ESPN’s 2023 All-America team: Marvin Harrison Jr., Jayden Daniels and more
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Chris Low, ESPN Senior Writer
In a season with very little controversy, there won’t be any with ESPN’s 2023 All-America team either (note the sarcasm).
Controversy and college football are synonymous, not to mention conspiracy theories, all of which make the sport so much fun and so entertaining. It’s never dull.
There were some difficult choices on our All-America team, particularly at receiver. There was also no shortage of sensational quarterback play this season.
Only five players made all three of our All-America teams (preseason, midseason and postseason) in 2023: Georgia tight end Brock Bowers, Georgia center Sedrick Van Pran, Kansas State offensive guard Cooper Beebe, Alabama outside linebacker Dallas Turner and Georgia safety Malaki Starks.
Notre Dame offensive tackle Joe Alt, Ohio State receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., Beebe, Bowers and Van Pran were all repeat selections from a year ago.
OFFENSE
Daniels went from being an upper-tier quarterback in the SEC a year ago to the Heisman Trophy winner this season, LSU’s second Heisman winner in the last five years (Joe Burrow, 2019). In his fifth college season, Daniels was nothing short of spectacular in a record-setting campaign that saw him pass for 3,812 yards, rush for 1,134 yards and account for 50 touchdowns.
Second team: Michael Penix, Jr., Washington
From Truman State to a walk-on at Missouri, Schrader has exemplified what it means to bet on yourself and never give up on your dreams. He leads all FBS players with an average of 124.9 rushing yards per game. His 1,499 rushing yards are 433 more than the closest SEC running back, and he became only the 10th FBS player ever to rush for 200 yards and have 100 receiving yards in the same game this season against Tennessee.
Second team: Omarion Hampton, North Carolina
There were wild ups and downs this season for Oklahoma State, but the Cowboys managed to make it to the Big 12 championship game with Gordon leading the way. He carried the ball just 19 times in his first three games, but took off after that to pile up an FBS-leading 1,614 rushing yards and finish second with 20 rushing touchdowns. The 6-ffot-1, 211-pound sophomore leads all Power 5 players with 1,940 all-purpose yards.
Second team: Audric Estime, Notre Dame
There was some concern in Columbus after Harrison sprained his ankle in a Sept. 23 win over Notre Dame, but he quickly returned to form to repeat as an ESPN All-American. One of four finalists for the Heisman Trophy, Harrison averaged 18.1 yards per catch, which leads all FBS players with more than 60 receptions, and he’s tied for second nationally with 14 touchdown catches to go along with a rushing touchdown.
Second team: Malik Washington, Virginia
Nabers had an incredible 34 catches of 20 yards or longer and 17 of 30 yards or longer. He and Daniels formed the most explosive pass-catch combo in the country. Nabers leads the FBS with an average of 128.8 receiving yards per game and is tied for second with 14 touchdown catches. (The only player with more is teammate Brian Thomas Jr. with 15.) Nabers was Pro Football Focus’ highest graded receiver (93.0).
Second team: Rome Odunze, Washington
It’s easy to make a case that Bowers, when healthy, is the best player in the country. But even after undergoing ankle surgery and not being 100 percent when he returned, Bowers was still the nation’s best tight end. He catches everything, runs great routes, picks up yards after the catch and blocks like an offensive lineman. Bowers leads all FBS tight ends with an average of 71.4 receiving yards per game and is tied for the lead with six touchdown catches, all in just 10 games.
Second team: Dallin Holker, Colorado State
Alt is a two-time ESPN All-American and has been a fixture for the Irish at left tackle since the early stages of his freshman season. The 6-8, 322-pound junior has made 33 consecutive starts and is incredibly agile for a guy his size. He started out as a tight end. Alt has given up just one sack and four quarterback pressures in 368 pass-blocking assignments this season, according to Pro Football Focus.
Second team: JC Latham, Alabama
Beebe joins Alt as a two-time All-American on our offensive line and has been a staple on Kansas State’s line since his freshman season. The 6-4, 335-pound senior has played right tackle and left tackle, but settled in at left guard the last two seasons. A career 47-game starter, Beebe has allowed just one sack in his last 1,224 pass-blocking snaps, dating to the start of his sophomore season, according to Pro Football Focus.
Second team: Tanner Miller, Oregon State
The winner of the Jacobs Award this season as the SEC’s top blocker, Van Pran has started the last 43 games at center for Georgia, with the Bulldogs going 41-2 in that span. Georgia weathered some injuries in its offensive line this season, but continued to play at an elite level. Van Pran’s toughness, experience and leadership were a driving force in the Dawgs ranking in the top 10 nationally in scoring and total offense.
