Florida, Alabama and Texas Dominate All-American Teams
Matt Hayes - SportingNews.com
Dec 15, 2009
There's a direct correlation between winning big and being selected a Sporting News All-American for 2009.
There are 13 players from the 10 teams in BCS bowls on the first team, including Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram and Heisman finalist Colt McCoy. No. 1 Alabama and No. 2 Texas combined to land six players on the first team and 11 overall on the three teams.
There are 25 All-American selections from teams playing in the five BCS bowls, with Florida having the most first team representatives with four: tight end Aaron Hernandez, center Maurkice Pouncey, linebacker Brandon Spikes and cornerback Joe Haden.
Alabama, which has back-to-back unbeaten regular seasons, placed Ingram, guard Mike Johnson and linebacker Rolando McClain on the first team. Defensive tackle Terrence Cody (second), cornerback Javier Arenas (second) and kicker Leigh Tiffin (third) also were selected.
Texas, which has won at least 10 games in 10 straight seasons, has McCoy, wideout Jordan Shipley and linebacker Sergio Kindle on the first team. Safety Earl Thomas (second) and offensive tackle Adam Ulatoski (second) also were selected.
Unbeaten Cincinnati and TCU combined to place five players on the three teams, including TCU defensive end Jerry Hughes (first) and Cincinnati wideout Mardy Gilyard (second).
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First team offense
QB Colt McCoy, Sr., Texas. McCoy once was booed off the field in Austin. Now he's the greatest quarterback in school history.
RB Mark Ingram, Soph., Alabama. A classic pro-style offense tailback, Ingram has played his best in big games.
RB Toby Gerhart, Sr., Stanford. He almost skipped his senior season to play professional baseball, then led the nation in rushing and scored 26 touchdowns.
WR Golden Tate, Jr., Notre Dame. The most dynamic player in the game should have received more Heisman love.
WR Jordan Shipley, Sr., Texas. He persevered through injuries and disappointment early in his career to have back-to-back big seasons.
TE Aaron Hernandez, Jr., Florida. The Gators struggled on the edge, so Hernandez became the team's best option in the passing game.
OL Mike Johnson, Sr., Alabama. His powerful run blocking paved the way for Mark Ingram's huge season.
OL Charles Brown, Sr., USC. A strong, athletic tackle, Brown continues to improve.
OL Bryan Bulaga, Sr., Iowa. A mauler, he's the prototypical powerful, intelligent Iowa lineman who dominates his space.
OL Maurkice Pouncey, Jr., Florida. The dive play is critical to the Gators' triple option, and Pouncey clears the way for it.
OL Russell Okung, Sr., Oklahoma State. Running primarily behind Okung, the Cowboys have had three different 1,000-yard rushers the past three seasons.
K Kai Forbath, Jr., UCLA. Not only is he accurate — he was 26-of-29 this fall and is 70-of-81 career — but he has the nation's strongest leg.
KR C.J. Spiller, Sr., Clemson. He set an NCAA record with seven career kick returns for touchdowns and also had rushing, receiving, passing and punt return TDs this season.
First team defense
DE Jerry Hughes, Sr., TCU. A difference-maker off the edge, Hughes is the best player on a defense that's one of the top three in the game.
DE Von Miller, Jr., Texas A&M. He used his linebacker size (6-3, 240) and speed to lead the nation in sacks (17).
DT Gerald McCoy, Jr., Oklahoma. He's a strong run stuffer who is athletic enough to drop into coverage.
DT Ndamukong Suh, Sr., Nebraska. So good in so many ways, one thing stands above all: He led the Huskers in tackles from the middle of the defensive line.
LB Brandon Spikes, Sr., Florida. The eye-gouging incident overshadowed his dominance on the field and his presence in the locker room.
LB Sergio Kindle, Sr., Texas. He finally became the game-changer Texas coaches thought he would be when they recruited him.
LB Rolando McClain, Jr., Alabama. If not for Suh, the technically perfect McClain would be the best defensive player in the game.
CB Perrish Cox, Sr., Oklahoma State. A dynamic, flamboyant risk taker, Cox has terrific anticipation and break on the ball.
CB Joe Haden, Jr., Florida. Few cornerbacks have left college with the combination of speed and refined coverage skills Haden has.
S Kurt Coleman, Sr., Ohio State. A big hitter and a ballhawk, Coleman is the perfect strong safety in run support.
S Eric Berry, Jr., Tennessee. He made routine big plays in big situations, and his coverage skills are so good, he'll play corner in the NFL.
P Drew Butler, Soph., Georgia. He's significantly better than the rest of the nation's punters; he averaged 48.8 yards per punt.
PR Antonio Brown, Jr., Central Michigan. He returned two punts for touchdowns, and teams eventually stopped punting to him.
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