Quinshon Judkins and Jeremiah Smith spotlight the AP All-College Football Playoff Team

Ohio State’s run to its first nationwide championship in a decade allowed the Buckeyes to dominate the Associated Press All-College Football Playoff group.

Since solely 4 groups have truly gained a playoff sport this season – Ohio State, Notre Dame, Texas and Penn State – all however one of many gamers on the all-playoff group are from these 4 colleges.

Since some defenses function 4-3 schemes, others use a 3-4, and nonetheless others use a nickel protection, the AP lined all of the bases by having a protection with 4 linemen, 4 linebackers, and 5 defensive backs.

With that stated, here is a have a look at this 12 months’s AP All-College Football Playoff group:

QB Will Howard, Ohio State

Howard accomplished greater than 75 p.c of his passes for 1,150 yards with eight touchdowns and two interceptions in 4 playoff video games. He was named the Most Valuable Offensive Player of the championship sport after going 17 of 21 for 231 yards with two touchdowns and dashing for 57 yards on 16 carries in a Victory 34-23 above Notre Dame.

RB TreVeyon Henderson, Ohio State

Henderson had two touchdowns in every of Ohio State’s first two playoff victories after which caught a go nicely behind the road of scrimmage and turned it right into a 75-yard rating for the Buckeyes. 28-14 Cotton Bowl triumph over Texas. He completed the playoffs with 36 carries for 265 yards and 4 touchdowns, plus eight receptions for 149 yards and a landing.

RB Quinshon Judkins, Ohio State

Before the championship sport, the all-playoff group thought-about together with one in every of Penn State’s two standout operating backs – Nicholas Singleton or Kaytron Allen – to pair with Henderson. But Judkins pressured his method onto the group along with his standout efficiency towards Notre Dame. He ran for 100 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries, whereas additionally catching two passes for 21 yards and a landing. Judkins completed the playoffs with 255 dashing yards and 7 complete touchdowns (6 dashing, 1 receiving).

WR Matthew Golden, Texas

Texas was getting ready to elimination within the playoffs earlier than Golden threw a 28-yard landing run on a fourth-and-13 time beyond regulation play in a 39-31 Peach bowl quarterfinal win over Arizona State. He totaled 11 receptions for 249 yards along with that landing in three playoff video games. That included seven receptions for 149 yards towards Arizona State.

WR Jaden Greathouse, Notre Dame

Greathouse totaled simply 359 receiving yards in Notre Dame’s first 14 video games earlier than topping the 100-yard mark in every of the Fighting Irish’s final two video games. He caught seven passes for 105 yards and had a 54-yard landing run with 4:38 left in Notre Dame’s 27-24 Orange Bowl victory over Penn State. He then had six receptions for 128 yards — together with touchdowns of 34 and 30 yards — to spark Notre Dame’s rally within the championship sport.

WR Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State

This Associated Press All-America second-team choice capped his sensational freshman season by catching 19 passes for 381 yards and 5 touchdowns in 4 playoff video games. He scored twice in a 42-17 first-round win over Tennessee, adopted by seven receptions for 187 yards and two extra scores in a 41-21 Rose Bowl rout of beforehand undefeated Oregon. Smith caught 5 passes for 88 yards and a landing towards Notre Dame, and his 56-yard catch on a third-and-11 play arrange a game-clinching area objective.

TE Tyler Warren, Penn State

The John Mackey Award winner as school soccer’s high tight finish scored two touchdowns in Penn State’s 31-14 Fiesta Bowl victory over Boise State. Although Penn State had no receptions from its wideouts within the Orange Bowl, Warren powered the Nittany Lions’ offense by catching six passes for 74 yards and dashing for 21 yards on two carries. He totaled 16 receptions for 171 yards and three carries for 27 yards in three playoff video games.

All-Purpose Cam Skattebo, Arizona State

Skattebo, an AP first-team All-America operating again, sparked Arizona State’s Peach Bowl comeback by dashing for 143 yards and two touchdowns on 30 carries, catching eight passes for 99 yards and even throwing a landing go from 42 yards.

OL Kelvin Banks, Texas

Banks, a first-team AP All-America sort out, allowed a quarterback to hustle and never get sacked in Texas’ three playoff video games, based on Pro Football Focus. He had an total PFF blocking grade of over 75 in a 38-24 first-round win over Clemson and towards Ohio State. He had a go blocking score of 86.4 within the semifinal loss to the Buckeyes.

OL Carson Hinzman, Ohio State

After taking part in heart in 2023, Hinzman moved to left guard this season to make room for Alabama switch Seth McLaughlin. But after McLaughlin injured his Achilles tendon in November, Hinzman returned to heart and helped open up loads of holes for Henderson and Judkins throughout the playoffs.