Honorable mention: Jackson Powers-Johnson, Oregon
Zinter has been the heartbeat of the Michigan offensive line for the past three seasons, which made it especially difficult for everyone in maize and blue to see him go down in the Ohio State game with a broken tibia and fibula. A team captain, the 6-6, 322-pound Zinter was equally effective in pass protection and run blocking and has appeared in 45 games with 42 starts, all but one at right guard.
Second team: Christian Haynes, UConn
The right side of the Oregon State offensive line featured the imposing tandem of Fuaga at tackle and Tanner Miller at guard. The 6-6, 334-pound Fuaga took another huge step in his second full season as a starter and established himself as one of the premier run-blocking tackles in college football. He received the second-highest grade among FBS tackles this season by Pro Football Focus.
Second team: Patrick Paul, Houston
Jeanty followed up a big season with a big announcement — he plans to return to Boise State next season. The 5-9, 210-pound running back led the FBS in scrimmage yards per game at 164.9 in helping the Broncos win the Mountain West championship. Jeanty was the only player in the country with more than 1,200 rushing yards (1,262) and more than 500 receiving yards (552). A true sophomore, Jeanty accounted for 19 touchdowns, 14 rushing and five receiving.
Second team: Ismail Mahdi, Texas State
DEFENSE
What a journey it’s been for Latu. He had to medically retire from football after missing the 2020 and 2021 seasons with a neck injury while at Washington. But he’s been a defensive dynamo at UCLA and won the Lombardi Award this season as the best lineman in the country. Latu was the ultimate game-changer on defense. He leads all FBS players with 21.5 tackles for loss, including 13 sacks. He also has two interceptions and two forced fumbles.
Second team: Jared Verse, Florida State
Good luck in getting any push on the 6-4, 362-pound Sweat, who almost always is the one doing the pushing regardless of how many guys are trying to block him. Sweat is the anchor of a Texas defense ranked fourth nationally against the run (allowing just 80.1 yards per game). He’s extremely quick for a player his size and has eight tackles for loss and four pass breakups at the line of scrimmage.
Second team: Howard Cross III, Notre Dame
The 6-2, 295-pound Newton could have turned pro a year ago, but returned to Illinois and was ever better his senior season. He was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and had a tackle for loss in seven of 12 games. Newton leads Illinois with 7.5 sacks and nine quarterback hurries. He also blocked four kicks and tied for the Power 5 lead with 32 tackles that constituted a “failure” for the offense, according to Pro Football Focus.
Second team: Byron Murphy II, Texas
Turner was named the SEC’s Defensive Player of the Year by the league’s coaches, the fourth straight year an Alabama player has won the award. The 6-4, 252-pound junior spearheaded a defense that held opponents to 24 or fewer points 10 times during the Tide’s 11-game winning streak. Turner leads Alabama with 13.5 tackles for loss, including nine sacks, and has 13 quarterback pressures.
Second team: Jalen Green, James Madison
Each of Trotter’s past two seasons have been ultra productive, and now he’s off to the NFL after leading Clemson in total tackles (88), tackles for loss (15) and sacks (5.5) in 2023. One of three finalists for the Butkus Award as the top linebacker in the nation, the 6-foot, 230-pound Trotter is more than just a tackling machine. He broke up six passes and also had two interceptions, one of which he returned for a touchdown.
Second team: Nathaniel Watson, Mississippi State
The Aggies’ senior middle linebacker was never far from the ball this season with his combination of speed, athleticism and power. He ranks among the Power 5 leaders with 17 tackles for loss, including eight sacks, and also has 10 quarterback hurries and two forced fumbles. But what separates him is his pass coverage ability. He has the third-highest coverage grade among linebackers, according to Pro Football Focus.
Second team: Jason Henderson, Old Dominion
What didn’t Wilson do for the Wolfpack on defense this season? On his way to winning the Butkus Award as the nation’s top linebacker, Wilson racked up 138 total tackles, including 17.5 for loss (ranking in the top six nationally in both categories), and also broke up 10 passes, recovered two fumbles, forced a fumble and had three interceptions, returning one for a touchdown.
Second team: Jay Higgins, Iowa
The two-time Michigan captain made enough impactful plays for the Wolverines to last a lifetime. Sainristil switched from receiver to nickel cornerback last season and was then forced to move to outside cornerback in the Ohio State game this season. He just kept producing wherever he lined up. He forced two turnovers in the Big Ten championship game and leads the Wolverines with five interceptions, two of which he returned for touchdowns.
