College Football

College Football: The FOX Sports 2023 midseason All-America team

Published Oct. 18, 2023 4:15 a.m. ET

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Bryan Fischer

College Football Writer

It seems like just yesterday that everybody was giddy over our first taste of college football back in Week 0. Now it's hard to fathom that we've crossed the midway mark of the 2023 season.

Yet that's what it says on the calendar after a thrilling first half.

HOW TO WATCH ‘BIG NOON KICKOFF' THIS SATURDAY

• 10 a.m.-Noon ET: "Big Noon Kickoff" pregame show on FOX
• Noon ET: Penn State at Ohio State on FOX and the FOX Sports app

We saw remarkable performances and incredible moments — from a final Red River Rivalry game in the Big 12 that turned into a wild shootout, to the back-and-forth Pacific Northwest struggle on Montlake, some unforgettable goal-line stands and, of course, a month of Coach Prime dominating the college football discourse.

Which players have stood out above all others and helped deliver some of those exceptional performances?

As selected by our distinguished panel of writers and analysts, here are the members of the FOX Sports 2023 Midseason All-American team:

FIRST TEAM OFFENSE

QB: Michael Penix Jr., Washington

What more needs to be said about the front-runner for the Heisman Trophy at this point? In addition to leading the Huskies to success that the program hasn't seen in several years, Penix leads the country in passing and is the nation's third-most efficient passer despite taking downfield shots on nearly every series.

Michael Penix Jr. leads Washington past Oregon in a thriller

RB: Audric Estime, Notre Dame

QB Sam Hartman has received a lot of attention when it comes to the Irish offense, but Estime has been the group's heart and soul. He's averaging more than 6 yards per carry and is sixth in rushing touchdowns, proving to be as adept at getting yards between the tackles as he is at busting out a big play (such as the one he scooted to the end zone for to beat Duke).

RB: Jonathon Brooks, Texas

Bijan Robinson and Roschon Johnson are long gone, but the Longhorns' ground game hasn't suffered one bit thanks to the play of Brooks. The sophomore leads all Power 5 backs with 121 yards rushing per game and is averaging 6.7 yards per rush.

WR: Keon Coleman, Florida State

A few other receivers have better stats, but it's hard to overstate just how impactful Coleman has been since leaving Michigan State for Tallahassee, keeping the ‘Noles undefeated and primed for a CFP run. Nearly a quarter of Coleman's catches have ended up in the back of the end zone, and he's churned out some highlight reel stuff in every game this season.

WR: Rome Odunze, Washington

The big-play threat on the Huskies has quickly established himself as Penix's favorite target, ranking second in the country in yards per game and showcasing some incredible body control on his six scores. Despite sharing catches with three other top wideouts, Odunze has shown why he's a future first-rounder.

ALL PURPOSE: Travis Hunter, Colorado

Missed time might wind up costing Hunter a trip to New York as a Heisman finalist, but it's hard to argue he's been the most impactful two-way player in major college football since the days of Chris Gamble nearly 20 years ago. In addition to being the top cornerback for the Buffs and averaging more than 100 snaps per game on both sides of the ball, he's hauled in 29 passes and two scores in less than four full games.

Is Travis Hunter doing something even harder than what Shohei Ohtani does?

TE: Brock Bowers, Georgia

Though an ankle injury will sideline him for the next few weeks, no player has a greater gap over the competition at his position than Bowers does at tight end. He's top 20 in catches nationally, averages more than 80 yards per game and continues to find a way to move the chains despite drawing a double team nearly every time.

OL: Joe Alt, Notre Dame

The future first-rounder has been key in springing many of Estime's long runs, as well as keeping Hartman upright. There are few tackles who have been complete in terms of both run blocking and pass protection, but Alt is as good as they come in both.

OL: Zak Zinter, Michigan

Part of the nucleus of back-to-back Joe Moore Award-winning offensive lines, Zinter has been key to the Wolverines' ability to play bully ball against opponents this season. In addition to being one of 14 teams that allow one sack or fewer per game, the senior has paved the way for many of Michigan's 18 rushing touchdowns this year.

OC: Sedrick Van Pran, Georgia

A lot has changed for UGA's offense in terms of personnel, but Van Pran has been a constant in allowing the Bulldogs to keep things rolling as they look to three-peat. In helping QB Carson Beck settle in by taking care of everything up front, Kirby Smart's team has a top-10 passing offense balanced out by the fourth-most rushing touchdowns in FBS this year.

OL: Cooper Beebe, Kansas State

The veteran has been one of the top guards in the country for many of his 38 consecutive starts and shows no signs of slowing down. The Wildcats rank 12th in rushing offense and have the same number of touchdowns on the ground as reigning national champion Georgia.

OL: Taliese Fuaga, Oregon State

Tailback Damien Martinez leads the Pac-12 in rushing yards thanks largely to getting to run behind Fuaga so often, who gets labeled by more than one opponent as a road-grater for the way he just rolls over opposing defenders with his 6-6, 335-pound frame.

Breaking down how Oregon State dominated UCLA

FIRST TEAM DEFENSE

DL: Jonah Elliss, Utah

Fresh off his most dominating performance of the season against Cal, Elliss leads the Pac-12 in sacks and ranks second in the country in both sacks and tackles for loss. The Utes defense has been stellar in 2023 largely because of the pressure the legacy pass rusher brings in Salt Lake City. 

