College Football 2011: Bleacher Report All-American Team

With the college football season virtually over and conference title games coming up this weekend, some of the postseason awards will start to be handed out to players that had outstanding seasons.

From individual trophies to all-conference teams and All-Americans, players will be commended for their hard work and tremendous efforts.

Here is a look at the Bleacher Report All-American Team.

Quarterback: Case Keenum, Houston

Case Keenum had an outstanding season this year, putting up some amazing numbers and breaking records along the way.

During the 2011 season, Keenum threw for 4,726 yards, 43 touchdowns and only three interceptions. He was also second in the nation in terms of completion percentage; ahead of him was Dan Persa, who attempted 200 fewer passes.

Second Team: Andrew Luck, Stanford

Third Team: Brandon Weeden, Oklahoma State

Running Back: Trent Richardson, Alabama

Trent Richardson had a terrific junior season, rushing for 1,583 yards and 20 touchdowns. Throughout the season, Richardson was able to have some outstanding individual performances against top talent and is in the running for the Heisman Trophy.

Second Team: Montee Ball, Wisconsin

Third Team: Bobby Rainey, Western Kentucky

Running Back: LaMichael James, Oregon

LaMichael James, very quietly, had an outstanding year and led the nation in yards per game. Despite missing almost three total games this year, James still rushed for 1,427 yards and 14 touchdowns.

James had an average of seven yards per carry and will be one of the front-runners for the Doak Walker Award, which would be his second straight year winning it.

Second Team: David Wilson, Virginia Tech

Third Team: Robbie Rouse, Fresno State

Tackle: Barrett Jones, Alabama

In his junior season, Barrett Jones is one of the anchors on the Crimson Tide line that helps keep this offense moving.

Coming into the season, Alabama broke in a new quarterback, and players like Jones have helped that transition go smoothly.

Second Team: Blake DeChristopher, Virginia Tech

Third Team: Levy Adcock, Oklahoma State

Guard: David DeCastro, Stanford

In his final year, David DeCastro was part of a strong offensive line that did not allow Andrew Luck to get sacked all that often and was a key piece in the power running game that the Cardinal ran.

Replacing DeCastro next year will be one of the things Stanford must focus on.

Second Team: Joel Foreman, Michigan State

Third Team: Will Blackwell, LSU

Center: David Molk, Michigan

As a senior, David Molk was part of a Michigan team that got things turned around quickly. While the offense was great last year, Molk was part of an offensive line that saw improvement in the run game and took some of the pressure off Denard Robinson.

Second Team: William Vlachos, Alabama

Third Team: Dalton Freeman, Clemson

Guard: Joe Looney, Wake Forest

Joe Looney is a tremendous run-blocker and led the Wake Forest Demon Deacons in knockdowns this season. In his final season, Looney tipped the scales at 320 pounds and was capable of opening up some huge holes.

Second Team: Will Blackwell, LSU

Third Team: Kevin Zeitler, Wisconsin

Tackle: Nate Potter, Boise State

Nate Potter has been part of an outstanding run in Boise State football history. During his time at Boise, Potter did an outstanding job protecting Kellen Moore and was a key part of the running game this season.

Second Team: Riley Reiff, Iowa

Third Team: Cordy Glenn, Georgia

Wide Receiver: Justin Blackmon, Oklahoma State

Despite not being able to match his outstanding sophomore numbers, Justin Blackmon still had an outstanding junior season and helped keep Oklahoma State in the Top 10.

This year, Blackmon was able to haul in 103 catches for 1,241 yards and 15 touchdowns, and he still has one more regular-season game to add to those outstanding numbers.

Second Team: Michael Floyd, Notre Dame

Third Team: Mohamed Sanu, Rutgers

Wide Receiver: Robert Woods, USC

As just a sophomore, Robert Woods had an outstanding year. Playing for Southern Cal, Woods managed to bring in 111 catches for 1,292 yards and 15 touchdowns.

During the season, Woods also was able to catch at least two touchdowns in six of the Trojans games. He will be a huge weapon as a junior.

Second Team: Patrick Edwards, Houston

Third Team: Jordan White, Western Michigan

Tight End: Coby Fleener, Stanford

Coby Fleener benefited from being in an outstanding system for tight ends with a quarterback like Andrew Luck. This year, Fleener hauled in 32 catches for 648 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Along with being a great target downfield, Fleener was also a great blocker that helped with Stanford's power run game.

Second Team: Dwayne Allen, Clemson

Third Team: David Paulson, Oregon

Defensive End: Whitney Mercilus, Illinois

One of the bright spots in a year that went awful for Illinois was the play of Whitney Mercilus. Most impressive for Mercilus was his nation-leading sack total of 14.5 and his ability to cause issues along the offensive line.

Second Team: Melvin Ingram, South Carolina

Third Team: Frank Alexander, Oklahoma

Defensive Tackle: Jerel Worthy, Michigan State

In the middle of the line, Jerel Worthy is an almost impossible player to move, and he is able to help clog up plays that come anywhere near him.

During the year, Worthy was able to account for 3.5 sacks and seven tackles for a loss but was even more important in the run defense.

