Five Alabama Players Named to AP Preseason All-American Teams

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama is among one of the more featured college football teams in the AP Preseason All-American lists, and it lands five players between the first and second teams.

Linebacker Will Anderson Jr. and offensive tackle Evan Neal are the two first team selections of the Crimson Tide, and guard Emil Ekiyor Jr., wide receiver John Metchie III, and linebacker Christian Harris are second team preseason All-American selections.

Alabama must replace a ton of production from its 2020 national championship group, including All-Americans Mac Jones, DeVonta Smith, Alex Leatherwood, and Najee Harris on the offensive side, and Patrick Surtain II from its defense.

Still, the Crimson Tide is ranked first nationally in the initial AP Poll Top 25, in part due to the names listed on the 2021 All-American preseason teams.

Anderson Jr., a sophomore, is the only underclassmen of the five selected Alabama players, as Neal, Ekiyor, Harris and Metchie III are all entering their third or fourth seasons on campus. Ekiyor is heading into his redshirt junior year while Neal, Harris, and Metchie III were a part of the 2019 signing class.

Overall, though, Alabama trails Iowa State and Notre Dame in most selections to the first team, as the Cyclones and Fighting Irish feature three players each.

The two quarterbacks named to the preseason All-American teams were Spencer Rattler of Oklahoma, who leads the first team, and Sam Howell of North Carolina.

Meanwhile, the 2021 college football season begins in less than one week, and Alabama's season begins September 4 to Miami in the Chick-Fil-A Kickoff Game in Atlanta, Georgia.