Photos:  John Cordes (Ford), Michael Allio (Newton), Michael Wade (Harrison), Jeffrey Vest (Bowers)

Now that all of our Preseason All-Conference teams have been announced, it’s time to announce our overall SIS Preseason All-American Team. We used our all-encompassing player value stat, Total Points, along with other metrics and our scouting work as leading references in putting together our selections.

You can learn more about Total Points and the statistics referenced here. 

20 teams are represented in our selections, with 5 schools having multiple players honored. Here are our choices:

Offense

QB – Caleb Williams, USC

Caleb Williams needs little introduction. The reigning Heisman Trophy winner led the entire country with 240 Total Points and just over 0.25 Points per Snap in 2022. He can do it all, as his 195 Passer Points and 45 Rusher Points both ranked 2nd in FBS.

RB – Blake Corum, Michigan

Corum was one of the most effective runners in the country last season, earning the 4th-most Rushing Total Points in the FBS. Michigan was very productive as a team when he carried the ball, earning more EPA on his rushes (48) than any other ballcarrier in the country.

WR – Marvin Harrison Jr., Ohio State

Harrison leads a 1-2 punch at WR for Ohio State heading into 2023. His Yards per Route Run (3.3), Yards per Game (97.2), Receiver Rating (135.9), and First Down Rate (79.2%) all ranked Top 10 in FBS in 2022 among players with 75 targets, and he’s looking for a repeat performance with a new QB this season.

WR – Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State

The 2nd head of the two-headed receiving monster at Ohio State is Egbuka. While his teammate may get more hype, Egbuka is fantastic in his own right. He finished last season with a 130.5 Receiver Rating; Top-10 in the FBS (minimum 70 targets).

TE – Brock Bowers, Georgia

Bowers’ 54 Total Points in 2022 far and away leads all returning TEs heading into 2023. His 3.0 Yards per Route Run, 10.8 Yards per Target, and 134.4 Receiver Rating also led all TEs with at least 50 targets in 2022.

FLEX – Quinshon Judkins, Ole Miss

Judkins exploded on the scene as a true freshman to become one of the biggest weapons in the country. He leads all returning RBs with 56 Total Points last season, and will be looking to build on his 1,700 scrimmage yards from last season.

OT – Joe Alt, Notre Dame

Joe Alt earned the 2nd-most Total Points among FBS tackles last season with 45, and could easily lead the season with a more potent offense. He had a 0.7% Blown Block Rate, including just a 0.2% on Run Blocks.

OT – Will Campbell, LSU

Campbell’s 41 Total Points ranks 2nd among all returning OTs and his 0.048 Total Points per Snap ranked 8th in 2022. As a true freshman, he only committed 10 blown blocks in 838 snaps, none as a run blocker.

OG – Zak Zinter, Michigan

Fresh off back-to-back Joe Moore Awards, Zinter will be key in search for a three-peat. His 44 Total Points last season were 2nd in the FBS among guards, helped by his lowly 0.8% Blown Block Rate.

OG – Cooper Beebe, Kansas State

An incredibly efficient and fundamental blocker, Beebe’s 43 Total Points ranks 2nd among returning OGs, and his 4 blown blocks last year was solo-best in the country among any linemen seeing at least 500 snaps.

OC – Sincere Haynesworth, Tulane

Haynesworth was a major reason for Tulane’s incredible season last year, finishing 4th among FBS centers with 38 Total Points. He was remarkably consistent, finishing with a sub-1% Blown Block Rate as both a pass blocker and as a run blocker.

Defense

DT – Jer’Zhan Newton, Illinois

An absolute monster last season, Newton led all DTs in Total Points with 54 last season. He led the Big Ten in pressures with a whopping 45 and was the only Big Ten defender to have at least 400 pass rushing snaps, showing extraordinary stamina.

DT – Mekhi Wingo, LSU

The LSU front-seven could be monstrous in 2023, and Wingo should help lead the way. He ranked Top 10 in FBS in both Pass Rush Total Points (18) and Run Defense Total Points (22).

ED – Owen Porter, Marshall

To people unfamiliar with Porter, this may be a surprise, but he had a great season last year. He has by far the most returning Total Points among defensive ends; the difference between 1st and 2nd is equivalent to the distance between 2nd and 12th. That he had 41 Pressures, 9.5 Sacks, 2 FF, 1 INT, and 15 TFLs shows it’s hard to ignore the base stats as well.

ED – Harold Perkins Jr., LSU

Another breakout true freshman for the Tigers, Perkins made his presence felt right away in 2022 by accounting for 8.5 sacks, 34 pressures, and a 22.2% Pressure Rate, which ranked 13th among all DE/LBs with at least 10 pressures.

LB – Jaylan Ford, Texas

Jaylan Ford tied for the lead among LBs in Total Points (62), and his ability per-snap put him over the top. He finished Top-10 in Total Points per Snap among LBs last season.

LB – Cedric Gray, North Carolina

Gray, a 2022 First Team All-SIS selection, tied Ford for the lead in Total Points (62) among all LBs in 2022, ranking Top 10 against both the pass (34) and run (28).

CB – Aydan White, NC State

White was very good in bulk and on a per snap basis in 2022. His 81 Total Points lead all returning defenders in FBS, with 72 of them coming against the pass. He accounted for 4 interceptions, 9 passes defensed, and a 20.4 Passer Rating Against, which sat 2nd among CBs with at least 50 targets defended to only Devon Witherspoon . Additionally, his 0.11 Total Points per Snap ranked 3rd among all CBs last year.

CB – Dwight McGlothern, Arkansas

McGlothern has the 2nd-most Total Points among returning FBS defenders with 74. He finished last season with 4 INTs, another 11 Passes Defensed, and a Completion% against of just 42.3% which resulted in a QBR Against of just 37.2.

S – Cole Bishop, Utah

Cole Bishop finished last season Top-5 among FBS safeties in Total Points with 61, and is the top returning safety in the same category. A well-rounded safety, Bishop allowed just 0.3 Yards per Coverage Snap in addition to leading his team in Run Defense Total Points.

S – Calen Bullock, USC

Bullock accounted for 5 picks and 9 pass defenses in 2022 on his way to accumulating 46 Pass Defense Total Points, best among FBS safeties. His 25.5 Points Above Average ranked 2nd in the country among safeties with 10 targets and his Boom Rate of just 14.3% ranked 8th.

FLEX – Kool-Aid McKinstry, Alabama

Kool-Aid not only has a cool name, but he’s also an exceptional football player. His Passer Rating Against (36.4), Yards per Cover Snap (0.5), Completion Rate Against (36.4%), and Deserved Catch Rate Against (59.6%) all ranked Top 10 among CBs with at least 50 targets in 2022.

Specialists

K – Joshua Karty, Stanford

Hard to argue with perfection. Karty went 18/18 on FGs last season including a ridiculous 13/13 on 40+ yarders. Just missing perfection on XPs (24/25) doesn’t take away from his fabulous season.

P – Jack Browning, San Diego State

Browning is a versatile special-teamer who can punt, kick field goals, and kickoff. His 21 Punting Total Points is tied-3rd among returning punters, but his 34 Total Points overall are best among all special teamers. He was Top 25 in 2022 in Punt Average (45.4) and Net Average (42.6), but was Top 10 in Punts Inside the 20 (27) and the 10 (14).

Returner – Lideatrick Griffin, Mississippi State

An absolute weapon in the return game plays for the Bulldogs. Griffin had an absurd 32.3 yard kickoff return average last season. That led FBS returners (minimum 10 returns), and he took one 92 yards to the house for good measure.