College football: Ohio State gets four on All-America team

Four players from Ohio State are among 10 first-team picks from the Big Ten on The Associated Press All-America team released Monday, a group headed by repeat selection Caleb Downs of the Buckeyes and AP Player of the Year Fernando Mendoza of Indiana. The AP has named an All-America team every year since 1925, and Notre Dame's two first-team picks this season increased its all-time lead to 87. Downs, the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, has made the first team each of his two seasons at Ohio State after landing on the second team as a freshman at Alabama in 2023. He is one of 12 players on the 27-man first team who did not start their careers at their current school. Downs is joined on the first team by fellow Buckeyes Jeremiah Smith, Kayden McDonald and Arvell Reese. Mendoza, who won the Heisman Trophy over the weekend, led the top-ranked Hoosiers to a 13-0 record and the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff after transferring from California. He has thrown a nation-leading 33 touchdown passes and is the catalyst of one of the most productive offenses in the country. A total of 18 schools are represented on the first team, including seven of the 12 in the CFP. Iowa has had at least one first-team player seven straight years and in 10 of the last 12. This is the fourth year in a row Miami, Notre Dame and Ohio State have had at least one. Punter Cole Maynard gave Western Kentucky its first-ever first-team pick. Defensive lineman Landon Robinson is Navy's first since 1975 and kicker Kansei Matsuzawa is Hawaii's first since 1986. Copley High graduate and Navy defensive tackle Landon Robinson was a first-team choice. AP All-America teams FIRST TEAM offense Wide receivers — Makai Lemon, Southern California, junior, 5-11, 195, Los Angeles; Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State, sophomore, 6-3, 223, Miami Gardens, Florida; Skyler Bell, UConn, senior, 6-0, 185, New York, N.Y. Tackles — Francis Mauigoa, Miami, junior, 6-6, 335,Ili'ili, American Samoa; Spencer Fano, Utah, junior, 6-6, 308, Spanish Fork, Utah. Guards — Emmanuel Pregnon, Oregon, senior, 6-5, 318, Denver; Beau Stephens, Iowa, senior, 6-5, 315, Blue Springs, Missouri. Center — Logan Jones, Iowa, graduate, 6-3, 202, Council Bluffs, Iowa. Tight end — Eli Stowers, Vanderbilt, graduate, 6-4, 235, Denton, Texas. Quarterback — Fernando Mendoza, Indiana, junior, 6-5, 225, Miami. Running backs — Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame, junior, 6-0, 214, St. Louis; Ahmad Hardy, Missouri, sophomore, 5-10, 210, Oma, Mississippi. Kicker — Kansei Matsuzawa, Hawaii, senior, 6-2, 200, Tokyo. All-purpose — KC Concepcion, Texas A&M, junior, 5-11, 190, Charlotte, North Carolina. Defense Edge rushers — David Bailey, Texas Tech, senior, 6-3, 250, Irvine, California; Cashius Howell, Texas A&M, senior, 6-2, 248, Kansas City, Missouri. Interior linemen — Kayden McDonald, Ohio State, junior, 6-3, 326, Suwanee, Georgia; Landon Robinson, Navy, senior, 6-0, 287, Fairlawn, Ohio. Linebackers — Jacob Rodriguez, Texas Tech, senior, 6-1, 235, Wichita Falls, Texas; Arvell Reese, Ohio State, junior, 6-4, 243, Cleveland; CJ Allen, Georgia, junior, 6-1, 235, Barnesville, Georgia. Cornerbacks — Leonard Moore, Notre Dame, sophomore, 6-2, 195, Round Rock, Texas; Mansoor Delane, LSU, senior, 6-0, 190, Silver Spring, Maryland. Safeties — Caleb Downs, Ohio State, junior, 6-0, 205, Hoschton, Georgia; Bishop Fitzgerald, Southern California, senior, 5-11, 205, Woodbridge, Virginia. Defensive back — Jakari Foster, Louisiana Tech, senior, 6-0, 211, Piedmont, Alabama. Punter — Cole Maynard, Western Kentucky, senior, 6-1, 180, Mooresville, North Carolina. SECOND TEAM Offense Wide receivers — Carnell Tate, Ohio State, junior, 6-3, 