The 2023 college football season was always going to be memorable on several fronts.
It’s the last year of the Pac-12 as we know it, with Oregon, UCLA, USC and Washington jet-setting to the Big Ten next season. Oklahoma and Texas are making one last tour through the Big 12 before bolting to the SEC. The Big 12 took on a revamped look with four new teams, and this is the last year of the four-team playoff, with the format moving to 12 teams in 2024.
Additionally, Coach Prime has made a few waves in what is Colorado’s final season in the Pac-12.
With the second half of the season still to play, we unveil ESPN’s midseason All-America team. Only six players on the preseason team made the cut this time around.
OFFENSE
Penix is currently the favorite to win the Heisman Trophy and has already had his big-stage moment in rallying Washington to a thrilling 36-33 win over Oregon last Saturday. Penix, one of the many talented transfer quarterbacks around the country, is No. 1 nationally by a wide margin with an average of 383.5 passing yards per game and has thrown 20 touchdown passes and just three interceptions.
The Longhorns just keep churning out talented running backs, and Brooks is next in line. The 6-foot, 207-pound sophomore leads all Power 5 players with an average of 121 rushing yards per game and has rushed for more than 100 yards in each of his last four games. He’s averaging 6.72 yards per carry and is tied for fifth nationally with five runs of 30 yards or longer while ranking in the top three among Power 5 backs in yards after contact (463).
Even though he’s a bigger back (227 pounds), Estime is tied for sixth among Power 5 players with eight runs of 20 yards or longer. He’s rushed for more than 80 yards in six of his eight games while averaging 6.2 yards per rush and scoring nine touchdowns. And when the Irish need the tough yards, Estime has delivered. He leads all Power 5 backs with 532 yards after contact.
Nabers and teammate Brian Thomas Jr. have both been lighting it up this season and benefiting from quarterback Jayden Daniels playing the best football of his career. Nabers leads the nation with an average of 122.9 receiving yards per game and is third among Power 5 players with 52 catches. The 6-foot, 200-pound junior leads all FBS players with 19 catches of 20 yards or longer.
Keeping Burden at home was a coup for the Tigers, and he’s been everything he was supposed to be coming out of high school and then some. The sensational sophomore leads all Power 5 players with 56 catches and is as electric after the catch as he is making plays down the field. He leads Power 5 receivers with 489 yards after the catch and all FBS players in yards per route run, according to Pro Football Focus.
The news that Bowers could be out four to six weeks with an ankle injury was gut-wrenching for Georgia fans. Bowers is one of the best players in college football, period, and can do a little bit of everything wherever he lines up. He leads Georgia with 41 catches for 567 yards and has five touchdowns (four receptions, one rush).
The 6-6, 317-pound senior has been a rock at his left tackle position for the Nittany Lions. He hasn’t allowed a sack or pressure in pass protection and has been equally dominant as a run-blocker. Penn State was thrilled to get Fashanu back for another season, and he’s been an integral part of an offense that is tied for fifth nationally in scoring (44.3 points per game) and has scored at least 30 points in all six games.
Beebe has been one of the best and most consistent offensive linemen in college football for the past two seasons. He’s made 41 career starts (38 in a row) and is again the heart and soul of the Kansas State offense from his left guard position. The 6-4, 335-pound senior hasn’t given up a sack since the 2020 season and is the highest-graded Power 5 guard, according to Pro Football Focus.
What a luxury for Georgia to bring back the center who started every game during its two national championship seasons. Van Pran, a 6-4, 310-pound redshirt junior, is once again the centerpiece of an offensive line that has paved the way for the Dawgs to rank ninth nationally in scoring (40.1 points per game). Van Pran has played 446 snaps this season and has the second highest grade among centers, according to Pro Football Focus.
Michigan is seeking to win its third straight Joe Moore Award as the best offensive line in the country. The interior of that line is headlined by Zinter, a 6-6, 322-pound senior in his third season as the full-time starter at right guard. He’s made 36 career starts for the Wolverines. In 360 snaps this season, Zinter has allowed no sacks and just one hurry, according to Pro Football Focus.
