SumerSports 2024 All-American Team

With the 2024 season coming to a close, it is time to reflect on some of the top performers from this season. This article is meant to be a deep dive at each position to highlight players who had an outstanding season. This is the SumerSports 2024 All-American Team.

Jump to: 

• Quarterbacks
• Running Backs
• Wide Receivers 
• Tight Ends
• Offensive Line
• Edge Defenders
• Interior Defensive Linemen 
• Linebackers 
• Cornerbacks 
• Safeties 

Quarterbacks 

• First Team: Cam Ward (Miami) 
• Second Team: Dillon Gabriel (Oregon) 
• Honorable Mention: Shedeur Sanders (Colorado), Jaxson Dart (Ole Miss), Bryson Daily (Army) 

Cam Ward made the right decision by withdrawing from the 2024 Draft and transferring to Miami. By doing so, he increased his draft stock (#3 on the consensus big board) and spent most of the year in the Heisman conversation. See his performance this past season in Miami:  

• 36 passing TD 
• 7 INTs 
• 46% of his throws resulted in first downs 
• 24% of his completed passes were for 20+ yards all while having a 71% accuracy, which ranks him 85% percentile in our accuracy metric 
• 98% in his production metric, which aims to identify if a QB was able to generate maximum EPA beyond expectation given the game situation 
• 95% percentile in decision making, which determines how often he identifies the optimal receiver on a given play 

Dillon Gabriel stepped immediately this year to fill the shoes of Bo Nix (now with the Denver Broncos) and elevate Oregon to a top 5 passing offense in terms of Passing Success %. Gabriel was: 

• 94% percentile in all-in-one passing metric 
• 86% in our passing accuracy metric 
• 89% in our production metric 
• First team all-Big Ten 
• Maxwell Award (Player of the Year) Finalist  
• Davey O’Brien Award (Best QB) 

Gabriel was also able to take off and excel in designed QB runs including a 54-yard speed option run against Oregon State that seemed to ignite the Oregon offense for the rest of the season.  

Other QBs worth mentioning that had noteworthy years:  

• Shedeur Sanders (100% percentile in accuracy metric, 98% in production) 
• Jaxson Dart (100% all-in-one passing metric, 99% in production, 99% in accuracy) 
• Bryson Daily (1,477 rushing yards, 29 rushing TDs, 41% of rush attempts resulted in a first down) 

Running Backs 

• First Team: Ashton Jeanty (Boise State) 
• Second Team: Cameron Skattebo (Arizona State) 
• Honorable Mentions: Omarion Hampton (North Carolina), Dylan Sampson (Tennessee), Kaleb Johnson (Iowa) 

I would be remiss if I did not start a running back conversation without mention Ashton Jeanty’s performance in 2024. Jeanty was the driving force behind Boise State’s first round bye in the college football playoffs. Ashton Jeanty had all of hte following: 

• Rushed for 2,497 yards (just shy of Barry Sanders’ single-season rushing record)  
• 100% in rushing elusiveness (ability to force missed tackles) 
• 97% in all-in-one rushing grade.  
• His yards after contact (~1,800 yds) would still surpass the next closest running back. Let us pause to think about that stat for a second 
• Secure a spot as a Heisman Finalist 

Arizona State was picked by the pre-season media to finish last in the Big 12 this year and a lot of their success in winning the Big 12 hinged on the ability of Cameron Skattebo, the Sacramento State transfer. He propelled Arizona State into a top 15 rushing attack in terms of rushing success rate (46.2%). If there was a buzz word that came out against the game against Iowa State was his amazing “contact balance.” Some noteable numbers for Skattebo: 

• 69% of his rushing yards coming after contact on the season.  
• 95% in our all-in-one rushing metric 
• 87% in our elusiveness metric.  

Other RBs worth mentioning:  

• Omarion Hampton (2nd in the country in rushing yards at 1,660 rush yards, 73% coming after first contact) 
• Dylan Sampson (1,485 rushing yards, 80% percentile in our all-in-one rushing metric), and
• Kaleb Johnson (1,537 rushing yards, 100% percentile in rush yards over expected, 1st team Big Ten honors). 

