Too early for a college football All-America squad in 2024
Now that Michigan has defeated Washington 34–13 in the national championship game earlier this month, ESPN has released its Way-Too-Early Top 25 for the 2024 season. It’s time to move on to the Way-Too-Early All-America squad.
Not surprisingly, Ollie Gordon II, Travis Hunter, Luther Burden III, and Malaki Starks are among the names. However, it’s always nice to see some new names—and a few players who have switched schools—on these early All-America teams.
It’s never easy to choose our early All-America team, especially in the age of transfer portals, but we conferred with NFL scouts, college coaches, and other media experts to choose the players we believed would be the best at their positions in 2024. We will have to wait and see if they actually carry it out.
Ohio State is first with four selections to the first team. Michigan and Georgia both have three.
Nobody would have predicted at the beginning of the season that Stetson Bennett would be a Heisman Trophy finalist just two years prior. It’s Beck’s turn now. He finished the previous season with the fourth-highest quarterback grade by Pro Football Focus, demonstrating his size (6-foot-4) and arm strength to rip defenses apart from the pocket. Beck will be in the thick of the Heisman discussion if he improves as much in 2024 as he did this past season.
Gordon, the best running back in college football and winner of the Doak Walker Award the previous season, is no longer an unknown. After gaining 308 rushing yards as a freshman, he ran for 1,732 yards this past season, which led the FBS, and scored 22 touchdowns. Strength, power, and acceleration are all combined by the 6-1, 211-pound Gordon. With 14 rushes of 30 yards or more, he led all players and tied for second place with 1,056 yards after contact.
It was encouraging news for Ohio State’s offense, which will be led by new coordinator Bill O’Brien, that Henderson had declared he would return in 2024. Henderson gained 926 yards and 11 touchdowns last season despite splitting carries. Quinshon Judkins, a transfer from Ole Miss, will share carries with him once more in the upcoming campaign, giving the Buckeyes what should be the best one-two punch in the nation.
Burden would have been among the top receivers chosen if he had been able to declare for the NFL draft this year. With 725 yards after the catch last season, he ranked third nationally. He is explosive in the open field. With 86 receptions, the 5-10, 208-pound Burden finished second in the SEC and possesses all the necessary skills. He can go up and catch 50-50 balls, is a deep threat, and is never more than a few steps away from scoring a touchdown.
With an Arizona passing offense that ranked eighth in the country in 2023 (308.3 yards per game), McMillan was one of the top breakout players in the country. Despite the departure of coach Jedd Fisch to Washington, McMillan will rejoin the Wildcats and once more be the recipient of passes from Noah Fifita. A tough opponent for anyone, the 6-5, 210-pound McMillan put up impressive stats as a true sophomore (90 catches, 1,402 yards, and 10 touchdowns).
As the Wolverines advanced to the national championship, the 6-foot-5 Loveland gained muscle and became a mainstay in the offense. He weighed 245 pounds at that point. With 45 receptions, which ranked third on the team at an average of 14.4 yards per catch, he scored four touchdowns and was named to the first team of the Big Ten. In 2024, there will be a number of excellent tight ends in the nation, but Loveland’s abilities as a blocker and receiver elevated him to the top of the list.
In college football, Campbell is unique in that he has started every game at left tackle since his rookie campaign began. According to Pro Football Focus, he was a Freshman All-American in 2022 and gave up zero sacks in 491 pass-blocking situations as a sophomore after giving up five in his first season. With his size and strength, the 6-5, 325-pound Campbell can outmuscle his opponents.
Ratledge declined to be selected in the NFL draft in order to finish his senior year at Georgia, where the Bulldogs are expected to field one of the top offensive lines in the nation. The 6-6, 310-pound Ratledge was a second-team AP All-American in 2023 after allowing just two QB hurries and no sacks in 27 starts at right guard over the previous two seasons.
For the past two seasons, Jackson has started at left guard for the Buckeyes, and in 2023, he was chosen for the first team of the Big Ten. Though he said there is “still more to do” at Ohio State, which should have a strong offensive line next season, he thought about going pro. The 6-4, 320-pound Jackson is a mauler in the running game and has only allowed two sacks in his two seasons as a starter.
