2018 College Football All-America Team: Offense

With the regular season complete and the 2018-19 bowl season underway, it’s the right time to talk College Football All-America teams and awards.

Besides, it has been weeks since the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) had its deadline to submit votes for its 2018 All-America team.

As a long time member of the FWAA, I’m fortunate and honored to get to vote for a number of College Football awards, including its All-America team, which has been a fixture in the sport dating back to 1944.

Here are my selections for the offensive skill positions and offensive line, with some honorable mentions peppered into the mix. I also add some future freshmen who could land this award at some point down the road. For what it’s worth, keep in mind that these votes had to be in prior to championship weekend.

2018 College Football All-America Team: Offense

QB – Tua Tagovailoa (Alabama)

At the deadline of the All-America vote, Tua was my choice. But Kyler Murray charged fast and statistically makes sense here, too. Still, the Alabama star QB was fantastic throughout the season. There were a number of games when he wasn’t even needed in the fourth quarter.

3,353 yards passing
37 passing TD’s (Tied-3rd in nation), 4 INT
202.30 rating (2nd in nation)
67.7% completion percentage

Honorable Mentions:

Kyler Murray (Oklahoma) – 205.72 rating, 40 TD, 4,053 yards
Will Grier (West Virginia) – 3,864 passing yards, 37 TD’s
Dwayne Haskins (Ohio State) – 4,580 passing yards, 47 TD’s

The Future (Freshmen):

Trevor Lawrence (Clemson) – 24 TD, 4 INT

RB – Jonathan Taylor (Wisconsin)

Once again, the Wisconsin offense thrived off the performance of Taylor and its offensive line. Sure, the Badgers could not match last year’s record, but Taylor was a beast. He led the nation in rushing yards (1,989) and rushing yards/game (165.75). The workhorse had 280 carries, third most in the country. His 15 rushing touchdowns are good for a tie for 12th. He was easily one of the most dominant offensive forces in football. Other than a 46-yard performance against Northwestern, Taylor had 100-yard games the rest of the way, including 185 against Penn State, four 200+ yard games and an astronomical 321 rushing yards at Purdue.

RB – Darrell Henderson (Memphis)

Henderson led the nation with 22 rushing touchdowns and is second to Jonathan Taylor with 1,909 rushing yards. His 146.85 rushing yards per game is also second to Taylor. In two games against Central Florida, Henderson had 47 carries for 409 yards and 4 TD’s.

Honorable Mentions:

Travis Etienne (Clemson) – 1,463 rushing yards, 21 TD’s
Trayveon Williams (Texas A&M) – 1,524 yards, 15 TD’s
Eno Benjamin (Arizona State) – 1,624 yards, 16 TD’s

The Future (Freshmen):

Kennedy Brooks (Oklahoma) – 9.04 ypc, 1,021 rushing yards
Lyn-J Dixon (Clemson) – 9.57 yards per carry best among all backs
Anthony McFarland (Maryland) – 1,034 rushing yards, 7.89 ypc

WR – Marquise Brown (Oklahoma)

Brown’s 1,318 receiving yards is good for 8th in the nation. Overall, his performance was key in pushing Oklahoma’s offensive-minded team to the College Football Playoff. His most notable performances include an 11 catch, 243 yard game against West Virginia in the conference championship and an 8 catch, 142 yard game against in-state rival Oklahoma State.

WR – A.J. Brown (Mississippi)

It was only a five-win season for Ole Miss, but A.J. Brown was the highlight, finishing 7th in the nation in receiving yards (1,320). He is a future NFL receiver and had a number of notable performances this season. That includes six 100-yard games. His top performance (versus a marquee opponent) was a 10 catch, 155 yard game against Auburn. But there were a number of other solid performances, too.

Honorable Mentions:

Andy Isabella (UMass) – Nearly voted for him (1,698 yards 1st in nation – by a lot) – certainly deserving, but didn’t pull the trigger due to the UMass performance and schedule
Tyler Johnson (Minnesota) – 1,169 yards, 12 TD’s
Tylan Wallace (Oklahoma State) – 1,408 yards, 11 TD’s

The Future (Freshmen):

Rondale Moore (Purdue) – His 103 catches tops all receivers
Jaylen Waddle (Alabama) – 803 receiving yards, 7 TD’s

TE – Jace Sternberger (Texas A&M)

At the time of the voting, Sternberger and Caleb Wilson were closer together statistically. Still, the overall performance of Sternberger – playing in the elite SEC conference – is worthy of All-America consideration. Through 12 games, he managed 47 catches, 804 yards and ten touchdowns. That includes a monstrous 7 catch, 145 yard game at South Carolina on October 13th.

Honorable Mentions: