2023 College Football Preseason Group of Five All-Americans & Players of the Year
Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images, Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images and Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images. Pictured (left to right): Western Kentucky wide receiver Malachi Corley, Southern Miss running back Frank Gore Jr. and UTSA quarterback Frank Harris.
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.
![Header First Logo](https://assets.actionnetwork.com/252389_action-logo-check.png)
1st-Team Offense
QB
![Header First Logo](https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaaf/100/utsa.png)
Frank Harris
UTSA · Senior
RB
![Header First Logo](https://images.actionnetwork.com/blog/2023/07/marshall-thundering-herd-updated-logo-100.png)
Rasheen Ali
Marshall · Junior
WR
![Header First Logo](https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaaf/100/wky.png)
Malachi Corley*
Western Kentucky · Junior
WR
![Header First Logo](https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaaf/100/csu.png)
Tory Horton
Colorado State · Junior
WR
![Header First Logo](https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaaf/100/tep.png)
Tyrin Smith
UTEP · Senior
TE
![Header First Logo](https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaaf/100/smu.png)
RJ Maryland
SMU · Sophomore
OT
![Header First Logo](https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaaf/100/jmu_n.png)
Nick Kidwell
James Madison · Senior
OG
![Header First Logo](https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaaf/100/uconn.png)
Christian Haynes*
UConn · Senior
C
![Header First Logo](https://images.actionnetwork.com/blog/2023/07/Tulane-Green-Wave-Logo-Updated-2023.png)
Sincere Haynesworth
Tulane · Senior
OG
![Header First Logo](https://images.actionnetwork.com/blog/2023/07/Tulane-Green-Wave-Logo-Updated-2023.png)
Prince Pines
Tulane · Senior
OT
![Header First Logo](https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaaf/100/niu.png)
Nolan Potter
Northern Illinois · Senior
![Header First Logo](https://assets.actionnetwork.com/252389_action-logo-check.png)
1st-Team Defense
DE
![Header First Logo](https://images.actionnetwork.com/blog/2023/07/marshall-thundering-herd-updated-logo-100.png)
Owen Porter
Marshall · Senior
DE
![Header First Logo](https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaaf/100/tep.png)
Praise Amaewhule
UTEP · Senior
DT
![Header First Logo](https://images.actionnetwork.com/blog/2021/11/2021-UAB-Blazers-Logo-100.png)
Fish McWilliams
UAB · Senior
DT
![Header First Logo](https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaaf/100/utsa.png)
Brandon Brown
UTSA · Junior
LB
![Header First Logo](https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaaf/100/uconn.png)
Jackson Mitchell
UConn · Senior
LB
![Header First Logo](https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaaf/100/tem.png)
Layton Jordan
Temple · Grad Student
LB
![Header First Logo](https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaaf/100/odu.png)
Jason Henderson
Old Dominion · Junior
CB
![Header First Logo](https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaaf/100/told.png)
Quinyon Mitchell*
Toledo · Junior
CB
![Header First Logo](https://images.actionnetwork.com/blog/2023/07/marshall-thundering-herd-updated-logo-100.png)
Micah Abraham*
Marshall · Senior
S
![Header First Logo](https://assets.actionnetwork.com/249995_buffalo.png)
Marcus Fuqua
Buffalo · Senior
S
![Header First Logo](https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaaf/100/utsa.png)
Rashad Wisdom
UTSA · Senior
![Header First Logo](https://assets.actionnetwork.com/252389_action-logo-check.png)
1st-Team Specialists
K
![Header First Logo](https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaaf/100/wyo.png)
John Hoyland*
Wyoming · Junior
P
![Header First Logo](https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaaf/100/sdsu.png)
Jack Browning
San Diego State · Senior
RET
![Header First Logo](https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaab/100/lt.png)
Smoke Harris
Louisiana Tech · Senior
AP
![Header First Logo](https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaab/100/usm.png)
Frank Gore Jr.