The right side of the Oregon State offensive line has been dominant this season. The 6-6, 334-pound Fuaga is among the best run-blocking tackles in college football and teams with guard Tanner Miller on the right side to build a wall for the 6-1 Beavers. In his second season as a full-time starter, Fuaga has transformed from a second-team All-Pac 12 selection a year ago to one of the most imposing offensive linemen in the country.
Even though Boise State has struggled, Jeanty has been one of the most electric players in the country. The sophomore running back leads the nation with 1,264 yards from scrimmage (868 rushing and 396 receiving) and has scored an FBS-best 15 touchdowns. Get Jeanty the ball, and he makes things happen. He leads all FBS running backs with 598 yards after contact and is fourth in the country with 430 yards after the catch.
With Will Anderson Jr. off to the NFL, Turner has stepped up as Alabama’s top defender and is playing at an elite level. He’s been both consistent and productive in key situations. The 6-4, 242-pound junior is the team leader in sacks (seven), tackles for loss (9.5), quarterback hurries (10) and forced fumbles (two) on a defense ranked in the top 15 nationally in both scoring and total defense.
When he showed up on Ohio State’s campus, Williams weighed more than 350 pounds. He’s now in the best shape of his career and playing his best football. The 6-2, 290-pound junior is fifth on the Buckeyes in total tackles (27) and leads the team in tackles for loss (six), while ranking second in pass breakups (four). In other words, he’s a menace in the middle of an Ohio State defense that has given up just seven touchdowns in six games.
Cross is making the most of his first full season as a starter. He leads Notre Dame in both total tackles (42) and tackles for loss (five), and has forced two fumbles. His 26 pressures rank second among all interior defenders, while his 21 run stops on defense are tied for second, according to Pro Football Focus. Cross had a career-high 13 tackles in the Irish’s win over Duke.
It’s hard to believe Latu had to medically retire from football after missing the 2020 and 2021 seasons with a neck injury while at Washington. But getting clearance from doctors to play again has paid dividends for both him and UCLA. In his second season with the Bruins, Latu is again one of the more disruptive defenders in the country with 9 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks and 2 forced fumbles.
It hasn’t been a great season for the Wolfpack, but Wilson has been a tackling machine. He ranks second among Power 5 defenders with 81 total tackles. The sixth-year senior is a sure tackler in space from his outside linebacker spot, and he has great instincts. One of those guys who just seems to find the football, Wilson has four sacks to go along with an interception and two fumble recoveries.
The 6-3, 230-pound Cooper is in his fourth year in the program and was having a breakout season until he was injured last week in the first half against Tennessee and was unable to return. Few inside linebackers have been better, as Cooper leads all FBS players with 13.5 tackles for loss. He has the perfect blend of size and speed to make life miserable for both quarterbacks and running backs.
A year ago, Stutsman led the Big 12 in total tackles, and he’s taken his game to another level this season on an Oklahoma defense that has given up more than 20 points only once. Stutsman leads the Sooners with 10.5 tackles for loss. Most notably, he’s grown more comfortable in pass coverage and took an interception back 30 yards for a touchdown earlier this season.
Since the beginning of last season, DeJean has seven interceptions, including two this season. Nobody else in the FBS ranks has more during that span. The 6-1, 207-pound junior is also strong against the run and ranks fourth on the team with 33 total tackles. DeJean has played 309 snaps this season in coverage without giving up a touchdown, and he returned a punt for a touchdown against Michigan State.
Coming into the season, Kool-Aid McKinstry was the Alabama cornerback getting most of the publicity, but Arnold has emerged as one of the Tide’s best and most versatile defenders. He moved over to the hybrid “star” position last week against Arkansas with Malachi Moore out with an injury. A basketball star in high school, Arnold leads Alabama with four pass breakups and has four tackles for loss.
Starks was one of the best true freshmen in college football last season and has only gotten better as a sophomore. He’s third on the team with 25 total tackles to go along with two interceptions and four pass breakups. The 6-1, 205-pound Starks is the only safety in the country to rank in the top 15 for both coverage grade and run defense grade, according to Pro Football Focus.