DL: Howard Cross III, Notre Dame

It's not often that an interior defensive lineman leads a team in tackles, but that's a sign of just how dominant Cross has been in the middle of Marcus Freeman's defense. On top of being a brick wall against the run, there are few defensive tackles who apply as much pressure in a QB's face as Cross does.

DL: Jer'Zhan Newton, Illinois

Disruptive is underselling what Newton does on pretty much every play. His burst off the line is impressive enough, but he also has the motor to chase down opposing players from behind more often than not and has been a one-man wrecking crew for the Illini up front.

LB: Danny Stutsman, Oklahoma

Few players epitomize the Sooners' turnaround defensively more than their energetic leader. Stutsman flies all over the field and ranks eighth in tackles for loss nationally while averaging nearly 10 tackles per game (he also hauled in a pick-six for good measure).

Does Oklahoma have a path to the College Football Playoff?

LB: Jason Henderson, Old Dominion

The tackling machine out of the Sun Belt FBS leads in tackles despite playing one fewer game than the next five closest players. He's also third in tackles for loss and among the most instinctive players at his position.

LB: Jay Higgins, Iowa

There's nothing flashy about the senior leader of Iowa's salty defense, but few are better at getting the job done. He's fourth in FBS in solo tackles while forming the backbone of a team allowing the fourth-fewest yards per play.

DB: Cooper DeJean, Iowa

Like his teammate in Iowa City, DeJean has helped install the Hawkeyes as favorites to win the Big Ten West with his incredible play and ball-hawking ability. He's yet to allow a touchdown in coverage this season and has opposing QBs targeting the opposite side of the field whenever they see him between the lines. For good measure, he also had a key punt return that led to a convincing win over Michigan State, too.

DB: Kris Abrams-Draine, Missouri

His four interceptions are tied for second-most in the country and his play has been key to Missouri's resurgence this season as a top-25 caliber team. In addition to his instincts, the length he brings to the table is a good reason why he's among the best at batting down passes when thrown in his vicinity.

DB: Jaylin Simpson, Auburn

It hasn't been a smooth start to the Hugh Freeze era on the Plains, but Simpson has been an incredible bright spot. He's got four picks in six games and always seems to be around the ball making a play.

DB: Malaki Starks, Georgia

It remains hard to believe that Starks is just a year and a half into his college career given how good he has been roaming the backend for Kirby Smart's reigning national champs. Equally good at coming up to get stops near the line, he's third on the Bulldogs in tackles to go with his two interceptions.

FIRST TEAM SPECIAL TEAMS

P: Tory Taylor, Iowa

It feels like the Australian has been booming punts for a decade at Kinnick Stadium, but he's been even better this season by playing a large part in the Hawkeyes' success. For a team based on field position and defense, he leads FBS in punts, punting yardage and is fifth in average while placing most inside the coffin corner.

K: Will Reichard, Alabama

It wasn't long ago that the Tide had a kicking problem. That is of no concern nowadays thanks to Reichard, who has made all of his field goal attempts and extra points this season to become the SEC's all-time leader in points scored.

PR: Ainias Smith, Texas A&M

One of five SEC players who have returned a punt for a touchdown, Smith is second in FBS among those who qualify for return average and has been a big play machine for the Aggies when they've needed one most.

KR: Zachariah Branch, USC

Branch has only played in five games this year, but the true freshman is the only player in the country with both a punt return and a kick return for a touchdown. He's averaging more than 24 yards per return even as teams have been very much trying to kick away from him. 

Zachariah Branch shows off ELITE speed in 75-yard punt return TD

SECOND TEAM OFFENSE

QB: Caleb Williams, USC

RB: Ray Davis, Kentucky

RB: Ashton Jeanty, Boise State

WR: Malik Nabers, LSU

WR: Marvin Harrison Jr., Ohio State

ALL-PURPOSE: Luther Burden III, Missouri

TE: Dallin Holker, Colorado State

OL: Olu Fashanu, Penn State

OL: Tanner Miller, Oregon State

OL: Jackson Powers-Johnson, Oregon

OL: Brandon Coleman, TCU

OL: Ajani Cornelius, Oregon

Ohio State's Marvin Harrison Jr. registers 163 yards, TD vs. Maryland

SECOND TEAM DEFENSE

DL: Laiatu Latu, UCLA

DL: T'Vondre Sweat, Texas

DL: Mason Graham, Michigan

EDGE: Mohamed Kamara, Colorado State

LB: Edgerrin Cooper, Texas A&M

LB: Payton Wilson, N.C. State

LB: Dominic DeLuca, Penn State

DB: Maxwell Hairston, Kentucky

DB: Denzel Burke, Ohio State

DB: Calen Bullock, USC

DB: Caleb Downs, Alabama

SECOND TEAM SPECIAL TEAMS

K: Joshua Karty, Stanford

P: Tyler Perkins, Iowa State

PR: Daequan Hardy, Penn State

KR: Matthew Golden, Houston

Penn State forces five turnovers in victory over Illinois

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Bryan Fischer is a college football writer for FOX Sports. He has been covering college athletics for nearly two decades at outlets such as NBC Sports, CBS Sports, Yahoo! Sports and NFL.com among others. Follow him on Twitter at @BryanDFischer.

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