195, Chicago; Malachi Toney, Miami, freshman, 5-11, 188, Liberty City, Florida.; Danny Scudero, San Jose State, sophomore, 5-9, 174, San Jose, California. Tackles — Kadyn Proctor, Alabama, junior, 6-7, 366, Des Moines, Iowa; Carter Smith, Indiana, junior, 6-5, 313, Powell, Ohio. Guards — Olaivavega Ioane, Penn State, junior, 6-4, 323, Graham, Washington; Ar'maj Reed-Adams, Texas A&M, graduate, 6-5, 325, Dallas. Center – Jake Slaughter, Florida, senior, 6-4, 303, Sparr, Florida. Tight end — Kenyon Sadiq, Oregon, junior, 6-3, 245, Idaho Falls, Idaho. Quarterback — Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt, graduate, 6-0, 207, Albuquerque, New Mexico. Running back — Emmett Johnson, Nebraska, junior, 5-11, 200, Minneapolis. Running back — Kewan Lacy, Mississippi, sophomore, 5-11, 210, Dallas. Kicker — Tate Sandell, Oklahoma, junior, 5-9, 182, Port Neches, Texas. All-purpose — Wayne Knight, James Madison, junior, 5-7, 190, Smyrna, Delaware. Defense Edge rushers — Rueben Bain Jr., Miami, junior, 6-3, 270, Miami; John Henry Daley, Utah, sophomore, 6-4, 255, Alpine, Utah. Interior linemen — A.J. Holmes Jr., Texas Tech, junior, 6-3, 300, Houston; Peter Woods, Clemson, junior, 6-3, 310, Alabaster, Alabama. Linebackers — Sonny Syles, Ohio State, senior, 6-5, 243, Pickerington, Ohio; Anthony Hill Jr., Texas, junior, 6-3, 238, Denton, Texas; Linebacker — Red Murdock, Buffalo, graduate, 6-1, 240, Petersburg, Virginia. sCornerback — D'Angelo Ponds, Indiana, junior, 5-9, 173, Miami; Chris Johnson, San Diego State, senior, 6-0, 195, Eastvale, California. Safeties — Dillon Thieneman, Oregon, junior, 6-0, 205, Westfield, Indiana; Safety — Louis Moore, Indiana, senior, 5-11, 200, Mesquite, Texas. Defensive back — Hezekiah Masses, California, senior, 6-1, 185, Deerfield Beach, Florida. Punter — Brett Thorson, Georgia, senior, 6-2, 235, Melbourne, Australia. THIRD TEAM Offense Wide receivers — Eric McAlister, TCU, senior, 6-3, 205, Azie, Texas; Chris Brazzell II, Tennessee, junior, 6-5, 200, Midland, Texas; Jordyn Tyson, Arizona State, junior, 6-2, 200, Allen, Texas. Tackles — Keagen Trost, Missouri, graduate, 6-4, 316, Kankakee, Illinois; Brian Parker II, Duke, junior, 6-5, 305, Cincinnati. Guards — Keylan Rutledge, Georgia Tech, senior, 6-4, 330, Royston, Georgia; Evan Tengesdahl, Cincinnati, sophomore, 6-3, 320, Dayton, Ohio. Center — Iapani Laloulu, Oregon, junior, 6-2, 329, Honolulu. Tight end — Michael Trigg, Baylor, senior, 6-4, 240, Tampa, Florida. Quarterback — Julian Sayin, Ohio State, redshirt freshman, 6-1, 208, Carlsbad, California. Running backs — Cam Cook, Jacksonville State, junior, 5-11, 200, Round Rock, Texas; Kaytron Allen, Penn State, senior, 5-11, 219, Norfolk, Virginia. Kicker — Aidan Birr, Georgia Tech, junior, 6-1, 205, Kennedale, Texas. All-purpose — Jadarian Price, Notre Dame, junior, 5-11, 210, Denison, Texas. Defense Edge rushers — Caden Curry, Ohio State, senior, 6-3, 260, Greenwood, Indiana; Nadame Tucker, Western Michigan, senior, 6-3, 250, New York. Interior linemen — Tyrique Tucker, Indiana, junior, 6-0, 302, Norfolk, Virginia; Lee Hunter, Texas Tech, senior, 6-4, 330, Mobile, Alabama. Linebackers — Aiden Fisher, Indiana, senior, 6-1, 231, Fredericksburg, Virginia; Caden Fordham, North Carolina State, graduate, 6-1, 230, Ponte Vedra, Florida; Owen Long, Colorado State, sophomore, 6-2, 230, Whittier, California. Cornerbacks — Avieon Terrell, Clemson, junior, 5-11, 180, Atlanta; Treydan Stukes, Arizona, senior, 6-2, 200, Litchfield Park, Arizona. Safeties — Michael Taaffe, Texas, senior, 6-0, 189, Austin, Texas; Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, Toledo, senior, 6-2, 202, Tampa, Florida. Defensive back — Bray Hubbard, Alabama, junior, 6-2, 213, Ocean Springs, Mississippi. Punter — Ryan Eckley, Michigan State, junior, 6-2, 207, Lithia, Florida.