Formerly a cornerback, Simpson has blossomed as a safety in Ron Roberts’ defense. The 6-1, 178-pound senior is second nationally among safeties with four interceptions and is fifth on Auburn with 20 total tackles. Simpson’s 90.3 coverage grade leads all safeties, according to Pro Football Focus, and he hasn’t allowed a touchdown in 160 coverage snaps.
The SEC’s all-time leader for career points with 486, Reichard is perfect on kicks this season. He’s made all 13 of his field-goal attempts, including six from 40-plus yards (with a long of 51 yards), and has also made all 21 of his extra-point attempts. Nick Saban said Reichard has probably been as good a player at his position as anybody Saban has coached at Alabama.
The Hawkeyes are sitting atop the Big Ten West standings, and Taylor may be the MVP on a team that has struggled offensively. The 26-year-old Aussie is tied for the FBS lead with 45 punts. Only one of those has gone for a touchback, and he’s fourth nationally with a 48.3-yard average, with 17 punts downed inside the 20. He punted 10 times in the Hawkeyes’ 15-6 win over Wisconsin and kept the Badgers in bad field position all game.
After missing two games with an injury, Branch returned to the lineup for USC’s 48-20 loss at Notre Dame. In his first four games, the true freshman receiver returned both a kickoff and a punt for touchdowns. He’s averaging more than 24 yards a return on both punts and kickoffs. Branch, who also has two receiving touchdowns this season, didn’t score against Notre Dame, but did have a 60-yard punt return.
Ichiro Suzuki became the first Japanese-born player to be elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, falling one vote shy of unanimous selection, and he’ll be joined in the Class of 2025 by starting pitcher CC Sabathia and closer Billy Wagner.
Suzuki, who got 393 of 394 votes in balloting of the Baseball Writers Association of America, would have joined Yankees great Mariano Rivera (2019) as the only unanimous selections. Instead, Suzuki’s 99.746% of the vote is second only to Derek Jeter’s 99.748% (396 of 397 ballots cast in 2020) as the highest plurality for a position player in Hall of Fame voting, per the BBWAA.
“There was a time when I didn’t even get a chance to play in the MLB,” Suzuki told MLB TV. “So what an honor it is to be for me to be here and be a Hall of Famer.”
Suzuki collected 2,542 of his 3,089 career hits as a member of the Seattle Mariners. Before that, he collected 1,278 hits in the Nippon Professional Baseball league in Japan, giving him more overall hits (4,367) than Pete Rose, MLB’s all-time leader.
Suzuki did not debut in MLB until he was 27 years old, but he exploded on the scene in 2001 by winning Rookie of the Year and MVP honors in his first season, leading Seattle to a record-tying 116 regular-season wins.
Suzuki and Sabathia finished first and second in 2001 voting for American League Rookie of the year and later were teammates for two seasons with the Yankees.
Sabathia, who won 251 career games, was also on the ballot for the first time. He was the 2007 AL Cy Young winner while with Cleveland and a six-time All-Star. His 3,093 career strikeouts make him one of 19 members of the 3,000-strikeout club. He was named on 86.8% of the ballots
Wagner’s 422 career saves — 225 of which came with the Houston Astros — are the eighth-most in big league history. His selection comes in his 10th and final appearance on the BBWAA ballot, earning 82.5% for the seven-time All-Star.
Just falling short in the balloting was outfielder Carlos Beltran, who was named on 70.3% of ballots, shy of the 75% threshold necessary for election.
Beltran won 1999 AL Rookie of the Year honors while with Kansas City. He went on to make nine All-Star teams and become one of five players in history with at least 400 homers and 300 stolen bases.
A key member and clubhouse leader of the controversial 2017 World Series champion Astros, whose legacy was tainted by a sign-stealing scandal, Beltran’s selection would have bode well for other members of that squad who will be under consideration in the years to come.
Also coming up short was 10-time Gold Glove outfielder Andruw Jones, who was named on 76.2% of the ballots. Jones saw an uptick from last year’s total (61.6%) and still has two more years of ballot eligibility remaining.
