The Power Five tends to get more shine in college football, but there are still plenty of phenomenal student-athletes plying their trade at the Group of Five level.
The level of quarterback play this season in G5-Land is absolutely outrageous. Thanks to bonus COVID-19 years, we have a handful of passers entering their seventh seasons.
That includes (Dr.) Frank Harris from UTSA, Northern Illinois’ Rocky Lombardi, Jacksonville State’s Zion Webb and a few sixth-year wonders in James Madison’s Jordan McCloud, Rice’s JT Daniels, San Jose State’s Chevan Cordeiro and Western Kentucky’s Austin Reed.
This collective experience should translate to high-quality quarterback play and hopefully a handful of upsets for G5 teams in “paycheck games.”
Who could forget sixth-year senior Chase Brice helping App State upset Texas A&M last season in College Station? The Mountaineers were paid $1.5 million to hand the Aggies that L. More of that, please.
Outside of veteran quarterback play, the G5 ranks are filled with dynamic skill-position talent.
Rasheen Ali returns to the forefront of the sport after an injury-plagued 2022 season. In 2021, he posted eight multi-touchdown games and finished with 1,401 yards on the ground. He’s healthy once again and ready to dominate in the Sun Belt.
Our All-American selections at receiver were hotly debated. Malachi Corley has the potential to approach 100/1,500/15 numbers this fall, while Colorado State’s Tory Horton and UTEP’s Tyrin Smith have a chance to play their way into second-round grades in next spring’s NFL Draft.
All-purpose superstars, including Southern Miss’ Frank Gore Jr and UAB’s Jermaine Brown Jr., mean everything to their teams. Gore will likely be one of the few players in the country to score three different ways this fall — rushing, receiving and passing — while Brown will chip in on special teams for the Blazers.
Speaking of special teams, Louisiana Tech’s Smoke Harris and Wyoming’s John Hoyland could help swing a game or two for their respective teams, which could be the difference between sitting at home for the holidays and making a minor bowl game in 2023.
The trenches on both sides of the ball feature future pros like NIU’s Nolan Potter and UAB’s Fish McWilliams. UConn’s Christian Haynes and Tulane’s Sincere Haynesworth are special interior linemen, and edge terrors like UTEP’s Praise Amaewhule and Marshall’s Owen Porter could flirt with 20 tackles for loss.
From a statistical standpoint, our first-team linebacking corps should surpass their Power Five competition. Jason Henderson returns to Old Dominion after making 186 (!!) tackles in 12 games last fall. That was 39 more than any other player in the country.
UConn’s Jackson Mitchell and Temple’s Layton Jordan are ball-hawking playmakers who also made the first team.
In the secondary, we have some of the most prolific defensive backs in the game. Buffalo’s Marcus Fuqua led the nation in interceptions and Toledo’s Quinyon Mitchell took a pair of interceptions to the house while breaking up more passes than anyone in the country.
Outside of the receiver selections, this was the most difficult group to separate in terms of first- and second-team consideration.
Here’s the full rundown of Action Network’s Group of Five All-Americans.
1st-Team Offense
QB
Frank Harris
UTSA · Senior
RB
Rasheen Ali
Marshall · Junior
WR
Malachi Corley*
Western Kentucky · Junior
WR
Tory Horton
Colorado State · Junior
WR
Tyrin Smith
UTEP · Senior
TE
RJ Maryland
SMU · Sophomore
OT
Nick Kidwell
James Madison · Senior
OG
Christian Haynes*
UConn · Senior
C
Sincere Haynesworth
Tulane · Senior
OG
Prince Pines
Tulane · Senior
OT
Nolan Potter
Northern Illinois · Senior
1st-Team Defense
DE
Owen Porter
Marshall · Senior
DE
Praise Amaewhule
UTEP · Senior
DT
Fish McWilliams
UAB · Senior
DT
Brandon Brown
UTSA · Junior
LB
Jackson Mitchell
UConn · Senior
LB
Layton Jordan
Temple · Grad Student
LB
Jason Henderson
Old Dominion · Junior
CB
Quinyon Mitchell*
Toledo · Junior
CB
Micah Abraham*
Marshall · Senior
S
Marcus Fuqua
Buffalo · Senior
S
Rashad Wisdom
UTSA · Senior
1st-Team Specialists
K
John Hoyland*
Wyoming · Junior
P
Jack Browning
San Diego State · Senior
RET
Smoke Harris
Louisiana Tech · Senior
AP
Frank Gore Jr.
Southern Miss · Junior
* 2023 FBS Action Network All-American
AP All-Purpose Player
2nd-Team Offense
QB
Grayson McCall
Coastal Carolina · Senior
RB
Samson Evans
Eastern Michigan · Grad Student
WR
Luke McCaffrey
Rice · Junior
WR
Sam Pinckney
Coastal Carolina · Senior
WR
Sam Wiglusz
Ohio · Grad Student
OT
Brady Hunt
Ball State · Sophomore
OT
Everett Smalley
Air Force · Sophomore
OG
Quantavious Leslie
Western Kentucky · Junior
C
Andrew Meyer
UTEP · Senior
OG
AJ Gillie
Louisiana · Junior
OT
Nick Rosi
Toledo · Junior
2nd-Team Defense
DE
Darius Hodges
Tulane · Junior
DE
Richard Jibunor
Troy · Senior
DT
James Carpenter
James Madison · Junior
DT
TJ Jackson
Troy · Junior
LB
JaQues Evans
Western Kentucky · Junior
LB
DJ Schramm
Boise State · Senior
LB
Easton Gibbs
Wyoming · Junior
CB
Cam Lockridge
Fresno State · Senior
CB
Teldrick Ross
Middle Tennessee · Senior
S
Jack Howell
Colorado State · Junior
S
Yam Banks*
South Alabama · Junior
2nd-Team Specialists
K
Jonah Dalmas
Boise State · Senior
P
Lucas Dean
UTSA · Senior
RET
Terrell Vaughn
Utah State · Senior
AP
Jermaine Brown Jr.
UAB · Senior
* 2023 FBS Action Network All-American
AP All-Purpose Player
2023 Group of Five Preseason Players of the Year
Offensive Player of the Year
Frank Harris
Defensive Player of the Year
Jackson Mitchell
