Lamar Jackson, Jabrill Peppers lead SI.com's 2016 Midseason All-America Team
A lot has changed through half of the 2016 college football season. Among the 26 players to make SI’s Preseason All-America Team, only 11 return to the Midseason All-America Team. Standouts like Louisville’s Lamar Jackson, the only unanimous selection to the Midseason All-America squad, didn’t even make the second team in the preseason.
While Jackson’s rise has gotten plenty of attention as he has helped lift Louisville into the ACC title and College Football Playoff races, some of the other big stars of the first half of the season have flown under the radar. Vanderbilt’s Zach Cunningham has been one of the most consistent playmakers on defense despite the Commodores’ 3–4 record. Arizona State’s Zane Gonzalez quietly set an NCAA record.
Still, on the whole, the All-America Team is dominated by players whose squads are in the thick of conference championship and playoff hunts. Ohio State led all teams with four players on the first team while Alabama, Michigan and Wisconsin each earned two representatives. The Big Ten topped all conferences with 10 of the 26 first-teamers while the SEC got seven, the Pac-12 four, the ACC three, and one each for the Big 12 and the Group of Five conferences.
Find the complete first and second teams below, and for more on the state of the 2016 college football season at its midpoint, check out SI’s Midseason Power Rankings and Bowl Projections as well as Andy Staples’s predictions for when each of the remaining 11 undefeated teams will lose.
As expansion charade finally ends, where does Big 12 go from here?
*Indicates a unanimous selection
. QB - Lamar Jackson*
Louisville, Sophomore
The dual-threat stud has passed for 1,806 yards and 15 touchdowns while adding 832 yards and 15 more scores on the ground.
. RB - Dalvin Cook
Florida State, Junior
The dynamic runner has racked up 900 rushing yards while serving as Florida State’s offensive catalyst.
. RB - Donnel Pumphrey
San Diego State, Senior
The diminutive dynamo from the Mountain West leads the nation in rushing at 185.2 yards per game.
. WR - Dede WEstbrook
Oklahoma, Senior
The explosive pass-catcher set a program record with 232 receiving yards in an Oct. 1 win over TCU.
. WR - Chad HAnsen
Cal, Junior
A former walk-on, Hansen is a dangerous threat in Cal’s offense and leads the Pac-12 with 128.3 receiving yards per game.
. te - Evan Engram
Ole Miss, Senior
The speedy target averages more receiving yards per game (98.3) than any wide receiver in the SEC.
. T - Cam Robinson
Alabama, Junior
A top NFL prospect, Robinson has done an excellent job protecting the blind side of quarterback Jalen Hurts.
. G - Billy Price
Ohio State, Junior
The veteran has been a major factor in Ohio State overcoming the loss of three starters on the offensive line this off-season.
. C - Pat Elflein
Ohio State, Senior
The Preseason SI All-America has offered a commanding presence in the trenches for a young team.
. G - Dorian Johnson
Pittsburgh, Senior
The senior has helped Pittsburgh average over five yards per carry and score 19 rushing touchdowns in its first seven games.
. T - Ryan Ramczyk
Wisconsin, Junior
A former Division III player, Ramczyk has played a pivotal role powering Wisconsin’s rushing attack.
. DL - Myles garrett
Texas A&M, Junior
The edge rusher has terrorized opposing SEC offensive linemen with his combination of speed and power.
. dl - Malik McDowell
Michigan State, Junior
An interior force, McDowell has excelled at occupying blockers despite Michigan State’s defensive struggles.
. DL - Derek Barnett
Tennessee, Junior
The disruptive defender has compiled six sacks and 11.5 tackles for loss while leading an injury-ridden Volunteers defense.
. LB - Reuben Foster
Alabama, Senior
He’s the next man up in a long line of top-shelf inside linebackers under coach Nick Saban.
. lb - Zach Cunningham
Vanderbilt, Junior
A tackling machine (81 this season), Cunningham made the key stop in the Commodores’ road upset of Georgia this weekend.
. LB - Jack Cichy
Wisconsin, Junior
Cichy is a steadying force for Wisconsin who makes plays in the backfield (7.0 TFLs) and brings down ballcarriers in space (50 total tackles).
. lb - Raekwon McMillan
Ohio State, Junior
The former five-star recruit has blossomed into one of the nation’s best defenders in his third season with the Buckeyes.
. CB - Jourdan Lewis
Michigan, Senior
Michigan’s excellent cover man forces quarterbacks to throw away from him and made the mid-season play of the year against Wisconsin.
. S - Budda Baker
Washington, Junior
The instinctual playmaker has anchored the back end of one of the nation’s most fearsome defenses.
. S - Malik Hooker
Ohio State, Sophomore
The second-year star is at the forefront of a youth movement on a talented Ohio State defense.
. cb - Teez TAbor
Florida, Junior
The Gators’ talented defender is tied for second in the country with four interceptions.
. K - Zane Gonzalez
Arizona State, Senior
The special teams ace broke the NCAA record for field goals in a career in a win over UCLA earlier this month.
. P - Mitch Wishnowsky
Utah, Sophomore
The successor to two-time Ray Guy Award winner Tom Hackett, Wishnowsky leads the nation in average yards per punt (49.13).
. r - Quadree Henderson
Pittsburgh, Sophomore
A versatile weapon, Henderson leads the ACC with an average of 36 yards per kickoff return and two kickoff return touchdowns.
. AP - Jabrill Peppers
Michigan, Junior
The dark-horse Heisman Trophy candidate makes a major impact as a defender, return man and running back.
Second Team
Offense
QB: J.T. Barrett, Jr., Ohio State
RB: Jamaal Williams, Sr., BYU
RB: D'Onta Foreman, Jr., Texas
WR: Corey Davis, Sr., Western Michigan
WR: Amba Etta-Tawo, Sr., Syracuse
TE: Jeremy Sprinkle, Sr., Arkansas
T: Connor Williams, Soph., Texas
G: Quenton Nelson, Soph., Notre Dame
C: Frank Ragnow, Jr., Arkansas
G: Cody O'Connell, Jr., Washington State
T: Mike McGlinchey, Jr., Notre Dame
Defense
DE: Ejuan Price, Sr., Pittsburgh
DT: Christian Wilkins, Soph., Clemson
DE: DeMarcus Walker, Sr., Florida State
LB: Tim Williams, Sr., Alabama
LB: Jarrad Davis, Sr., Florida
LB: T.J. Watt, Jr., Wisconsin
LB: Duke Ejiofor, Jr., Wake Forest
CB: Desmond King, Sr., Iowa
S: Justin Evans, Sr., Texas A&M
S: Jamal Adams, Jr., LSU
CB: Tre'Davious White, Sr., LSU
Special Teams
K: Jake Elliott, Sr., Memphis
P: Johnny Townsend, Jr., Florida
R: Adoree' Jackson, Jr., USC
AP: Christian McCaffrey, Jr., Stanford