Second Team: Vinny Curry, Marshall

Third Team: Derek Wolfe, Cincinnati

Defensive Tackle: Devon Still, Penn State

Devon Still helped anchor the Penn State defense this year and was one of the major reasons that Penn State was able to compete in the Big Ten.

During the year, Still had 4.5 sacks and 14 tackles for a loss. Penn State's defense did a great job keeping the team in the conference race, and despite missing two games, Still was a huge piece of that puzzle.

Second Team: Aaron Donald, Pitt

Third Team: Mike Daniels, Iowa

Defensive End: Andre Branch, Clemson

Despite how quickly Clemson began to fade toward the end of the year, defensive end Andre Branch of Clemson still had an amazing senior season.

During his final year, Branch racked up 10.5 sacks, 14 tackles for a loss and 70 total tackles. After this year is over, replacing Branch will be a huge test for Clemson.

Second Team: Trevardo Williams, Connecticut

Third Team: Corey Lemonier, Auburn

Linebacker: Jarvis Jones, Georgia

At the linebacker spot, Jarvis Jones led all linebackers in sacks and came up one sack short of tying for the most sacks in the nation.

Jones totaled 13.5 sacks and 66 tackles and forced a fumble in his sophomore season. The Bulldogs know they have a special player coming back next year.

Second Team: Chase Thomas, Stanford

Third Team: Sammy Brown, Houston

Linebacker: Courtney Upshaw, Alabama

Courtney Upshaw was part of an amazing Alabama defense that was able to shut down offenses around the SEC.

During his senior season, Upshaw had 7.5 sacks, an interception, a touchdown and 45 total tackles. Upshaw is one of the rare players that can go sideline to sideline and make a huge impact on a game. 

Second Team: Sean Porter, Texas A&M

Third Team: Josh Hartigan, Colorado

Linebacker: Luke Kuechly, Boston College

Luke Kuechly had an amazing sophomore year last season and had an even better junior season in 2011.

After having 183 tackles in 2010, Kuechly stepped it up this year and had 191 tackles, three interceptions and a score. It will be interesting to see what this player can do as a senior.

Second Team: Dont'a Hightower, Alabama

Third Team: Danny Trevathan, Kentucky

Cornerback: David Amerson, N.C. State

David Amerson had an outstanding season for N.C. State and was able to lead the nation by four interceptions with 11 total.

With the loss of Russell Wilson in the offseason, N.C. State turned to its defense, and Amerson was among those who stepped up in a big way.

Second Team: Morris Claiborne, LSU

Third Team: DeQuan Menzie, Alabama

Cornerback: Tyrann Mathieu, LSU

Simply known as the Honey Badger, Tyrann Mathieu had an outstanding season and seemed to be the spark that made LSU go.

From interceptions to forced fumbles to punt returns for touchdowns, Mathieu did it all and made one of the largest impacts on defense in the nation.

Second Team: Nigel Malone, Kansas State

Third Team: Larry Parker, San Diego State

Safety: Mark Barron, Alabama

Another player from the Alabama defense is Mark Barron. Barron did an amazing job recovering from an injury to have an outstanding 2011.

Barron had 61 tackles and two interceptions and was all over the field for Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide.

Second Team: Bacarri Rambo, Georgia

Third Team: Brandan Bishop, N.C. State

Safety: Tony Jefferson, Oklahoma

As a sophomore, Tony Jefferson is a cornerstone of the Oklahoma Sooners defense.

This year, Jefferson made 58 tackles, 4.5 sacks and four interceptions and also forced a fumble. Whether judging his pass or run defense, Jefferson is one of the best at his position.

Second Team: Josh Bush, Wake Forest

Third Team: Tramain Thomas, Arkansas

Punter: Quinn Sharp, Oklahoma State

Despite playing on an explosive offensive team like Oklahoma State, Quinn Sharp was also a weapon for the Cowboys, as he led the nation in average yards per punt with an outstanding 47.6-yard average.

When the Cowboys were unable to turn possessions into points, they knew they could turn to Sharp to keep the battle of field position in their favor.

Second Team: Shawn Powell, Florida State

Third Team: Bobby Cowan, Idaho

Kicker: Randy Bullock, Texas A&M

Despite all of the issues that Texas A&M went through this year with second-half collapses, kicker Randy Bullock was as solid as they come.

During the year, Bullock was 25 out of 29 on field goals and missed only one field goal inside 40 yards. More impressively, Bullock was 11-of-14 on field goals that were 41 yards and longer.

Second Team: Brett Maher, Nebraska

Third Team: Justin Tucker, Texas

Punt Returner: Joe Adams, Arkansas

During a great season for Arkansas, Joe Adams was a constant threat to be a game-changer when he was returning punts for the Razorbacks.

Over the course of the year, Adams broke three returns for touchdowns and had an average of 9.3 yards per return, which had him in the top 10 in the nation.

Second Team: Devon Wylie, Fresno State

Third Team: Tyrann Mathieu, LSU

Kick Returner: Tyler Lockett, Kansas State

One of the most dangerous kick returners in the nation this year was Kansas State's Tyler Lockett. Lockett was able to lead the nation in return yards average at 35.2 and also broke loose twice and took a kick back for a touchdown.

Second Team: De'Anthony Thomas, Oregon

Third Team: Taveon Rogers, New Mexico State