PED-associated players on the ballot didn’t make much headway in the balloting. Alex Rodriguez finished with 37.1%, while Manny Ramirez was at 34.3%.
The three BBWAA electees will join Dick Allen and Dave Parker, who were selected by the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee in December, in being honored at the induction ceremony on July 27 at the Clark Sports Center in Cooperstown, New York.
ATLANTA — The 2025 edition of the College Football Playoff National Championship game was not about vengeance. It wasn’t about proving people wrong. Nor was it about wadding up a scarlet and gray rag and stuffing it directly into the mouths of the chorale of outside noise.
Bless their hearts, that’s what the Ohio State football team and coaching staff kept telling us. That beating Notre Dame on Monday night and winning the school’s first national title in a decade wasn’t about any of that stuff.
But yeah, it totally was.
“We worked really hard to tune out the outside noise, truly,” confessed Ohio State quarterback Will Howard, words spoken on the field moments after having a national champions T-shirt pulled over his shoulders and punctuated by slaps to those shoulders from his current teammates as well as Buckeyes of days gone by. “But outside noise can also be a great way to bring a team together. You close the doors to the locker room to lock all that out, bunker down together and go to work. That’s what it did for us. I think anyone on this team will tell you that.”
Well, now they will. Finally.
The “it’s not about that” mantra was what the Buckeyes kept repeating, in unison, beginning way back in the summer weeks leading into a campaign when they were voted No. 2 in the nation in both preseason polls. Those expectations were earned in no small part because of a much-hyped offseason, powered by an NIL shopping spree worth $20 million, according to athletic director Ross Bjork, to lure transfers from around the nation.
We were told that, no, it wasn’t about those players justifying their decisions to change teams. Like Howard, who came to Ohio State from Kansas State, and running back Quinshon Judkins, who became a Buckeye after carrying the football at Ole Miss. Both are still viewed as traitors by many at the places they departed. But no, it was never about sending a message that they were right to pack up and move to Columbus.
Yeah, right.
“When people asked me why I left Ole Miss to come here, my answer was always the same: To go somewhere that I could win a national championship,” said Judkins, who scored three of Ohio State’s four touchdowns against the Fighting Irish. He grew up one state over from the site of the CFP title game, 270 miles away in Montgomery, Alabama. “Now, that championship has happened. And I’m not going to lie: To do it back here in the South, in Atlanta, in front of so many people who have known about me all the way back to high school, that makes it even more special.”
We were told that, no, it wasn’t about the all-star coaching staff, including offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, who once served as head coach with the Oregon Ducks, Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers and left the same gig at UCLA to take a demotion at Ohio State. In no way was this winter about proving that Kelly hadn’t lost the edge that once had him hailed as a mastermind of modern football offenses.
Um, OK.
“For me, it feels good to have fun again,” said Kelly, 61, flashing a face-splitter grin rarely seen during his NFL and UCLA tenures. Buckeyes coach Ryan Day, 45, is a Kelly protégé, having been coached by Kelly as a New Hampshire player. Kelly’s playcalling that has been a CFP bulldozer scored touchdowns on Ohio State’s first four drives. “I never forgot how to coach. But maybe I forgot how to have fun at the job.”
“I know this,” Kelly added, laughing. “It’s a lot more fun when you’re moving the football and winning.”
And, man, we were told so many times that in no way was this season or postseason about hitting a reset button on the perception of Day, in his sixth season as the leader of an Ohio State football program that is second to none when it comes to pride but also exceeded by none when it comes to pressure. Day dipped deep from that “Guys, it’s not about me” well on the evening of Nov. 30, after his fourth straight regular-season defeat at the hands of arch nemesis Michigan. When the Buckeyes were awarded an at-large berth in the newly expanded 12-team CFP, he once again implored to anyone who would listen that the narrative of his team’s postseason should be about its destiny rather than the future of the coach.
