Athlon projects the AAC's best for 2015.
The American Athletic Conference should have a contender (or two) for the top spot among Group of 5 leagues for the right to play in one of college football’s top bowl games. And this league has added stability with the addition of Navy, giving the conference two six-team divisions and a conference championship in 2015.
The 2015 college football season is still a few months away, but it’s never too early to project what could happen this year.
Athlon Sports released its full predictions for the American Athletic Conference last week. Now, it’s time to take a look at the best of the best and honor the top players in the league with a release of first, second, third and fourth all-conference teams for 2015.
An important note on the all-conference teams: These are based on how players will perform in 2015. Career statistics and awards matter in the evaluation, but choosing players for the 2015 all-conference team is largely based on predicting and projecting the best for the upcoming year.
Related: 2015 American Athletic Predictions, Preview and Awards
American Athletic Conference 2015 Team Previews
| East Division | ||||||
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| National Rank: |
40 | 109 | 72 | 99 | 62 | 63 |
| West Division | ||||||
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| National Rank: |
50 | 59 | 54 | 102 | 104 | 106 |
Visit the Athlon Sports Online Store to order a copy of the 2015 National College Football Preview Magazine, which features in-depth analysis and previews for all 128 teams, predictions, rankings and features to prepare for the upcoming year.
Athlon's American Athletic All-Conference Team for 2015
| First-Team Offense |
Second-Team Offense |
Third-Team Offense |
Fourth-Team Offense |
|
| QB |
Gunner Kiel Cincinnati
|
Keenan Reynolds Navy
|
Paxton Lynch Memphis
|
Greg Ward Houston
|
| RB |
Marlon Mack USF
|
William Stanback UCF
|
Sherman Badie Tulane
|
Chris Hairston East Carolina
|
| RB |
Kenneth Farrow Houston
|
Chris Swain |
Hosey Williams Cincinnati
|
Zaire Williams Temple
|
| AP |
Isaiah Jones (WR) East Carolina
|
Keyarris Garrett (WR) Tulsa
|
Mike Boone (RB) Cincinnati
|
Rodney Adams (WR) USF
|
| WR |
Keevan Lucas Tulsa
|
Shaq Washington Cincinnati
|
Darius Joseph SMU
|
Chris Moore Cincinnati
|
| WR |
Mekale McKay Cincinnati
|
Demarcus Ayers Houston
|
Mose Frazier Memphis
|
Jamir Tillman Navy
|
| TE |
Alan Cross Memphis
|
Bryce Williams East Carolina
|
Charles Jones Tulane
|
Colin Thompson Temple
|
| C |
Kyle Friend Temple
|
Deyshawn Bond Cincinnati
|
Taylor Lasecki SMU
|
Gabe Kuhn Memphis
|
| OG |
J.T. Boyd East Carolina
|
B. Gudmundsson USF
|
Joey Grant UCF
|
Thor Jozwiak USF
|
| OG |
E.K. Binns Navy
|
Quincy McKinney East Carolina
|
Chris Wallace Tulsa
|
Zach Johnson (OT) Houston
|
| OT |
Parker Ehinger Cincinnati
|
Garrett Stafford Tulsa
|
Alex Cooper Houston
|
Chavis Dickey UCF
|
| OT |
Ike Harris East Carolina
|
Taylor Fallin Memphis
|
Kris Weeks SMU
|
Arturo Uzdavinis Tulane
|
| First-Team Defense |
Second-Team Defense |
Third-Team Defense |
Fourth-Team Defense |
|
| DL |
Thomas Niles UCF
|
Derrick Alexander Tulsa
|
B.J. Singleton Houston
|
Terrell Stanley East Carolina
|
| DL |
Praise-Martin Oguike, Temple
|
Royce LaFrance Tulane
|
Derrick Calloway USF |
Zach Wood SMU
|
| DL |
Silverberry Mouhon Cincinnati
|
Bernard Sarra Navy
|
Derrick Luetjen Tulsa
|
Tanzel Smart Tulane