Wide Receivers 

• First Team: Travis Hunter (Colorado), Tetairoa McMillan (Arizona) 
• Second Team: Xavier Restrepo (Miami), Tez Johnson (Oregon) 
• Honorable Mentions: Jayden Higgins (Iowa State), Tai Felton (Maryland), Ricky White III (UNLV), Jeremiah Smith (Ohio State) 

In all honesty, it was hard to identify what position to place Travis Hunter appropriately on this list. I chose to place him as a WR given his production at the position (he should also be in consideration for first team CB too but wanted to give some other corners shout outs as well). Travis Hunter’s season was incredible: 

• 100% percentile in our route running metric 
• 98% in our all-in-one receiving metric 
• top 10 in receiving yards at 1,152 
• 2nd in the country in receiving TDs behind Nick Nash at San Jose State 
• To add to that he had 4 INT (top 20), 7 pass breakups, 32 tackles as a corner 
• Bednarik, Biletnikoff, Maxwell, Heisman Finalist 

Tetairoa McMillan gained buzz all-year for putting up ridiculous numbers. He put up unreal games against New Mexico (10/15 304 receiving yards) and against West Virginia (10/14 202 receiving yards). He is currently #4 on the Consensus Big Board for the 2025 NFL Draft.  

McMillan ended the year:  

• 84 catches 
• 1,319 yards  
• 8 TDs 
• 96% percentile in our all-in-one receiving metric 
• 78% in our route running metric 
• 64% of his catches were for first down 

Xavier Restrepo was the primary look for Cam Ward in the Miami offense. Restrepo was:  

• 93% percentile in route running 
• 92% all-in-one receiving metric  
• 77% of his catches resulted in a first down 
• Responsible for just 2 drops for 95 targets, 69 catches

Like Restrepo, the Oregon offense mainly went through Tez Johnson who battled injuries this year and put up a great season. Johnson was: 

• 97% percentile route running 
• 98% all-in-one receiving metric 
• 68% of receiving yards are after the catch
• Good for 77 catches on 92 targets and 11 yards per catch  

Other WRs worth noting:  

• Jayden Higgins (100% all-in-one metric, 89% route running grade, 87 catches on 130 targets with only 2 drops) 
• Tai Felton (91% percentile all-in-one receiving metric, 96% route running grade, 96 catches on 143 targets),  
• Ricky White (78 catches on 124 targets, 1,032 yards, 11 TDs, 100% in route running metric),  
• Jeremiah Smith (99% all-in-one pass route grade, 96% percentile route running ability, 57 catches on 78 targets as a freshman) 

Tight Ends 

• First Team: Harold Fanin Jr (Bowling Green) 
• Second Team: Tyler Warren (Penn State) 
• Honorable Mention: Oronde Gadsden II (Syracuse) 

Harold Fanin Jr. has been exceptional this year at Bowling Green. He trails only Nick Nash in total receiving yards this year despite primarily lining up as a TE. He embodies this new era of a “big slot” receiver being 6’4’’ and being speedy in open field. Fanin was:  

• 100% percentile in yards after catch over expected  
• 99% in our all-in-one receiving metric.  
• 100 receiving yards on 128 targets and only 3 dropped passes. 

The player that has come onto the scene this year as a do-it-all TE has been Tyler Warren at Penn State. He ends the regular season as the primary receiving option for Penn State with 88 catches on 112 targets. One cannot forget his monster game against USC where he had 17 catches for 224 yards and a TD. He even caught a ball where he was original snapping to the QB as a center. 

Other TEs worth noting:  

• Oronde Gadsden (a bit of a hybrid TE and WR, 82% percentile in all-in-one receiving grade, 3 drops of the season, with 69 catches on 98 targets) 

Offensive Tackles 

• First Team: Wyatt Milum (West Virginia), Kelvin Banks Jr (Texas) 
• Second Team: Will Campbell (LSU), Josh Conerly Jr (Oregon) 
• Honorable Mention: Aireontae Ersery (Minnesota) 

Wyatt Milum was named to the first team all-Big 12 and for good reason. He was impressive this season: 

• 100% percentile in all-in-one run block metric  
• 88% in all our all-in-one pass blocking metric 
• No sacks allowed in 3 years  
• Allowed 8 pressures in 2024 

Kelvin Banks Jr. was out against Georgia in the SEC championship and his presence was immediately felt. Texas was only able to get 1.1 yards per rush and could only gain 31 rushing yards. He has been:  

• 98% in our all-in-one run block metric 
• 99% in our all-in-one pass blocking metric. 

