Football is in the air, and after another summer filled with headlines about realignment and NCAA policy, it’s important to remember that the players are what make this whole thing go. Here are Sports Illustrated’s standouts heading into the 2023 season.
First Team
QB: Caleb Williams, USC
The superstar will try to do what has proved elusive since 1975: repeat as Heisman Trophy winner. He’ll have the stage and the relevancy to do so. The bulk of the NFL draft hype is centered on him, and USC is trying to get back to national title contention—and under Lincoln Riley, the Trojans may just have the team to do so.
RB: Quinshon Judkins, Ole Miss; Raheim Sanders, Arkansas
The pair of SEC West backs feature in run-heavy offenses and are explosive workhorses. Judkins and Sanders were first and third, respectively, in rushing attempts, and show that while the era of the bell-cow back may be largely over, don’t tell them that—both their teams hope to ride their services to play spoiler in a deep division.
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WR: Marvin Harrison Jr., Ohio State; Rome Odunze, Washington; Ali Jennings, Virginia Tech
Harrison is probably the best nonquarterback in the country, combining silky route-running and elite physical skills.
Odunze led the Pac-12 in receiving yards (1,145) and helped power Washington QB Michael Penix Jr.’s resurgent season.
Jennings, an Old Dominion transfer, may have flown under the radar due to an ankle injury that ended his season prematurely. But before he went down he averaged 106 yards per game and likely would have led the country in total receiving yards had he not missed the Monarchs’ final three games. Now that he’s in Blacksburg, he won’t be a secret much longer.
TE: Brock Bowers, Georgia
To call Bowers a tight end is to acknowledge the evolution of the position for a player who spends a hefty amount of his snaps lined up at slot receiver. But no matter how you view him, his destructive ability to be a matchup nightmare adds a dimension to Georgia’s offense that’ll be even more important with a new quarterback at the controls.
OL: Cooper Beebe, Kansas State G; Olumuwiya Fashanu, Penn State T; Zach Frazier, West Virginia C; Sedrick Van Pran, Georgia C; Zak Zinter, Michigan G
Beebe has not allowed a sack since 2020, according to Pro Football Focus, and he dotted every major All-American list you could find at the end of last season. Frazier has been a Day 1 starter since stepping on campus in ‘20, when he became the first true freshman since 1980 to start on the offensive line for the Mountaineers. He gives the Big 12 two O-line representatives on our first team.
Fashanu’s return to school was a coup for the Nittany Lions, as he likely would have been a first-round draft pick last season. He’s joined on our list by fellow Big Ten lineman Zinter, who has been an interior force for the stalwart Michigan offense.
Georgia’s offensive line has been severely underrated throughout UGA’s two years at the top of college football, and Van Pran has been consistently great for the Dawgs.
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Edge: Dallas Turner, Alabama; Chop Robinson, Penn State
No Will Anderson, no problem for the Tide. His former bookend, Turner, is set to slide in as the new focal point of the defensive front. Like Robinson for the Nittany Lions, Turner should follow in the footsteps of tremendous players at the position in the recent past.
DT: Jer’Zhan Newton, Illinois; Dontay Corleone, Cincinnati
Nicknamed The Godfather for obvious reasons, Corleone was Pro Football Focus’s highest-rated defensive player in 2022.
It’s not often an interior defender leads his team in tackles for loss, sacks, quarterback hurries, hits and fumble recoveries, but Newton did just that last season.
LB: Jeremiah Trotter, Jr., Clemson; Tommy Eichenberg, Ohio State; Harold Perkins, LSU
Trotter carries a famous legacy, but he’s well on his way to forging his own path to greatness at the college level and beyond. He led the Tigers in tackles (89) and tackles for loss (13.5) last season as well as being tied for the team lead in sacks (6.5).
Eichenberg led Ohio State in tackles for loss (12) and had the second-most solo tackles (77) by a Buckeye in the past 20 years.
Perkins surprised the LSU coaching staff with his athletic ability so much that they simply had to get him on the field as a freshman, and he became an absolute game-wrecker in limited snaps. He’ll feature as an inside linebacker more than he did last season, but expect his pass-rushing ability to show up in big spots for the Tigers yet again.
Jake Crandall/USA Today Network
CB: Kool-Aid McKinstry, Alabama; Kalen King, Penn State
Stop us if you’ve heard this before: A Bama corner is probably going to be one of the elite players at his position. McKinstry’s punt return ability means he’ll contribute in more ways than just on defense.
King may have been overshadowed by Joey Porter Jr. last season, but now he’ll be key to holding down the Big Ten’s best pass catchers.
S: Kamren Kinchens, Miami; Calen Bullock, USC
Kinchens came on in a big way in his sophomore season, leading the Hurricanes in tackles (59) and interceptions (six).
Bullock had the most interceptions (five) of any Trojans player since former Jim Thorpe award winner Adoree’ Jackson in 2016.
P: Mason Fletcher, Cincinnati
The 6'7" Fletcher booted an 84-yard punt last season, and while power isn’t everything for punters, that number shows what the 2022 Ray Guy award finalist can do.
K: Joshua Karty, Stanford
All Karty did last season was make field goals, going 18-for-18 on his attempts, including a school-record 61-yarder. He also made five against Arizona State, accounting for all the Cardinal’s points in a 15–14 victory.
Returner: Jaylin Lucas, Indiana
It had been more than a decade since a Hoosier ran back a kick to the house, but Lucas broke that streak last season with three 70-yard scoring plays. He led FBS with two kickoffs returned for touchdowns.
Rich Janzaruk/USA Today Network
Second Team
QB: Drake Maye, North Carolina
RB: Blake Corum, Michigan; Nick Singleton, Penn State
WR: Malachi Corley, Western Kentucky; Dante Cephas, Penn State; Zakhari Franklin, UTSA
TE: Brevyn Spann-Ford, Minnesota
OL: Graham Barton, Duke T; Joe Alt, Notre Dame T; Beaux Limmer, Arkansas C; Christian Mahogany, Boston College G; Sincere Haynesworth, Tulane C
Edge: Jared Verse, Florida State; Laiatu Latu, UCLA
DT: Maason Smith, LSU; Michael Hall Jr., Ohio State
LB: Jamon Dumas-Johnson, Georgia; Abdul Carter, Penn State; Johnny Hodges, TCU
CB: Cooper DeJean, Iowa; Benjamin Morrison, Notre Dame
S: Cole Bishop, Utah; Yam Banks, South Alabama
P: Kai Kroeger, South Carolina
