Alabama Football sets a new AFCA All-America Team record

Alabama football set a new single-season record with eight players named to the 2018 American Football Coaches Association All-America Teams.

Alabama football fans have so many Crimson Tide All-Americans to track it is hard to keep up with all the honors. One reason for that is because they are more than a dozen different entities who name All-America Teams. Depending on individual perspectives, the NCAA either clarifies or complicates by recognizing Consensus and Unanimous All-American players. Only five entities are used for the Consensus: the AP, the AFCA (Coaches), the Football Writers Association, the Walter Camp Foundation and the Sporting News.

Players who are first-team choices of three of the five entities are ‘Consensus All-Americans.’ Not surprisingly, ‘Unanimous All-Americans’ must be first-team selections from all five entities.

It is debatable which organization carries the most clout. A strong argument is the AFCA is most highly respected since all the votes are submitted by a select group of coaches. All-America teams have been named by the game’s coaches since 1945. Here are the 2018 AFCA All-America Teams.

Alabama football fans will be excited to know the Crimson Tide set a new record this season with eight players selected. Going back to 1945, Alabama football also has the most all-time selections at 82, followed by Oklahoma with 70 selections. The other schools with 50 or more all-time selections are Texas and Nebraska (51), Southern Cal (58), Michigan (61), Notre Dame (63) and Ohio State (67).

The Alabama Crimson Tide has five first-team selections. Perhaps the most noteworthy is Tua Tagovailoa who beat out the Heisman Trophy winner, Oklahoma’s Kyler Murray.

Jonah Williams and Quinnen Williams are unanimous All-Americans. Jerry Jeudy and Deionte Thompson are consensus All-Americans.

Other Alabama football 2018 All-Americans are Ross Pierschbacher (Sporting News 1st Team and AP 2nd team) and Dylan Moses (Walter Camp 2nd Team.)

AFCA First Team Offense

WR: Jerry Jeudy, Alabama and Andy Isabella, Massachusetts

TE: T.J. Hockenson, Iowa

OL: *Jonah Williams, Alabama and *Mitch Hyatt, Clemson

C: Garrett Bradbury, NC State

OL: Beau Benzschawel, Wisconsin and  Ben Powers, Oklahoma

QB: Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama

RB: Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin and Darrell Henderson, Memphis

AFCA First Team Defense

DL: Quinnen Williams, Alabama; Clelin Ferrell, Clemson; #Christian Wilkins, Clemson; Dexter Lawrence, Clemson

LB: Josh Allen, Kentucky; Devin Bush, Michigan; Devin White, LSU

DB: Deandre Baker, Georgia; Greedy Williams, LSU; Deionte Thompson, Alabama; Grant Delpit, LSU

Specialists:

P: Braden Mann, Texas A&M

PK: Andre Szmyt, Syracuse

AP: Deebo Samuel, South Carolina

*–2017 AFCA All-American #–2016 & 2017 AFCA All-American

AFCA Second Team Offense

WR: Marquise Brown, Oklahoma and *David Sills, West Virginia

TE: Irv Smith Jr., Alabama 

OL: Michael Deiter, Wisconsin and Dalton Risner, Kansas State

C: Sam Mustipher, Notre Dame

OL: Chris Lindstrom, Boston College and Dru Samia, Oklahoma

QB: Kyler Murray, Oklahoma

RB: Travis Etienne, Clemson and Benny Snell, Kentucky

AFCA Second Team Defense

DL: #Ed Oliver, Houston; Isaiah Buggs, Alabama; *Sutton Smith, Northern Illinois; Chase Winovich, Michigan

LB: Mack Wilson, Alabama; Ben Burr-Kirven, Washington; Tre Lamar, Clemson

DB Julian Love, Notre Dame; Trayvon Mullen, Clemson; Hamp Cheevers, Boston College; Johnathan Abram, Mississippi State

Specialists

P: ^Mitch Wishnowsky, Utah

PK: *Cole Tracy, LSU

AP: Savon Scarver, Utah State

In case anyone didn’t notice, Oklahoma and Clemson received numerous All-America selections. Notre Dame? Not so many.