Will Campbell has been the anchor for the LSU OL for 2 years now. He made it extremely easy for true freshman Caden Durham to stand out this year and Jayden Daniels last year. He ends the season with:  

• 1 sack allowed (only 3 sacks allowed in his career).  
• 92% percentile against speed rushers  
• 99% percentile in our all-in-one run blocking metric.  

Josh Conerly has been one of the bright spots for the Oregon offensive line this year that had a lot of different lineups. The former 5 star has lived up to the bill with:  

• 1 sack allowed this year  
• 90%+ percentile in both our all-in-one run blocking and pass blocking metrics 

Another OT of noting:  

• Aireontae Ersery (91% percentile against speed rushers and 95% percentile in sustain blocks over time) 

Offensive Guards 

• First Team: Hayden Conner (Texas), Donovan Jackson (Ohio State) 
• Second Team: Drew Moss (Colorado State), Nishad Strother (Oregon) 
• Honorable Mention: Clay Webb (Jacksonville State) 

The Texas OL was the real strength of Texas this year, especially on the left side with Banks and Hayden Conner. Hayden Conner was:  

• 93%+ percentile in all-in-one run blocking and pass blocking metrics  
• No sacks allowed  

Donovan Jackson from Ohio State was the plug-in-play specialist this year filling in for both Left Guard and Left Tackle (when Simmons got injured). Ohio State’s rushing attack really anchored behind him earning him: 

•  94% percentile in all-in-one run blocking metric. 

Drew Moss had an excellent year at Colorado State (2nd team all-conference). He was:  

• 98% percentile against speedy rushers 
• 98% percentile in his ability to sustain blocks over time  
• Responsible for 1 sack allowed for the season 

The Oregon interior offensive line was really in flux to start the season and a bright spot for this line as the season progressed was Nishad Strother. Strother:  

• No sacks allowed 
• 99% percentile in his ability to sustain blocks over time 
• 91% against speedy rushers 

Other Guards of note to mention:  

• Clay Webb (The former Georgia 5 star has played exceptionally for the Conference USA champions this year allowing only 1 sack and 98% in all-in-one run blocking metric) 

Centers 

• First Team: Jake Majors (Texas) 
• Second Team: Drew Kendall (Boston College) 
• Honorable Mention: Jared Wilson (Georgia) 

Another Texas OL named to the list with how outstanding the unit has been this year. Majors:  

• 0 sacks allowed since 2022  
• 93%+ percentile in both our all-in-one pass block and run blocking metric.  

Drew Kendall from Boston College has made it easy for young signal caller Thomas Castellanos to get into the groove this year. Kendall was:  

• First Team all-ACC 
• Responsible for 1 sack allowed 
• 98% percentile his ability to sustain pass blocks over time 

Other Centers of note to mention: 

• Jared Wilson (no sacks allowed this year 98% percentile in our all-in-one pass block metric) 

Edge Defenders 

• First Team: Abdul Carter (Penn State), James Pearce Jr. (Tennessee) 
• Second Team: Donovan Ezeiruaku (Boston College), Dylan Stewart (South Carolina) 
• Honorable Mention: Josaiah Stewart (Michigan), B.J. Green II (Colorado) 

Carter and Pearce are some of the quickest guys you will see come off the line. Both are agile enough to put in many different pre-snap alignments. Abdul Carter looks like the next great Penn state pass rusher wearing the #11 (h/t Micah Parsons). Carter had: 

• 12 sacks 
• 53 pressures 
• 2 forced fumbles 
• 99% in pass rush get-off metric 

James Pearce Jr., although he had been banged up some this year, is what drives the playoff bound Tennessee defense. You must account for him in every play. He ends the regular season with:  