Second team: Kool-Aid McKinstry, Alabama
When Nick Saban has big-time cornerbacks on both sides of the field, that’s good news for Alabama and bad news for everybody else. Arnold teams with Kool-Aid McKinstry to give the Crimson Tide one of the best cornerback duos in the country. Arnold leads Alabama with five interceptions and 11 pass breakups, and his 6.5 tackles for loss lead all Tide defensive backs.
Second team: Cooper DeJean, Iowa
That Starks walked out of high school and into Georgia’s starting defensive backfield indicates how talented he is. The 6-1, 205-pound sophomore has started 27 games in two seasons. He’s fourth in total tackles this season for the Dawgs (51) and has two interceptions to go along with seven pass breakups. Starks played his best football in Georgia’s biggest games.
Second team: Tyler Nubin, Minnesota
Watts came to Notre Dame as a receiver and didn’t become a full-time starter at safety until this season. The 6-foot, 204-pound senior blossomed into one of the best defenders in college football in winning the Bronko Nagurski Award, which is given annually to the top defensive player in the country. Watts leads the nation with seven interceptions and is tied for fourth on Notre Dame with 47 total tackles.
Second team: Trey Taylor, Air Force
SPECIAL TEAMS
Nicholson booted three field goals in Miami’s 23-14 upset of Toledo in the MAC championship game and made at least one field goal in all 13 games this season. The junior from Cincinnati had connected on 25 straight field-goal attempts before missing a 48-yarder in the MAC title game. It was his only miss of the season. Nicholson was 10-of-11 from 40-plus yards, with a long of 52 yards.
Second team: Jose Pizano, UNLV
Taylor’s 86 punts lead the nation, and he’s third nationally with an average of 47.9 yards. His ability to flip field position, despite Iowa’s struggles on offense, was a big reason the Hawkeyes were able to win 10 games and get to the Big Ten championship game. Taylor leads the country with 32 punts downed inside the 20-yard line, and Iowa is third nationally in net punting at 43.6 yards per game.
Second team: Ryan Rehkow, BYU
While USC’s season was a disappointment, one of the Trojans’ newer faces provided hope for the future. Branch, a true freshman receiver, returned both a kickoff and punt for touchdowns. He is averaging 20.6 yards on 15 punt returns and has three returns of 60 yards or longer. As a receiver, Branch has 29 catches, two for touchdowns.
Second team: Jayden Harrison, Marshall
While fans in Edmonton and Dallas are always singing about how they have friends in low places, only one of them has the high ground in the Western Conference finals. And that’s the Oilers after their 6-1 win Sunday in Game 3 to take a 2-1 series lead.
With the series tied heading into Sunday, the objective for Game 3 was to gain a firm grasp of the conference finals, and the Oilers did just that by having five players with multipoint performances. As for the Stars, losing Game 3 left them trailing a series for the second time this postseason, with the only other such occurrence coming after Game 1 against the Colorado Avalanche in the first round.
Now that the Oilers are in control of the series, what does it mean for them going forward? What must the Stars do differently ahead of Game 4 for them to return home tied rather than a game away from elimination? Ryan S. Clark and Greg Wyshynski examine those questions while delving into what lies ahead for two teams that not only faced each other in the conference finals last season but between them have been involved in every conference final since 2020.
Edmonton Oilers
Grade: A
Much could change between now and whenever the playoffs end. But for now, the argument could be made that this was the most important playoff game the Oilers have had this postseason.
The Oilers have had numerous strong performances, such as Game 3 against the Los Angeles Kings in the first round or their final two games against the Vegas Golden Knights in the conference semifinals. But what made the Oilers’ performance in Game 3 against Dallas arguably their most important was that they found a balance between being difficult in the defensive zone while not relying on a shutout to accomplish that objective.
The Stars finished with 37 shots, 13 high-danger chances in 5-on-5 play and scored only once. Connor McDavid has repeatedly stressed that the Oilers can play defense, and that has been made clear over their past five games. But Sunday proved they didn’t need Stuart Skinner or their defensive structure to blank an opponent to win. — Ryan S. Clark
Dallas Stars
Grade: C+
The final score doesn’t reflect the majority of this game, which Dallas coach Pete DeBoer can mine for positives among the many (many) negatives and some mitigating circumstances. Having Roope Hintz warm up but not be able to go because of the foot injury he suffered from a Darnell Nurse slash in Game 2? That’s deflating. Having the on-ice officials miss a delay of game call on Brett Kulak in the first period only to have Evan Bouchard open the scoring 10 seconds later? Also deflating.
So it’s to the Stars’ credit that they got to their game at 5-on-5 in Game 3 better than they have in any game of the series, at least before Edmonton ran up the score in the third. The results weren’t there and a loss is a loss — and a loss by this margin is difficult to stomach — but their second period and the performances from some of their slumbering depth players give the Stars at least a glimmer.
