellent quarterback in Keith Wenning getting him the ball, but he makes his quarterback that much better with his big-play ability.
The junior has plenty of speed and the soft hands to play at the next level.
No. 6 Khalil Mack, LB, Buffalo
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Buffalo linebacker Khalil Mack is certainly the most NFL-ready player on the list. Most NFL scouts consider him the best player from a non-BCS conference.
The senior has not put up mind-blowing numbers, but he dominated during the season-opener against Ohio State. He finished that game with nine tackles, seven of which were solo. He also had an interception he took to the house.
So far Mack has 41 tackles in six games with an interception, five sacks, eight tackles for loss and three passes defensed.
No question, this guy has first-round talent.
No. 5 Cairo Santos, K, Tulane
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The first player on the list who was an All-American last year is Tulane kicker Cairo Santos.
He has not had quite the season he did in 2012, but still has the best leg in all of college football.
Santos has converted 12-of-16 kicks on the year, but is deadly from long range. He has hit a 56-yard field-goal and is 7-of-10 on kicks of 40 or more yards.
Only two kickers have made more kicks than the 12 Santos has. He is also as clutch as they come, hitting five field goals, including the game winner in triple-overtime over East Carolina.
He is only hitting on 75 percent of his kicks so far, but no kicker in the nation has anywhere near the range that Santos does.
No. 4 Jordan Lynch, QB, Northern Illinois
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Jordan Lynch is another player who was an All-American last year. He was a second-team selection as an all-purpose player.
While he will not make it as a quarterback, he could once again find himself making the team for his dual-threat ability.
Lynch has already passed for 1,333 yards in six games with 13 touchdowns and four interceptions.
Where he does most of his damage is on the ground. He has already rushed for 616 yards and four scores on 106 carries.
If he can end the season with numbers anywhere close to 2012, he will likely be an All-American selection once again, particularly if Northern Illinois runs the table and goes undefeated.
No. 3 Jimmie Ward, S, Northern Illinois
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Next up is another player from Northern Illinois in safety Jimmie Ward. Ward leads the country with five interceptions. He has a pick in all but one of the Huskies' games. He has taken one of those interceptions back for a touchdown. Throw in two passes defensed and Ward is a major factor in the passing game.
He is not only excellent in coverage, but is also dynamite when it comes to the running game. Ward already has 50 tackles on the season.
Ward is one of the most complete safeties in the entire country, and because of that he has an excellent shot to be an All-American in 2013.
Without him, Northern Illinois likely would not be undefeated.
While Jordan Lynch might be their most valuable player, Ward is the most talented on the roster.
No. 2 Antonio Andrews, RB, Western Kentucky
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There is seemingly always an All-American running back from a non-BCS conference. Stefphon Jefferson of Nevada was a perfect example in 2012.
This year it appears that Antonio Andrews of Western Kentucky is the most likely candidate.
Andrews ranks second in the country with 882 yards on the ground. He also has nine touchdowns and is averaging 7.1 yards per carry. That is more than any running back in the country with over 100 rushes.
The senior is also a threat to catch the ball out of the backfield. He has caught 16 passes for 176 yards on the year.
He rushed for 1,682 yards last year and is on pace to top that with far less carries this year. He has already started to make a name for himself and that is part of what it takes to become an All-American.
No question that he has the best chance of any offensive player from a non-BCS conference of being an All-American this season.
No. 1 Xavius Boyd, LB, Western Kentucky
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Topping the list is another Western Kentucky Hilltopper. Linebacker Xavius Boyd is having an unforgettable season so far and it just might land him on an All-American squad.
He leads the country with 12 tackles for loss and has 6.5 sacks to go along with it. That ranks third in the country.
Boyd is a tackling machine. He has recorded at least eight tackles in every game this season and has reached double digits in five of the six contests.
Those numbers add up to 64 tackles in just six games.
Boyd has been Defensive Player of the Week in the Sun Belt Conference three times already this season.
It is not easy to be an All-American at the linebacker position, but the numbers Boyd is putting up make him a viable candidate in 2013.
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