• 8 sacks 
• 52 pressures 
• his best game coming against Alabama where he 10 pressures and 2 sacks on the mobile Jalen Milroe 

Donovan Ezeiruaku has been a pressure machine for Boston College and made it easy for Bill O’Brien to focus more on the offensive side of the ball. He ends the season with: 

•  14 sacks 
• 61 pressures 
• 3 forced fumbles 
• 71 tackles 
• 95% in our all-in-one pass rush metric 

Dylan Stewart could be in contention for freshman of the year (5-star recruit) with one of the most freakish bend of the line you will see. He ends the regular season with: 

• 7 sacks 
• 48 pressures 
• 98% percentile pass rush get-off 

Others Edges worth mentioning:  

• Josaiah Stewart (35 pressures, 8 sacks, 98% percentile in our all-in-one pass rush metric) 
• B.J. Green II (38 pressures, 6 sacks, 2 forced fumbles) 

Interior Defensive Linemen 

• First Team: Mason Graham (Michigan), Walter Nolan (Ole Miss) 
• Second Team: Dontay Corleone (Cincinnati), Derrick Harmon (Oregon) 
• Honorable Mention: Aeneas Peebles (Virginia Tech), Patrick Jenkins (Tulane) 

The Michigan Defensive line has been stellar this year and a major reason is Mason Graham. There isn’t a weakness in Graham’s game which is why he may end up going top-5 in the upcoming NFL Draft. He ends the regular season with: 

• 5 sacks 
• 32 pressures 
• 99% percentile in our all-in-one run stopping metric 

Walter Nolan, the Texas A&M transfer, was the anchor of the Ole Miss defense this year and could contend for transfer portal defensive player of the year. He provided: 

• 6 sacks 
• 30 pressures 
• 8 tackles for loss 
• 50 tackles 
• 98% percentile in all-in-one run stopping metric 

Corleone has been the leader of the Cincinnati defense this season and the “Godfather” has announced he’s returning to school for the 2025 season where he will continue to haunt Big 12 offenses. He ends the season with:  

• 3 sacks 
• 26 pressures 
• 94% percentile pass rush get-off for IDL 

Derrick Harmon, a spring transfer from Michigan State, really was the driving force for this Oregon defensive line. In the game against Boise State, he had 8 pressures. He ends the regular season with: 

• 5 sacks 
• 50 pressures 
• 2 forced fumbles 
• 99% percentile pass rush get-off for IDL 
• 95% percentile all-in-one run stopping metric 

Other IDLs worth mentioning:  

• Aeneas Peebles (33 pressures, 100% percentile pass rush get-off and 99% percentile in his ability to close on the QB) 
• Patrick Jenkins (23 pressures, 4 sacks, 94% percentile all-in-one pass rush metric) 

Linebackers 

• First Team: Anthony Hill Jr (Texas), Jihaad Campbell (Alabama) 
• Second Team: Danny Stutsman (Oklahoma), Kobe King (Penn State) 
• Honorable Mention: Jay Higgins (Iowa), Jackson Woodard (UNLV) 

Anthony Hill Jr. has been the lead playmaker on the Texas defense causing havoc at any chance he can. He racked up stats all over the place. He ends the regular season:  

• 82 total tackles 
• 8 tackles for loss 
• 18 pressures 
• 5 sacks 
• 4 forced fumbles 
• 80%+ percentile in both our all-in-one metric for run stopping and coverage for a LB 

Jihaad Campbell has been the main playmaker for the Alabama defense this year. To me, I’ve been most impressed by his ability to pursue the ball carrier on run plays. He ends the regular season with:  

• 109 total tackles 
• 17 pressures 
• 7 sacks 
• 2 forced fumbles 
• 96% percentile ball carrier pursuit metric 

A player trying to follow in the career footsteps of Brian Bosworth is Danny Stutsman at Oklahoma. He came back to Oklahoma after some initial thought he should have left last year. That led him to:  

• 3rd consecutive year of generated 100+ tackles 
• 97% percentile ball carrier pursuit metric 

Kobe King is a LB he used very dynamically for Penn State. He’s a bit forced to with where Carter and Tony Rojas line up for Penn State. He ends the year with:  

