Survey among LBM coaches in the USA: Georgia is the leader, Michigan falls behind after title run
College football season is upon us and Paul Myerberg is here to analyze the US LBM Coaches’ preseason poll, which has Georgia at the top.
Sportpuls
Every preseason for an All-America team begins with a debate about the quarterback.
Georgia senior Carson Beck is selected as a first-team starter to the USA TODAY Sports All-America team after throwing for 3,941 yards and 24 touchdowns in 2023. He is followed by Dillon Gabriel, who was selected second overall. After starting his career at Central Florida and spending two years at Oklahoma, Gabriel takes over a loaded roster at Oregon as the Ducks move up to the Big Ten.
The first and second teams are heavily loaded with Ohio State players. The Buckeyes lead all Bowl Subdivision teams with a total of seven selections, including first-round selections for running back Quinshon Judkins, offensive guard Donovan Jackson, cornerback Denzel Burke and safety Caleb Downs.
Four other programs fielded at least three players in Georgia (four), Notre Dame (four), Alabama (four) and Oregon (three).
The preseason All-America teams were selected by a 19-member panel from the USA TODAY Sports Network.
First team
ATTACK
QB: Carson Beck, Georgia (Sr.)
Although the Bulldogs fell short of the national championship in Beck’s debut, he outperformed former starter Stetson Bennett in most major statistical categories, establishing himself as a favorite for the Heisman Trophy and the top spot in next year’s NFL Draft.
RB: Ollie Gordon II, Oklahoma State (Jr.)
RB: Quinshon Judkins, Ohio State (Jr.)
Gordon (1,732 yards in 2023) will try to become the third player in program history to break the 2,000-yard mark. Judkins (1,158 yards and 15 touchdowns) transferred from Mississippi to give Ohio State the best backfield duo in the country and joins TreVeyon Henderson, who was selected to the All-America second team.
WR: Tetairoa McMillian, Arizona (Jr.)
WR: Luther Burden III, Missouri (Jr.)
TE: Colston Loveland, Michigan (Jr.)
McMillian (90 receptions for 1,402 yards) is the only returning Power Four receiver who averaged over 100 receiving yards per game last season. Burden (86 for 1,212) has developed into a star, solidifying his status as one of the best recruits in program history. Loveland (45 for 649) will take on an even more important role for Michigan’s new starting quarterback, whoever that may be.
OT: Will Campbell, LSU (Jr.)
OT: Kelvin Banks Jr., Texas (Jr.)
OG: Tate Ratledge, Georgia (Sr.)
OG: Donovan Jackson, Ohio State (Sr.)
C: Parker Brailsford, Alabama (Sun.)
Campbell is the anchor of an offensive line that paved the way for the nation’s best offense (45.5 points per game). As Quinn Ewers’ blind-side protector, Banks is one of the key building blocks in the Longhorns’ quest for a national title. Ratledge, a third-year starter, helped Georgia finish first in the SEC in sacks allowed per game last season. Jackson was twice named All-Big Ten and has a 26-game starting streak through 2024. Brailsford, one of the nation’s most promising young players, followed new coach Kalen DeBoer from Washington after an all-conference rookie season.
P: Alex Mastromanno, Florida State (Sr.)
K: Graham Nicholson, Alabama (Sr.)
Mastromanno averaged a career-high 45.5 yards per punt in 2023, becoming the first Ray Guy Award finalist in program history. Nicholson (27 of 28 field goals) was the only kicker in the FBS last season to make more than 20 field goals with just one miss.
DEFENSE
EN: James Pearce, Tennessee (Jr.)
EN: Ashton Gillotte, Louisville (Sr.)
DT: Mason Graham, Michigan (Jr.)
DT: Howard Cross III, Notre Dame (Sr.)
Pearce (10 sacks and 14½ tackles for loss) looks like the next great defensive end in Tennessee history. Gillotte (11 sacks) will finish in the top three in school history in terms of most sacks with another all-conference season. Graham (7½ tackles for loss) is an incredibly disruptive interior lineman with a stunning explosiveness and athleticism that belies his 320-pound frame. Cross (66 tackles) sets the tone for a defense that could be even better after ranking fifth nationally in yards per game.
POUND: Harold Perkins, LSU (Jr.)
POUND: Jay Higgins, Iowa (Sr.)
POUND: Danny Stutsman, Oklahoma (Sr.)
Perkins has already racked up 27 tackles for loss in two years and may just be starting to show off his talents. Higgins (171 tackles) is coming off one of the most productive seasons by a defensive lineman in program history. After weighing the NFL Draft, Stutsman (16 tackles for loss) opted to stay at OU for another year, giving the Sooners an all-conference player who will ease the defense’s transition to the SEC.
CB: Will Johnson, Michigan (Jr.)
CB: Denzel Burke, Ohio State (Sr.)
S: Malaki Starks, Georgia (Jr.)
S: Caleb Downs, Ohio State (Sun.)
Johnson (four interceptions) may not overtake Charles Woodson as the best cornerback in program history, but he has a good chance of being ranked alongside the former Heisman winner as the best defensive back to come out of Ann Arbor. Burke, also in the Big Ten, is a stopper on the outside who regularly takes on the Buckeyes’ toughest assignments. Starks (52 tackles and three interceptions) has been a starter for the Bulldogs since the beginning and continues to elevate his game. After a stellar rookie year, Downs (107 tackles) transferred to Ohio State as the most influential transfer of the offseason.
Returnees: Zachariah Branch, Southern California (Sun.)
General purpose: Travis Hunter, Colorado (Jr.)
Branch (20.8 yards per punt return and two total return touchdowns) is a game-changing returner who will play a bigger role in the Trojans’ passing game. Hunter (721 receiving yards, three interceptions) does it all for the Buffaloes.
Second team
ATTACK
QB: Dillon Gabriel, Oregon (Sr.)
RB: Omarion Hampton, North Carolina (Jr.)
RB: TreVeyon Henderson, Ohio State (Sr.)
WR: Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State (Sr.)
WR: Tez Johnson, Oregon (Sr.)
TE: Brant Kuithe, Utah (Sr.)
OT: Ajani Cornelius, Oregon (Sr.)
OT: Wyatt Millum, West Virginia (Sr.)
OG: Tyler Booker, Alabama (Jr.)
OG: Clay Webb, Jacksonville State (Sr.)
C: Cooper Mays, Tennessee (Sr.)
P: James Ferguson-Reynolds, Boise State (Jr.)
K: Andrew Borregales, Miami (Sr.)
DEFENSE
EN: Mykel Williams, Georgia (Jr.)
EN: Nic Scourton, Texas A&M (Jr.)
DT: Tyleik Williams, Ohio State (Sr.)
DT: Deone Walker, Kentucky (Jr.)
POUND: Deontae Lawson, Alabama (Jr.)
POUND: Nick Martin, Oklahoma State (Jr.)
POUND: Barrett Carter, Clemson (Sr.)
CB: Benjamin Morrison, Notre Dame (Jr.)
CB: Travis Hunter, Colorado (Jr.)
S: Xavier Watts, Notre Dame (Sr.)
S: Dillon Thieneman, Purdue (Sun.)
Returnees: Jayden Harrison, Notre Dame (Sr.)
General purpose: Barion Brown, Kentucky (Jr.)
