Athlon honors the top freshmen of 2016.
Every college football season is a new opportunity for the true or redshirt freshmen players on 128 FBS teams to make a statement. While each year always produces a handful of freshmen standouts, it seems more first-year players are making an impact at a high level. The 2016 season produced plenty of standouts in the freshmen ranks, including quarterbacks Jalen Hurts (Alabama), Deondre Francois (Florida State) and Sam Darnold (USC). The impressive freshman class continues at running back with Ohio State's Mike Weber and Texas A&M's Trayveon Williams. Additionally, there's a strong group of linemen in the freshmen ranks, including Alabama's Jonah Williams and Oregon's Jake Hanson. On defense, Houston's Ed Oliver headlines the first-team unit, while Clemson's Dexter Lawrence and Ohio State's Nick Bosa are two other rising stars to watch over the next couple of seasons.
Compiling the all-freshman team at the end of the regular season is no easy task. Several worthy players missed the cut, as we tried to combine stats, competition level talent and playing time to piece together the all-freshman teams for 2016. Additionally, we also used some position flexibility to award some of the best players instead of sticking with a true positional alignment.
2016 All-Freshman Teams by Conference
ACC | Big 12 | Big Ten | Pac-12 | SEC
2016 All-Conference Teams
ACC | Big 12 | Big Ten | Pac-12 | SEC | All-America
College Football's 2016 Postseason All-Freshman Team
|
First-Team Offense |
Second-Team Offense |
Third-Team Offense |
Fourth-Team Offense |
|
| QB |
Jalen Hurts Alabama |
Sam Darnold USC |
Deondre Francois Florida State |
Shane Buechele Texas |
| RB |
Mike Weber Ohio State |
Justice Hill Oklahoma State |
Devin Singletary FAU |
Devwah Whaley Arkansas |
| RB |
Trayveon Williams Texas A&M |
Benny Snell Kentucky |
Damarea Crockett Missouri |
Chris Evans Michigan |
| AP |
N'Keal Harry (WR) Arizona State |
Bryan Edwards (WR) South Carolina |
Van Jefferson (WR) Ole Miss |
James Williams (RB) Washington State |
| WR |
Ahmmon Richards Miami |
Deshaunte Jones Iowa State |
James Proche SMU |
Donnie Corley Michigan State |
| WR |
Demetris Robertson California |
Dimetrios Mason Missouri |
Kevin Stepherson Notre Dame |
Ty Lee MTSU |
| TE |
Isaac Nauta Georgia |
Daniel Imatorbhebhe USC |
JJ Arcega- Whiteside (WR) Stanford |
Nigel Kilby Eastern Michigan |
| C |
Jake Hanson Oregon |
Erik McCoy Texas A&M |
Nate Herbig (OL) Stanford |
Dedrick Mills (RB) Georgia Tech |
| OL |
Bobby Evans Oklahoma |
Coy Cronk Indiana |
Michael Jordan Ohio State |
Kennedy McKoy (RB) West Virginia |
| OL |
Ryan Bates Penn State |
Tim Lynott Colorado |
Colton McKivitz West Virginia |
Vic Johnson App. State |
| OL |
Gus Lavaka Oregon State |
Marcus Keyes Oklahoma State |
Jawaan Taylor Florida |
Jon Dietzen Wisconsin |
| OL |
Jonah Williams Alabama |
Ben Bredeson Michigan |
Parker Braun Georgia Tech |
Scott Frantz Kansas State |
|
First-Team Defense |
Second-Team Defense |
Third-Team Defense |
Fourth-Team Defense |
|
| DL |
Ed Oliver Houston |
Malcolm Roach Texas |
Anthony Nelson Iowa |
Joe Dillon UL Lafayette |
| DL |
Dexter Lawrence Clemson |
Dre'Mont Jones Ohio State |
Benito Jones Ole Miss |
Jabari Zuniga Florida |
| DL |
Reggie Walker Kansas State |
Joe Jackson Miami |
Clelin Ferrell Clemson |
McTelvin Agim Arkansas |
| DL |
Nick Bosa Ohio State |
Brian Burns Florida State |
Marlon Davidson Auburn |
Rashan Gary Michigan |
| LB |
Troy Dye Oregon |
Bryan London Texas State |
Logan Wilson Wyoming |
Kevin Givens (DL) Penn State |
| LB |
Joe Giles- Harris Duke |
Josiah Tauaefa UTSA |
David Reese Florida |
Michael Pinckney Miami |
| LB |
Shaq Quarterman Miami |
Leo Lewis Miss. State |
Markus Bailey Purdue |
Jordyn Brooks Texas Tech |
| DB |
Xavier Crawford Oregon State |
Marcelino Ball Indiana |
Patrick Nelson Illinois |
Alohi Gilman Navy |
| DB |
Clifton Duck App. State |
Javaris Davis Auburn |
Antoine Winfield Minnesota |
Justin Tranquill W. Michigan |
| DB |
Taylor Rapp Washington |
Mike Lee Kansas |
Julian Love Notre Dame |
Ben DeLuca Charlotte |
| DB |
Jessie Bates Wake Forest |
Jaylon Jones Ole Miss Brenden Schooler Oregon |
Myles Hartsfield Ole Miss |
Trae Williams Northwestern |
|
First-Team Specialists |
Second-Team Specialists |
Third-Team Specialists |
Fourth-Team Specialists |
|
| K |
Louie Zervos Ohio |
Rodrigo Blankenship Georgia |
Butch Hampton W. Michigan |
Ricky Aguayo Florida State |
| P |
Sterling Hofrichter Syracuse |
Blake Gillikin Penn State |
Josh Growden LSU |
Dom Maggio Wake Forest |
| KR |
Tony Pollard Memphis |
Kene Nwangwu Iowa State |
Adrian Killins UCF |
Jabir Frye Troy |
| PR |
Austin Conway Wyoming |
Johnathon Johnson Missouri |
Keidrien Wadley Tulsa |
Tony Nicholson Baylor |