• 80 tackles 
• 7 tackles for loss  
• 98% percentile in our all-in-one coverage metric for LBs 

Other LBs of note:  

• Jay Higgins from Iowa (105 tackles, 4 INTs, 2 forced fumbles)  
• Jackson Woodard (115 tackles, 12 TFLs, 8 PBU, 4 INTs, 3 sacks) 

• First Team: Jermod McCoy (Tennessee), Jahdae Barron (Texas) 
• Second Team: Malik Muhammad (Texas), Nohl Williams (Cal) 
• Honorable Mention: D’Angelo Ponds (Indiana), Travis Hunter (Colorado), Trey Amos (Ole Miss) 

Jermod McCoy was player who broke out this year for the Tennessee defense as a transfer from Oregon State. His best game was against Alabama where he had 8 tackles, 1 INT, 1 TFL. In only his 2nd year in college football, he will look to shine in the CFB playoffs against a great receiving core of Ohio State. He had:  

• 4 interceptions 
• 8 pass breakups 
• 95% percentile in all-in-one coverage metric 

The pair of Texas corners have been outstanding this year and it was hard to pick between the two for the first and second team. I chose to give the slight nod to Jahdae Barron given the disruptive plays (5 INTs, 6 PBUs, 3 pressures) caused this year. He ends the year with:  

• 5 interceptions 
• 6 pass breakups 
• 98% percentile in our all-in-one coverage metric 

Malik Muhammad (opposite Barron) as a sophomore has made the Texas secondary look like a force. He ends the regular season with:  

• 7 pass breakups 
• 99% percentile in our all-in-one coverage metric 

When the Cal Bears were surging early in the year, a big name that stood out for them was Nohl Williams, who provided a lot of “havoc” for the secondary. He concludes the regular season with:  

• 7 interceptions 
• 9 pass breakups  
• 48 tackles 
• 85% percentile in our all-in-one run stopping metric for corners 

Other CBs of note:  

• D’Angelo Ponds from Indiana (7 PBUs, 2 INTs, 5 TFL, 52 tackles),  

• Travis Hunter as previously mentioned (7 PBUs, 4 INTs; should be in consideration for first team but wanted to give some other corners highlights as well)  

• Trey Amos from Ole Miss (11 PBUs, 3 INTs, 97% percentile in all-in-one coverage metric). 

Safeties 

• First Team: Koi Perich (Minnesota), Caleb Downs (Ohio State) 
• Second Team: Malaki Starks (Georgia), Isaiah Nwokobia (SMU) 
• Honorable Mention: Hunter Wohler (Wisconsin), Andrew Mukuba (Texas) 

The Minnesota secondary has played well this year and part of that is due to, yet another Minnesota splash at the safety position in freshman, Koi Perich. Perich had:  

• 5 interceptions 
• 45 total tackles 
• 98% percentile in our all-in-one coverage metric for safeties 
• First Team All-Big 10 as a freshman 

Caleb Downs hit the transfer portal after the retirement of Nick Saban, and he stepped into an incredibly good Ohio State secondary and made an immediate impact. He was:  

• 99% percentile in our all-in-one coverage metric for safeties 
• 90% percentile in our all-in-one run stopping metric for safeties 

Malaki Starks is a downright playmaker, and the leader of the Georgia run defense. His best game may have been against Alabama where he had 8 tackles and 2 tackles for loss. He ends the regular season with:  

• 74 total tackles 
• 4 tackles for loss 
• 82% percentile in all-in-one run stop metric.  

SMU made it into the college football playoffs on the back of their defensive performance, being top 20 in Havoc %. One of the reasons for that is the play of Isaiah Nwokobia (first team all-ACC) who fit into many different pre-snap alignments. He was:  

• 96 total tackles 
• 3 interceptions 
• 84%+ percentile in both our all-in-one coverage and run stopping metric for safeties 

Other safeties of note:  

• Hunter Wohler from Wisconsin (99% percentile in all-in-one coverage grade, 78 total tackles on the year) 
• Andrew Mukuba from Texas (100% percentile all-in-one coverage grade, 55 total tackles, 4 INTs)