Walter Camp Football Foundation Announces 2018 All-America First and Second Teams
Led by 2018 Player of the Year Tua Tagovailoa, top-ranked Alabama has six players on the Walter Camp Football Foundation All-America Teams, the 129th honored by the organization. The nation’s oldest All-America squad was announced on The Home Depot ESPN College Football Awards Show.
2018 Walter Camp All-America First and Second Teams-FINAL
2018 Walter Camp All-American NOTEBOOK-FINAL
In all, 29 different schools from 10 conferences (including independents) were represented on the All-America First and Second Teams (a total of 50 players selected). Alabama has four First Team honorees, and two on the Second Team. LSU has four All-Americans (3 First Team, 1 Second Team), while three Clemson players were named to the First Team. Overall, the Southeastern Conference had the most honorees (15), followed by the Atlantic Coast Conference (9) and Big Ten (8).
The Walter Camp All-America teams are selected by the head coaches and sports information directors of the 130 Football Bowl Subdivision schools and certified by Marcum LLP, a New Haven-based accounting firm. Walter Camp Football Foundation President Michael Madera was pleased with the voting participation.
“Once again, we had more than 80 percent of the FBS schools participate in this year’s voting,” Madera said. “We are very appreciative of the continuing cooperation of the head coaches and sports information directors in our annual effort to honor the nation’s most outstanding college players.”
Leading the First Team offensive unit is Tagovailoa, a sophomore quarterback who was also selected the 2018 Walter Camp Player of the Year. Second in the nation in passing efficiency (202.3), Tagovailoa has passed for 37 touchdowns and 3,353 yards to lead a high-scoring Crimson Tide offensive unit, one that averages 47.9 points per game.
Joining Tagovailoa in the backfield are the junior Darrell Henderson (Memphis) and sophomore Jonathan Taylor (Wisconsin). Henderson has rushed for 1,909 yards and 22 touchdowns, while Taylor has rushed for a nation’s leading 1,989 yards and has scored 15 touchdowns.
Senior Andy Isabella (Massachusetts) and sophomore Jerry Jeudy (Alabama) are the wide receivers. Isabella, who leads the nation with 141.5 receiving yards per game, has 102 catches for 1,698 yards and 13 touchdowns, while Jeudy has 59 catches for 1,103 yards and 12 touchdowns.
The tight end is Jace Sternberger (Texas A&M). Sternberger has 47 receptions for 804 yards and 10 touchdowns for the Aggies this season.
On the offensive line, junior Jonah Williams (Alabama) is joined by a trio of seniors – Ben Powers (Oklahoma), Beau Benzschawel (Wisconsin) and Mitch Hyatt (Clemson). Hyatt was a Second Team All-America honoree last season. Senior Garrett Bradbury (North Carolina State) is the offensive center.
Placekicker Andre Szmyt (Syracuse) earns First Team honors after converting 28-of-32 field goals and all 57 of his point-after-kicks this season for the Orange.
Leading the defensive unit is senior Christian Wilkins (Clemson), who was a Second Team All-American last season. Wilkins has 45 tackles and five quarterback sacks from his defensive tackle position. Wilkins is joined in the defensive interior by his Clemson teammate Clelin Ferrell, a junior defensive end, sophomore Quinnen Williams (Alabama) and junior Ed Oliver (Houston). Oliver is a repeat First Team All-America honoree.
Senior Josh Allen (Kentucky), who has 84 tackles and 14 quarterback sacks for the Wildcats, leads the linebacker corps. Allen is joined by juniors Devin White (LSU) and Devin Bush (Michigan). Bush was a Second Team All-American in 2017.
In the defensive secondary, senior DeAndre Baker (Georgia) is joined by junior Julian Love (Notre Dame) and sophomore teammates from LSU, Greedy Williams and Grant Delpitt.
The punter is junior Braden Mann (Texas A&M), who averages a nation’s leading 51.1 yards-per-punt. The kick returner is sophomore Savon Scarver (Utah State), who averages 34.1 yards per kickoff returns and has returned two for touchdowns.
Second Team Notables
Leading the Second Team is junior quarterback Kyler Murray (Oklahoma). Murray has passed for 4,053 yards and 40 touchdowns for the fourth-ranked Sooners. Wide receiver David Sills (West Virginia) is a repeat Second Team honoree. Sills has caught 61 passes for 896 yards and 15 touchdowns for the Mountaineers.
Junior defensive end Sutton Smith (Northern Illinois) is honored again after earning First Team accolades a year ago. Punter Mitch Wishnowsky (Utah) is a Walter Camp All-American for the third straight year. Wishnowsky earned Second Team honors a year ago and was a First Team selection in 2016.
Members of the 2018 Walter Camp All-America team and other major award winners (Distinguished American-Archie Manning, Man of the Year-Mike Golic, and Perseverance Award-Jake Olson of USC), will be honored at the organization’s national awards banquet, presented by David McDermott Lexus of New Haven, on Saturday, January 12, 2019 at the Yale University’s Lanman Center.
Walter Camp, “The Father of American football,” first selected an All-America team in 1889. Camp – a former Yale University athlete and football coach – is also credited with developing play from scrimmage, set plays, the numerical assessment of goals and tries and the restriction of play to eleven men per side. The Walter Camp Football Foundation – a New Haven-based all-volunteer group – was founded in 1967 to perpetuate the ideals of Camp and to continue the tradition of selecting annually an All-America team.