For a month of CFP games and days, all the way up until Monday’s kickoff, Day reminded us all that none of this was about him. Even though a security detail was assigned to his home in Columbus ever since the Michigan game. Even as the internet was aflame with posts about his job security and memes questioning his choice of beard dyes. Even as, in the days leading into the title game, his wife opened up to a Columbus TV station about the family’s dealings with death threats.
And even as, during the championship game itself, Ohio State’s seemingly insurmountable lead shrank from 31-7 midway through the third quarter to a scant eight points in the closing minutes.
But as the clock finally hit zeroes and the scoreboard read “Ohio State 34, Notre Dame 23” with OSU-colored confetti raining down over the Buckeyes’ heads, the story — as told by the team itself — was indeed suddenly about Day, and his staff, and his players, and their shared personification of the T-shirts and flags worn by so many of their supporters among the 77,660 in attendance: “OHIO AGAINST THE WORLD.”
Even if, for them, sometimes Ohio’s flagship football team found itself up against a not-insignificant percentage of Ohio itself, including the folks who refused to attend the CFP opener in Columbus because they were still mad about the Michigan defeat and no doubt will still consider this natty as having an asterisk because of that same loss.
Because for all of Day & Co.’s talk of this not being about revenge, the truth was revealed on their postgame faces. Their shared expressions of restraint, the ones we’d seen all fall, were instantly replaced by a collective look of relief. Their frowns washed away by Gatorade dumps, revealing the smiles of men who had indeed just sent a message and were finally willing to admit that had been their motivation all along.
You only had to ask. Because, finally, they would answer.
“I feel like, from the start of this thing, we were knocking on the door. But you have to find a way to break through and make it to where we are right now,” said Day, no longer stiff-arming the question but definitely still working to stifle his emotion. “In this day and age, there’s so much noise. Social media. People have to write articles. But when you sign up for this job, when you agree to coach at Ohio State, that’s part of the job.
“I’m a grown-up. I can take it. But the hard part is your family having to live with it. The players you bring in, them having to live with it. Their families. In the end, that’s how you build a football family. Take the stuff that people want to use to tear you apart and try to turn that into something that makes you closer.”
For 3 hours and 20 minutes, the Buckeyes pushed back on Notre Dame with both hands. They also pushed back on those would-be team destroyers and head coach firers. When it was over, they extended one finger in the direction of those same haters. It wasn’t a middle finger, but it was close. It was the finger that soon will be fitted for a national championship ring.
“Ohio State might not be for everybody,” Day added, smiling once again. “But it’s certainly for these guys.”
After winning a national championship with the Buckeyes on Monday night, Ohio State’s No. 2 quarterback is seeking an opportunity to start and will move on to join the Golden Bears. Brown has two more seasons of eligibility.
Brown entered the NCAA transfer portal on Dec. 9 but remained with the team during their College Football Playoff run.
The redshirt sophomore was the No. 81 overall recruit in the ESPN 300 for 2022 and lost a competition with Kyle McCord for Ohio State’s starting job entering the 2023 season. This season, Brown appeared in nine games while backing up Will Howard.
Brown threw for 331 yards with three touchdowns and one interception on 56% passing and rushed for 37 yards and one score over three seasons at Ohio State. He earned one start in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic at the end of the 2023 season but exited with an ankle injury in a 14-3 loss to Missouri.
After losing to the Tigers, Ohio State coach Ryan Day brought in Howard, a Kansas State transfer who guided the program to its first College Football Playoff national championship since 2014. Howard earned offensive MVP honors in the Buckeyes’ 34-23 title game victory over Notre Dame after competing 17-of-21 passes for 231 yards and two touchdowns.
The Buckeyes are losing Howard, Brown and freshman backup Air Noland, who transferred to South Carolina, as they begin preparations to defend their national title in 2025. Julian Sayin, a former five-star recruit, is expected to be the frontrunner in the Buckeyes’ quarterback competition entering his redshirt freshman season.
Brown is joining a Cal team coming off a 6-7 run through its first year in the ACC that must replace starter Fernando Mendoza, who transferred to Indiana. Brown will compete with touted incoming freshman Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, who joined the program after a brief stint at Oregon.