2012 College Football Predictions: First-Team All-American Offensive Players Before he 2012-13 college football season began, I gave out my picks for First-Team All-Americans. The regular season is now in the books, and it is time to make my picks again. This time around, they are based on production on the field rather than preseason speculation. As a result, some of the names on the list have changed compared to the players selected prior to the start of the year. With that in mind, here are my First-Team All-American Picks on the offensive side of the ball.
2012 College Football Predictions: First-Team All-American Offensive Players
Quarterback: Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M Aggies
Forget his win over Alabama. Manziel was an unstoppable offensive weapon for almost the entire season. He threw for more than 3,000 yards, ran for more than 1,000 and set an SEC-record for total yards with 4,600. Manziel finished the year with 43 total scores at has the Aggies sitting in the top 10 in the country in their first year in the SEC.
Running Back: Montee Ball, Wisconsin Badgers
Although his numbers actually dipped this season, Ball still finished the year second in rushing yards with 1,730 and third with 21 rushing scores. Throw in the fact that the Badgers won the Big Ten despite going through three different QBs, and the value of Ball’s steady, strong production is obvious.
Wide Receiver: Stedman Bailey, West Virginia Mountaineers
He was arguably the top all-around receiver in the country, finishing fourth in receptions with 106 and third in yards with 1,501. Bailey really separated himself from the competition with his ability to get into the end zone, leading all receivers with 23 scores.
Wide Receiver: Marqise Lee, USC Trojans
Only a sophomore, Lee has already established himself as one of the most explosive receivers in the country. His 112 catches were the most in the nation, and he finished second with 1,680 yards. Lee’s 14 touchdowns were the third-most in the country.
Tight End: Zach Ertz, Stanford Cardinal
Despite Stanford changing quarterbacks in the middle of the season Ertz led all tight ends with 66 catches for 837 yards. The Cardinal don’t have many weapons at the receiver position either so Ertz put up his solid numbers while facing a majority of the coverage from opposing defenses.
Center: Barrett Jones, Alabama Crimson Tide
He has already been a dominant guard and a dominant left tackle in his collegiate career so it should come as no surprise that Jones excelled in his first season at the center position. Despite playing in the defensive-minded SEC, Alabama’s power running game ranked 20th in the country in yards and fourth in yards per carry while producing a pair of 1,000-yard rushers.
Offensive Tackle: Luke Joeckel, Texas A&M Aggies
While Manziel was putting up insane offensive numbers all year, Joeckel was keeping him upright and giving him time to make plays despite facing some of the best defensive linemen in the country on a weekly basis. There were some questions coming into the year if he would be as dominant in the SEC as he was in the Big 12. Joeckel answered those questions in a big way.
Offensive Tackle: Taylor Lewan, Michigan Wolverines
Injuries derailed the Wolverines’ season, but Lewan protected whoever was under center and paved the way for whoever ran the ball. His strength, technique and versatility as both a run blocker and pass blocker are the main reasons why he is projected by many scouts to be a top-10 pick in the NFL Draft.
Offensive Guard: Jonathan Cooper, North Carolina Tarheels
The Tarheels had one of the more balanced offenses in the country, and the rock solid play of Cooper was one of the reasons North Carolina ranked 11th in the nation in scoring. Whether it was giving Bryn Renner time to throw one of his 28 touchdowns or helping Giovani Bernard average 6.7 yards per carry, Cooper flat out got the job done in the trenches.
Offensive Guard: Chance Warmack, Alabama Crimson Tide
All the numbers that earned Jones the spot at center apply to Warmack. Alabama pummels opponents on the ground, and a majority of the damage comes right up the gut thanks to outstanding interior line play.
Kicker: Cairo Santos, Tulane Green Wave
He finished the year a perfect 21-for-21 in field goal attempts. When you add in the fact that 12 of those attempts came from beyond 40 yards, Santos more than deserves the spot.
Special Teamer: Reggie Dunn, Utah Utes
No kick returner in the country was more dangerous than Dunn. He returned just 10 kicks all year, but his four return scores were the most in the country. Not to mention the fact that he averaged a ridiculous 51.3 yards per return.
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