Below, you will find The Action Network's inaugural consensus first- and second-team All-Americans, along with our Players of the Year.
Collin Wilson, Stuckey, and I came up with these using an iterative process after first selecting our own individual teams and then coming together to discuss where we had differences.
We relied on basic statistics, advanced metrics, our own player ratings, and of course, the good ol' eye test, while taking into account number of snaps and level of competition.
We had plenty of tough decisions in front of us, which will surely make for a few disagreements — but that's what makes these lists fun.
In all, 39 schools were represented among our 52 first- and second-team All-Americans. Ten schools had multiple players: Alabama (4), Iowa (3), Cincinnati (2), Georgia (2), Michigan (2), Ohio State (2), Purdue (2), San Diego State (2), Utah (2) and Wisconsin (2).
Among the conferences, the Big Ten led with 15 selections, followed by the SEC (12), Pac-12 (5), AAC (4) and ACC (4).
Without further ado, The Action Network's 2021 college football All-Americans and Players of the Year:
Action Network All-Americans
1st Team OffenseQB Bryce Young Alabama · Sophomore RB Kenneth Walker III Michigan State · Junior WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba Ohio State · Sophomore WR Jordan Addison Pitt · Sophomore WR David Bell Purdue · Junior TE Trey McBride Colorado State · Senior OT Darian Kinnard Kentucky · Senior OG Zion Johnson Boston College · Senior C Tyler Linderbaum Iowa · Junior OG TJ Bass Oregon · Junior OT Ikem Ekwonu NC State · Sophomore |
1st Team DefenseDE Aidan Hutchinson Michigan · Senior DE Will Anderson Jr. Alabama · Sophomore DT Jonah Tavai San Diego State · Senior LB Devin Lloyd Utah · Junior LB Malcolm Rodriguez Oklahoma State · Senior LB Nakobe Dean Georgia · Junior CB Ahmad Gardner Cincinnati · Junior CB Antonio Johnson Texas A&M · Sophomore S Jordan Battle Alabama · Junior S Jaquan Brisker Penn State · Senior DB Jalen Pitre Baylor · Senior |
1st Team Special TeamsK Harrison Mevis Missouri · Sophomore P Matt Araiza San Diego State · Junior RET Marcus Jones Houston · Senior AP Brian Battie South Florida · Sophomore |
2nd Team OffenseQB C.J. Stroud Ohio State · Freshman RB Braelon Allen Wisconsin · Freshman WR Skyy Moore Western Michigan · Sophomore WR Jerreth Sterns Western Kentucky · Junior WR Jameson Williams Alabama · Junior TE Isaiah Likely Coastal Carolina · Senior OT Abraham Lucas Washington State · Senior OG Clark Barrington BYU · Sophomore C Olusegun Oluwatimi Virginia · Senior OG Blaise Andries Minnesota · Senior OT Charles Cross Mississippi State · Sophomore |
2nd Team DefenseDE George Karlaftis Purdue · Junior DE Nik Bonitto Oklahoma · Junior DT Zi'Yon Hill Louisiana · Junior LB Darrian Beavers Cincinnati · Senior LB Ivan Pace Jr. Miami Ohio · Sophomore LB Leo Chenal Wisconsin · Junior CB Roger McCreary Auburn · Senior CB Riley Moss Iowa · Senior S Brad Hawkins Michigan · Senior S Lewis Cine Georgia · Junior DB Kyler Gordon Washington · Junior |
2nd Team Special TeamsK Caleb Shudak Iowa · Senior P Adam Korsak Rutgers · Senior RET Velus Jones Jr. Tennessee · Senior AP Britain Covey Utah · Junior |