However, there’s no question Edmonton has this thing in well in-hand and the Stars have to find a way to solve Skinner, which is not something I thought I’d be writing at this stage of the postseason. — Greg Wyshynski
Three Stars of Game 3
Two goals and an assist for his seventh career multigoal playoff game. Hyman’s second goal was the Oilers’ fourth off the rush, the most in one game by any team this postseason. Hyman also was plus-5 Sunday.
Bouchard scored his sixth goal of the postseason and these two were on the ice for the first two Edmonton goals. At 5-on-5 this postseason, the Oilers are outscoring their opponents 7-1, and 5-0 in this series, when Bouchard and Kulak are on the ice.
0:48
Connor McDavid restores Oilers’ 2-goal lead
Connor McDavid finds the back of the net to restore the Oilers’ two-goal lead vs. the Stars.
3. Connor McDavid
C, Oilers
For all the talk about the lack of goals from the best hockey player in the world (which was odd because he had 20 points in 13 games and was a plus-7 entering Game 3 despite having only three goals), McDavid punched out a pair of tucks for his sixth career multigoal playoff game. Also, seeing McDavid with the puck barreling toward the net on a 3-on-1 is nightmare fuel for opponents. — Arda Ćcal
Players to watch in Game 4
Zach Hyman
LW, Oilers
To go from 16 goals last postseason to just three goals entering Game 3 of the conference finals is one way to assess Hyman. Another is to realize that he’s been the most physical player on a team that is among the tallest and heaviest in the NHL.
Hyman came into Game 3 leading the NHL with 99 hits. He remained physical Sunday by leading the way with six hits in a game that saw the Oilers continue their punishing style with 47. But to then see Hyman score two goals and finish with three points in addition to that physicality? It once again adds to the narrative that the Oilers might not only have more dimensions than last year’s team, they could be better than the team that finished Stanley Cup runner-up in 2024. — Clark
0:53
Zach Hyman’s 2nd goal puts Oilers up 4
Zach Hyman taps home his second goal of the game to put the Oilers up 5-1 vs. the Stars.
This is the first two-game losing streak for the Dallas goaltender in the playoffs. A lot of what happened in Game 3 wasn’t necessarily on him — a Connor McDavid beauty and a Zach Hyman breakaway were among the Edmonton tallies — but outside of the third period of Game 1, he’s not been a difference-maker in this series. Oettinger came into the game leading the playoffs with 5.58 goals saved above expected, according to Stathletes. The Stars have been able to depend on him as a slump-breaker. But this is his third game with a save percentage south of .900 in the series. As the Stars try to build on some positives from this game, they need Otter to provide the foundation for it — and in the process, silence those “U.S. backup!” chants from the Oilers fans. — Wyshynski
Big questions for Game 4
Are the Oilers about to do to the Stars what they did to the Golden Knights?
Simply put, the Oilers are where hope goes to die. Teams in a championship window that have yet to win a title are always being judged on their evolution. What the Oilers did to the Stars a year ago in the conference finals by winning the last three games showed that they could close out a series after trailing. This postseason Edmonton has shown a calculated and methodical coldness when it comes to putting away opponents.
The Golden Knights won Game 3 on a last-second goal to create the belief they may have found an opening. They didn’t score again for the rest of the playoffs after being in the top five of goals per game throughout the regular season. Breaking out for six goals to open the series seemed to be a sign the Stars may have found an opening. Since then? They’ve scored only once in the last six periods while facing questions about what’s happened to another team that went from being in the top five in goals per game in the regular season. — Clark
Can Dallas make Edmonton uncomfortable at all?
Our colleague Mark Messier made this point between periods of Game 3: The Stars have yet to do anything to get McDavid or Leon Draisaitl off their games. That extends to the rest of the Oilers. Outside of an anomalous run of three power-play goals in the third period of Game 1, there have been precious few instances of the Stars carrying play for long stretches or putting a scare into Edmonton at 5-on-5.
They had that for a bit in Game 3 with a dominant second period: plus-14 in shot attempts, plus-11 in scoring chances and a 10-1 advantage in high-danger shot attempts. But they were digging out of a 2-0 hole, only managed to get one goal of their own on the board and then McDavid stuck a dagger in them with 19 seconds left in the second.
The Stars need a lead. They need zone time. They need to get their rush game going: Skinner had a .897 save percentage on shots off the rush entering the game. Edmonton is playing with a champion’s confidence. Dallas has to find a way to inject a little doubt into its opponent or this series is going to end quickly. — Wyshynski
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