OL Donovan Jackson, Ohio State

Jackson made the AP All-America group as a second-team guard however moved to left sort out when Josh Simmons suffered a season-ending knee damage in October. According to PFF, he did not enable a single sack in any of Ohio State’s 4 playoff video games.

OL Nolan Rucci, Penn State

According to Pro Football Focus, Penn State’s left sort out has allowed no sacks and just one quarterback hurried in three playoff video games. PFF graded Rucci with an total score of over 70 in every of Penn State’s playoff video games.

OL Aamil Wagner, Notre Dame

This proper sort out has offered stability to the Notre Dame offensive line that has handled quite a few accidents throughout this playoff run. He allowed only one sack in 4 playoff video games, based on PFF.

DL Abdul Carter, Penn State

Carter, an AP All-America first-team choice and AP Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, injured his shoulder towards Boise State however returned for the semifinal sport and picked up 5 tackles and a sack towards Notre Dame whereas he was taking part in injured. He additionally had three tackles and a sack towards SMU.

DL Dani Dennis-Sutton, Penn State

Dennis-Sutton totaled 4.5 sacks in Penn State’s three playoff video games. He collected two sacks and compelled a fumble towards Notre Dame, delivered a sack towards Boise State and had 1.5 towards SMU.

DL Jack Sawyer, Ohio State

Sawyer delivered one of the vital memorable highlights of this playoff by getting a strip sack and returning the fumble 83 yards for a game-clinching landing towards Texas. He additionally had two sacks towards Oregon and 1.5 towards Tennessee.

DL JT Tuimoloau, Ohio State

Tuimoloau totaled 10 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks in Ohio State’s 4 playoff video games. He had two sacks every towards Tennessee and Oregon, 1.5 towards Texas and one towards Notre Dame.

LB Drayk Bowen, Notre Dame

Bowen has had eight tackles in every of Notre Dame’s final two video games, and he additionally pressured a fumble towards Ohio State. He had 1.5 tackles for loss in Notre Dame’s 27-17 first-round win over Indiana and had six complete tackles and a half sort out for loss within the Irish’s 23-10 Sugar Bowl win over Georgia.

LB Jack Kiser, Notre Dame

Notre Dame’s sixth-year senior linebacker collected six tackles and a sack and compelled a fumble towards Georgia. He later recorded a career-high 10 tackles towards Penn State.

LB Cody Simon, Ohio State

Simon totaled 38 tackles in Ohio State’s 4 playoff video games. He had 12 tackles within the first-round win over Tennessee and 11 tackles plus two sacks towards Oregon.

LB Sonny Styles, Ohio State

Styles had 9 tackles – three for loss – plus a sack and a pressured fumble towards Texas. He additionally recorded a sack towards Notre Dame.

DB Jahdae Barron, Texas

Barron, a first-team AP All-America cornerback, assisted within the protection scheme that restricted Smith to at least one catch for 3 yards in Texas’ semifinal loss to Ohio State. He had 11 tackles towards Arizona State. He broke up two passes towards Clemson and earned an total grade of 78.5 from PFF for that sport.

DB Caleb Downs, Ohio State

This AP All-America first-team security has solidified Ohio State’s secondary all through the postseason. His interception with lower than two minutes remaining dashed Texas’ final hopes of a comeback within the Cotton Bowl semifinal.

DB Leonard Moore, Notre Dame

This freshman stepped right into a starring position following a season-ending damage to AP preseason second-team All-America choice Benjamin Morrison and have become Notre Dame’s high cornerback. PFF gave him an total defensive score of 76.4 towards Indiana and 78.5 towards Georgia.

DB Xavier Watts, Notre Dame

Watts, an AP All-America first-team security, made an interception within the purple zone that prevented Indiana from taking an early lead in Notre Dame’s first-round playoff sport. PFF graded him at 70 or higher in three of Notre Dame’s 4 playoff video games.

DB Zakee Wheatley, Penn State

Wheatley had two interceptions within the playoffs: one towards Boise State and one other towards Notre Dame. He collected 16 tackles and a sack within the Notre Dame sport. He made seven tackles and broke up a go towards SMU.

Okay Mitch Jeter, Notre Dame

Jeter made a 27-yard area objective try off the left upright within the fourth quarter of the championship sport, however he additionally helped Notre Dame get to that time by making a tiebreaker 41-yarder with seven seconds left within the Orange Bowl . Jeter went 7-for-9 on area objective makes an attempt within the playoffs, together with 6-for-6 from 40-49 yards.

P James Rendell, Notre Dame

Rendell’s 41.5 playoff scoring common may not appear significantly spectacular on the floor, however he landed seven of his 13 punts contained in the opponent’s 20-yard line and did not have a single touchback.

KR Jayden Harrison, Notre Dame

Harrison’s 98-yard landing return on the second-half kickoff within the Sugar Bowl was one of the best return by anybody on this playoff.

Associated Press reporting.

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