Athlon makes its picks for All-America honors.
With the completion of college football’s 2016 regular season, it’s time to take a look back and honor the best of the best and top performers for the All-America team. Whether it was on offense, defense or special teams, there was no shortage of clutch performances by players at every position. The SEC led the way with 25 overall selections, with the Pac-12 and ACC tying for second at 19 picks. The Big Ten was just behind at 18, while the Big 12 recorded 10 selections. Conference USA (six selections) was the top Group of 5 conference on the Athlon Sports' All-America team.
The bowl season kicks off on Dec. 17 and continues until the national championship on Jan. 9 in Tampa, Fla. While the teams are preparing for their final contests of the season, it’s time to unveil Athlon Sports’ first, second, third and fourth-team All-Americans.
As usual, it’s never easy assembling three All-America teams. There are plenty of standout performers that won’t make the cut, but we tried to blend talent, production and consistency to form the top three teams.
2016 Conference Awards
ACC | Big 12 | Big Ten | Pac-12 | SEC
Athlon Sports 2016 All-America Team
|
First-Team Offense |
Second-Team Offense |
Third-Team Offense |
Fourth-Team Offense |
|
| QB |
Lamar Jackson Louisville |
Deshaun Watson Clemson |
Baker Mayfield Oklahoma |
Jake Browning Washington |
| RB |
Dalvin Cook Florida State |
Christian McCaffrey Stanford |
Penn State |
Aaron Jones UTEP |
| RB |
D'Onta Foreman Texas |
Donnel Pumphrey San Diego State |
Jeremy McNichols Boise State |
Brian Hill Wyoming |
| AP |
Curtis Samuel Ohio State |
Joe Mixon Oklahoma |
James Washington (WR) Oklahoma State |
Richie James (AP) MTSU |
| WR |
Dede Westbrook Oklahoma |
Zay Jones East Carolina |
Austin Carr Northwestern |
Taywan Taylor WKU |
| WR |
Corey Davis Western Michigan |
John Ross Washington |
Mike Williams Clemson |
Amba Etta-Tawo Syracuse |
| TE |
Evan Engram Ole Miss |
Jake Butt Michigan |
Jordan Leggett Clemson |
Michael Roberts Toledo |
| C |
Pat Elflein Ohio State |
Tyler Orlosky West Virginia |
Frank Ragnow Arkansas |
Garret Bolles (OL) Utah |
| OL |
Cam Robinson Alabama |
Dan Feeney Indiana |
Billy Price Ohio State |
Forrest Lamp WKU |
| OL |
Connor Williams Texas |
Zach Banner USC |
Quenton Nelson Notre Dame |
Jon Toth Kentucky |
| OL |
Cody O'Connell Washington State |
Ethan Pocic LSU |
Nico Siragusa San Diego State |
Will Hernandez UTEP |
| OL |
Ryan Ramczyk Wisconsin |
Dorian Johnson Pitt |
Braden Smith Auburn |
Roderick Johnson Florida State |
|
First-Team Defense |
Second-Team Defense |
Third-Team Defense |
Fourth-Team Defense |
|
| DL |
Derek Barnett Tennessee |
Myles Garrett Texas A&M |
Arden Key LSU |
Carl Lawson Auburn |
| DL |
Jonathan Allen Alabama |
Carlos Watkins Clemson |
Hunter Dimick Utah |
Jordan Willis Kansas State |
| DL |
DeMarcus Walker Florida State |
Ejuan Price Pitt |
Solomon Thomas Stanford |
Takkarist McKinley UCLA |
| DL |
Ed Oliver Houston |
Harold Landry Boston College |
Christian Wilkins Clemson |
Haason Reddick Temple |
| LB |
Reuben Foster Alabama |
T.J. Watt Wisconsin |
Ben Boulware Clemson |
Josey Jewell Iowa |
| LB |
Zach Cunningham Vanderbilt |
Tim Williams Alabama |
Kendell Beckwith LSU 
|
Jarrad Davis Florida |
| LB |
Jabrill Peppers Michigan |
Raekwon McMillan Ohio State |
Micah Kiser Virginia |
Marquel Lee Wake Forest |
| CB |
Jourdan Lewis Michigan |
Cordrea Tankersley Clemson |
Adoree' Jackson USC 
|
Tarvarus McFadden Florida State |
| CB |
Desmond King Iowa |
Tre'Davious White LSU |
Sidney Jones Washington |
Chidobe Awuzie Colorado |
| S |
Malik Hooker Ohio State |
Budda Baker Washington |
Jalen Tabor (CB) Florida |
Nathan Gerry Nebraska |
| S |
Jamal Adams LSU |
Minkah Fitzpatrick Alabama |
Rasul Douglas (CB) West Virginia |
Tedric Thompson Colorado |
|
First-Team Specialists |
Second-Team Specialists |
Third-Team Specialists |
Fourth-Team Specialists |
|
| K |
Zane Gonzalez Arizona State |
Daniel Carlson Auburn |
Eddy Pineiro Florida |
Younghoe Koo Georgia Southern |
| P |
Mitch Wishnowsky Utah |
JK Scott Alabama |
Michael Dickson Texas |
Johnny Townsend Florida |
| KR |
Quadree Henderson Pitt |
Adoree' Jackson USC |
Carlos Henderson Louisiana Tech |
Desmond King Iowa |
| PR |
Adoree' Jackson USC |
Jabrill Peppers Michigan |
Christian Kirk Texas A&M |
Dante Pettis Washington |
