Dec 13, 2022

It wasn’t just any year in college football.

We’re going to have a College Football Playoff for the first time that doesn’t include Alabama or Clemson and one that does include TCU.

There are similar surprises on ESPN’s 2022 All-America team. Some of the players on everybody’s radar when the season began didn’t make it, and some players nobody was talking about prior to the season played their way onto the team.

The only three players to make our preseason team, midseason team and postseason team were Texas’

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DE: Tuli Tuipulotu, USC

The nation’s leader in tackles for loss among Power 5 players, Tuipulotu leads all of college football with 12.5 sacks. At 6-4 and 290 pounds, Tuipulotu is a menace when it comes to chasing down opposing quarterbacks. He collapses pockets with his power and uses his quickness to beat offensive linemen off the edge. Even when he was double-teamed this season, which was often, Tuipulotu made his presence felt.

DT: Calijah Kancey, Pittsburgh

Pitt has produced its share of talented defensive linemen over the years, and Kancey is the latest. He led all interior defensive linemen with 14.5 tackles for loss despite missing parts of two games with injuries. The 6-foot, 280-pound redshirt junior was the only player in the country selected as a finalist for both the Outland Trophy and the Bronko Nagurski Trophy. He won’t play in the Panthers’ bowl game because of his late-season injuries.

DT: Jalen Carter, Georgia

When healthy, Carter is the most unblockable defender in college football. Some might say he’s the best player in college football. He battled foot, ankle and knee injuries this season, but he recovered to play some of his best football in Georgia’s most important games. Few players create pressure in the pocket the way the 6-3, 300-pound Carter does. He’s the centerpiece of a Georgia defense that once again was elite.

Edge/DE: Will Anderson Jr., Alabama

For the second year in a row, Anderson won the Bronko Nagurski Trophy as the nation’s best defensive player, and for the second year in a row, he was one of those defenders every opposing offensive coordinator schemed around. The 6-4, 243-pound junior was second among Power 5 players with 17 tackles for loss, including 10 sacks.

LB: Jack Campbell, Iowa

Campbell is Iowa’s first Butkus Award winner as the top linebacker in the country. The Hawkeyes’ senior middle linebacker has been Mr. Steady the whole time he’s been on campus and will leave as one of the top defenders in school history. He had a team-leading 118 total tackles this season after collecting 143 a year ago. The 6-5, 246-pound Campbell also had two interceptions, forced a fumble and recovered a fumble.

LB: Jamon Dumas-Johnson, Georgia

Can anybody remember a time that Georgia didn’t have a dynamic linebacker? This year’s version is Dumas-Johnson, who in his first season as a starter tied for the team lead with 64 total tackles, including a team-leading eight for loss. A true sophomore, the 6-1, 245-pounder did a little bit of everything from his inside linebacker position, from making plays in space in the run game to racking up 21 quarterback hurries.

LB: Ivan Pace Jr., Cincinnati

Pace was a tackling machine for the Bearcats. He had 107 total tackles, including 19 for loss. Seven of those were sacks, and he also forced two fumbles. The 6-foot, 235-pound senior made an immediate impact for Cincinnati from his inside position after playing his first three seasons at Miami (Ohio). Pace combined speed, strength and instincts to become one of the best big-play defenders in the sport.

CB: Emmanuel Forbes, Mississippi State

An elite cover cornerback, Forbes was someone opposing quarterbacks did their best to avoid. He has great speed, superior ball skills and the kind of competitive fire that would make him a difference-maker on any defense. Forbes tied for second nationally with six interceptions and returned three picks for touchdowns. He also blocked a field goal that was returned for a touchdown.

CB: Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson, TCU

One of the mainstays in TCU’s remarkable run to the College Football Playoff — for several years now — has been Hodges-Tomlinson. The 5-9, 180-pound senior went four straight games with a takeaway this season. The Thorpe Award winner as the nation’s top defensive back, Hodges-Tomlinson intercepted three passes and broke up 11 others.

S: Brian Branch, Alabama

Alabama asked Branch to do a little bit of everything this season, and he delivered. He was versatile enough to play the nickel cornerback spot, safety and even what the Tide call their “money” linebacker spot. Branch was Alabama’s third-leading tackler with 78 stops and was second on the team to Will Anderson Jr. with 10 tackles for loss. The 6-foot, 193-pound junior also returned a punt 68 yards for a touchdown.

S: Kamren Kinchens, Miami

As a true sophomore, Kinchens developed into one of the more productive defensive backs in college football. He’s smart, has good size (205 pounds) and is always around the ball, as evidenced by his six interceptions. He tied a school record with three picks in a 35-14 win over Georgia Tech and returned one of those 99 yards for a touchdown. Kinchens led the Hurricanes with 59 total tackles and also broke up six passes.

Special teams

PK: Christopher Dunn, NC State

Dunn, a fifth-year senior, capped a record-setting career with his finest season yet in winning the Lou Groza Award as the nation’s top place-kicker. He was 24-of-25 on field goal attempts and 10-of-11 on field goals of 40 yards or longer. The Wolfpack’s all-time leading scorer with 377 points, Dunn’s longest field goal this season was a 53-yarder, and he made both of his attempts from 50-plus yards.

P: Kai Kroeger, South Carolina

It’s fitting that the best punter in college football was an integral part of Beamer Ball. The Beamer name is intertwined with stellar special teams play, and Kroeger was terrific. He was second nationally in punting average (46.8 yards) and had 27 of his 52 punts downed inside the 20. In the Gamecocks’ biggest win of the season, against rival Clemson, Kroeger averaged 53 yards on seven punts, and four were downed inside the 10.

KR: Anthony Gould, Oregon State

An injury cost Gould the last two games of the season, but he still produced a pair of punt returns for touchdowns, an 80-yarder and 55-yarder. The 5-8, 165-pound redshirt sophomore led the country in punt return average (18.6 yards) and always seemed to be making big plays for the 9-3 Beavers. He also was second on the team with 27 catches and had three touchdowns, one a 74-yarder.