Southern Miss · Junior
* 2023 FBS Action Network All-American
AP All-Purpose Player
![Header First Logo](https://assets.actionnetwork.com/252389_action-logo-check.png)
2nd-Team Offense
QB
![Header First Logo](https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaaf/100/cc.png)
Grayson McCall
Coastal Carolina · Senior
RB
![Header First Logo](https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaaf/100/emc.png)
Samson Evans
Eastern Michigan · Grad Student
WR
![Header First Logo](https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaaf/100/rice.png)
Luke McCaffrey
Rice · Junior
WR
![Header First Logo](https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaaf/100/cc.png)
Sam Pinckney
Coastal Carolina · Senior
WR
![Header First Logo](https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaab/100/ohi.png)
Sam Wiglusz
Ohio · Grad Student
OT
![Header First Logo](https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaaf/100/ball.png)
Brady Hunt
Ball State · Sophomore
OT
![Header First Logo](https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaab/100/af.png)
Everett Smalley
Air Force · Sophomore
OG
![Header First Logo](https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaab/100/wky.png)
Quantavious Leslie
Western Kentucky · Junior
C
![Header First Logo](https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaab/100/tep.png)
Andrew Meyer
UTEP · Senior
OG
![Header First Logo](https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaab/100/ull.png)
AJ Gillie
Louisiana · Junior
OT
![Header First Logo](https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaab/100/told.png)
Nick Rosi
Toledo · Junior
![Header First Logo](https://assets.actionnetwork.com/252389_action-logo-check.png)
2nd-Team Defense
DE
![Header First Logo](https://images.actionnetwork.com/blog/2023/07/Tulane-Green-Wave-Logo-Updated-2023.png)
Darius Hodges
Tulane · Junior
DE
![Header First Logo](https://images.actionnetwork.com/blog/2021/11/2021-Troy-Trojans-Logo-100.png)
Richard Jibunor
Troy · Senior
DT
![Header First Logo](https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaaf/100/jmu_n.png)
James Carpenter
James Madison · Junior
DT
![Header First Logo](https://images.actionnetwork.com/blog/2021/11/2021-Troy-Trojans-Logo-100.png)
TJ Jackson
Troy · Junior
LB
![Header First Logo](https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaab/100/wky.png)
JaQues Evans
Western Kentucky · Junior
LB
![Header First Logo](https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaab/100/boise.png)
DJ Schramm
Boise State · Senior
LB
![Header First Logo](https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaab/100/wyo.png)
Easton Gibbs
Wyoming · Junior
CB
![Header First Logo](https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaab/100/fre.png)
Cam Lockridge
Fresno State · Senior
CB
![Header First Logo](https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaab/100/mts.png)
Teldrick Ross
Middle Tennessee · Senior
S
![Header First Logo](https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaab/100/csu.png)
Jack Howell
Colorado State · Junior
S
![Header First Logo](https://images.actionnetwork.com/blog/2021/11/2021-South-Alabama-Logo-100.png)
Yam Banks*
South Alabama · Junior
![Header First Logo](https://assets.actionnetwork.com/252389_action-logo-check.png)
2nd-Team Specialists
K
![Header First Logo](https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaab/100/boise.png)
Jonah Dalmas
Boise State · Senior
P
![Header First Logo](https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaab/100/utsa.png)
Lucas Dean
UTSA · Senior
RET
![Header First Logo](https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaab/100/uts.png)
Terrell Vaughn
Utah State · Senior
AP
![Header First Logo](https://images.actionnetwork.com/blog/2021/11/2021-UAB-Blazers-Logo-100.png)
Jermaine Brown Jr.
UAB · Senior
* 2023 FBS Action Network All-American
AP All-Purpose Player
![Header First Logo](https://assets.actionnetwork.com/252389_action-logo-check.png)
2023 Group of Five Preseason Players of the Year
Offensive Player of the Year
![Header First Logo](https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaaf/100/utsa.png)
Frank Harris
Defensive Player of the Year
![Header First Logo](https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaaf/100/uconn.png)
Jackson Mitchell
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