|
| DL |
Matt Ioannidis Temple
|
Jamiyus Pittman UCF
|
Will Anthony Navy
|
Julian Campenni UConn
|
| LB |
Tyler Matakevich Temple
|
Nico Marley Tulane |
Jackson Dillon Memphis
|
Jonathan Yenga SMU
|
| LB |
Zeek Bigger East Carolina
|
Graham Stewart UConn
|
Steven Taylor Houston
|
Marquise Vann UConn
|
| LB |
Nigel Harris USF
|
Montese Overton East Carolina
|
Craig Suits Tulsa
|
Nate D. Smith Temple
|
| CB |
William Jackson Houston
|
Parry Nickerson Tulane
|
Brendon Clements Navy
|
Sean Chandler Temple
|
| CB |
Josh Hawkins East Carolina
|
Tavon Young Temple
|
Jhavon Williams UConn
|
Alex Wells (S) Temple
|
| S |
Zach Edwards Cincinnati
|
Trevon Stewart Houston
|
Jamie Byrd USF
|
Andrew Adams UConn
|
| S |
Adrian McDonald Houston
|
Darion Monroe Tulane
|
Michael Mudoh Tulsa
|
Obi Melifonwu UConn
|
| First-Team Specialists |
Second-Team Specialists |
Third-Team Specialists |
Fourth-Team Specialists |
|
| K |
Jake Elliott Memphis
|
Andrew Gantz Cincinnati
|
Kyle Bullard Houston
|
Austin Grebe Navy
|
| P |
Mattias Ciabatti USF |
Dalton Parks Tulsa
|
Worth Gregory East Carolina
|
Spencer Smith Memphis
|
| KR |
Deion Sanders Jr. SMU
|
D'Angelo Brewer Tulsa
|
Johnny Holton Cincinnati
|
Jordan Akins UCF
|
| PR |
Trevon Brown East Carolina
|
Shaq Washington Cincinnati
|
Hassan Childs USF
|
Conner Floyd Tulsa
|
2015 American Athletic Conference Predictions, Preview and Season Awards
Breakdown of Athlon's 2015 American Athletic All-Conference Team
| First | Second | Third | Fourth | |
|
Cincinnati
|
Offense: 3 Defense: 2 Sp. Teams: 0 |
Offense: 2 Defense: 0 Sp. Teams: 2 |
Offense: 2 Defense: 0 Sp. Teams: 1 |
Offense: 1 Defense: 0 Sp. Teams: 0 |
|
Connecticut
|
Offense: 0 Defense: 0 Sp. Teams: 0 |
Offense: 0 Defense: 1 Sp. Teams: 0 |
Offense: 0 Defense: 1 Sp. Teams: 0 |
Offense: 0 Defense: 4 Sp. Teams: 0 |
|
East Carolina
|
Offense: 3 Defense: 2 Sp. Teams: 1 |
Offense: 2 Defense: 1 Sp. Teams: 0 |
Offense: 0 Defense: 0 Sp. Teams: 1 |
Offense: 1 Defense: 1 Sp. Teams: 0 |
|
Houston
|
Offense: 1 Defense: 2 Sp. Teams: 0 |
Offense: 1 Defense: 1 Sp. Teams: 0 |
Offense: 1 Defense: 2 Sp. Teams: 1 |
Offense: 2 Defense: 0 Sp. Teams: 0 |
|
Memphis
|
Offense: 1 Defense: 0 Sp. Teams: 1 |
Offense: 1 Defense: 0 Sp. Teams: 0 |
Offense: 2 Defense: 1 Sp. Teams: 0 |
Offense: 1 Defense: 0 Sp. Teams: 1 |
|
Navy
|
Offense: 1 Defense: 0 Sp. Teams: 0 |
Offense: 2 Defense: 1 Sp. Teams: 0 |
Offense: 0 Defense: 2 Sp. Teams: 0 |
Offense: 1 Defense: 0 Sp. Teams: 1 |
|
SMU
|
Offense: 0 Defense: 0 Sp. Teams: 1 |
Offense: 0 Defense: 0 Sp. Teams: 0 |
Offense: 3 Defense: 0 Sp. Teams: 0 |
Offense: 0 Defense: 2 Sp. Teams: 0 |
|
South Florida
|
Offense: 1 Defense: 1 Sp. Teams: 1 |
Offense: 1 Defense: 0 Sp. Teams: 0 |
Offense: 0 Defense: 2 Sp. Teams: 1 |
Offense: 2 Defense: 0 Sp. Teams: 0 |
|
Temple
|
Offense: 1 Defense: 3 Sp. Teams: 0 |
Offense: 0 Defense: 1 Sp. Teams: 0 |
Offense: 0 Defense: 0 Sp. Teams: 0 |
Offense: 2 Defense: 3 Sp. Teams: 0 |
|
Tulane
|
Offense: 0 Defense: 0 Sp. Teams: 0 |
Offense: 0 Defense: 4 Sp. Teams: 0 |
Offense: 2 Defense: 0 Sp. Teams: 0 |
Offense: 1 Defense: 1 Sp. Teams: 0 |
|
Tulsa
|
Offense: 1 Defense: 0 Sp. Teams: 0 |
Offense: 2 Defense: 1 Sp. Teams: 2 |
Offense: 1 Defense: 3 Sp. Teams: 0 |
Offense: 0 Defense: 0 Sp. Teams: 1 |
|
UCF
|
Offense: 0 Defense: 1 Sp. Teams: 0 |
Offense: 1 Defense: 1 Sp. Teams: 0 |
Offense: 1 Defense: 0 Sp. Teams: 0 |
Offense: 1 Defense: 0 Sp. Teams: 1 |