The Walter Camp Football Foundation is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA). The NCFAA was founded in 1997 as a coalition of the major collegiate football awards to protect, preserve and enhance the integrity, influence and prestige of the game’s predominant awards. The NCFAA encourages professionalism and the highest standards for the administration of its member awards and the selection of their candidates and recipients.
2018 Walter Camp All-America Teams
First Team Offense
Pos. Name, School Hgt Wgt Class Hometown
WR Jerry Jeudy, Alabama 6-1 192 Soph. Deerfield Beach, FL
WR Andy Isabella, UMass 5-10 190 Senior Mayfield, OH
TE Jace Sternberger, Texas A&M 6-4 250 Junior Kingfisher, OK
OL Jonah Williams, Alabama 6-5 301 Junior Folsom, CA
OL Mitch Hyatt, Clemson # 6-5 310 Senior Suwanee, GA
OL Ben Powers, Oklahoma 6-4 313 Senior Wichita, KS
OL Beau Benzschawel, Wisconsin 6-6 315 Senior Grafton, WI
C Garrett Bradbury, North Carolina State 6-3 300 Grad Charlotte, NC
QB Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama 6-1 218 Soph. Ewa Beach, HI
RB Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin # 5-11 221 Soph. Salem, NJ
RB Darrell Henderson, Memphis 5-9 200 Junior Batesville, MS
PK Andre Szymt, Syracuse 6-1 195 Fresh. Vernon Hill, IL
First Team Defense
Pos. Name, School Hgt Wgt Class Hometown
DL Christian Wilkins, Clemson & 6-4 315 Grad Springfield, MA
DL Quinnen Williams, Alabama 6-4 295 Soph. Birmingham, AL
DL Ed Oliver, Houston * 6-3 292 Junior Houston, TX
DL Clelin Ferrell, Clemson 6-4 265 Junior Richmond, VA
LB Josh Allen, Kentucky 6-5 260 Senior Montclair, NJ
LB Devin White, LSU 6-1 240 Junior Springhill, LA
LB Devin Bush, Jr., Michigan # 5-11 233 Junior Pembroke Pines, FL
DB DeAndre Baker, Georgia 5-11 185 Senior Miami, FL
DB Julian Love, Notre Dame 5-11 193 Junior Westchester, IL
DB Greedy Williams, LSU 6-3 184 Soph. Shreveport, LA
DB Grant Delpit, LSU 6-3 203 Soph. Houston, TX
P Braden Mann, Texas A&M 5-11 190 Junior Houston, TX
KR Savon Scarver, Utah State 5-11 180 Soph. Las Vegas, NV
Second Team Offense
Pos. Name, School Hgt Wgt Class Hometown
WR David Sills, West Virginia # 6-4 210 Senior Wilmington, DE
WR Tylan Wallace, Oklahoma State 6-0 185 Soph. Fort Worth, TX
TE T.J. Hockenson, Iowa 6-5 250 Soph. Chariton, IA
OL Andrew Thomas, Georgia 6-5 320 Soph. Lithonia, GA
OL Michael Deiter, Wisconsin 6-6 310 Senior Curtice, OH
OL Dalton Risner, Kansas State 6-5 308 Senior Wiggins, CO
OL Greg Little, Ole Miss 6-6 325 Junior Allen, TX
C Michael Jordan, Ohio State 6-7 312 Junior Canton, MI
QB Kyler Murray, Oklahoma 5-10 195 Junior Allen, TX
RB Travis Etienne, Clemson 5-10 200 Soph. Jennings, LA
RB Benny Snell, Kentucky 5-11 223 Junior Westerville, OH
PK Cole Tracy, LSU 5-11 188 Senior Camarillo, CA
Second Team Defense
Pos. Name, School Hgt Wgt Class Hometown
DL Jaylon Ferguson, Louisiana Tech 6-5 262 Senior Saint Francisville, LA
DL Chase Winovich, Michigan 6-3 255 Senior Jefferson Hills, PA
DL Kenny Willekes, Michigan State 6-4 260 Junior Rockford, MI
DL Sutton Smith, Northern Illinois * 6-1 237 Junior Saint Charles, MO
LB Ben Burr-Kirven, Washington 6-0 221 Senior Menlo Park, CA
LB Dylan Moses, Alabama 6-3 233 Soph. Baton Rouge, LA
LB David Long, West Virginia 5-11 221 Junior Cincinnati, OH
DB Hamp Cheevers, Boston College 5-10 180 Junior Trenton, FL
DB Deionte Thompson, Alabama 6-2 196 Junior Orange, TX
DB Andre Cisco, Syracuse 6-0 199 Fresh Valley Stream, NY
DB Bryce Hall, Virginia 6-1 200 Junior Harrisburg, PA
P Mitch Wishnowsky, Utah @ 6-2 220 Senior Perth, Australia
KR Michael Walker, Boston College 6-0 195 Senior Naples, FL
* – 2017 First Team Walter Camp All-America selection
# – 2017 Second Team Walter Camp All-America selection
& – 2016 and 2017 Second Team Walter Camp All-America selection
@ – 2016 First Team Walter Camp All-American selection and 2017 Second Team selection
