With the 2024 college football season and the beginning of a new 12-team College Football Playoff era just weeks ahead, our panel was faced with plenty of difficult decisions when convening to select the 2024 CBS Sports / 247Sports Preseason All-America team. Experts from CBS Sports and 247Sports joined forces once again to honor the players who they believe will shine brightest on the gridiron over the next few months.
Just four players received unanimous preseason All-America selections: Oklahoma State running back Ollie Gordon II, LSU offensive lineman Will Campbell, Michigan linebacker Will Johnson and Georgia defensive back Malaki Starks. Gordon and Starks are among four players who return as preseason first-team picks after ending the 2023 campaign in the same position. Notre Dame defensive back Xavier Watts and Alabama kicker Graham Nicholson are the others.
Colorado's Travis Hunter is a particularly noteworthy selection this preseason as he was chosen to the first team at both cornerback and as an all-purpose player. Hunter, who started on both sides of the ball as a sophomore, caught 57 passes for 721 yards and five touchdowns last season.
In total, 28 programs are represented across the two teams of 54 selections.
The last two national champions, Michigan and Georgia, enter with the most first-team picks (three). The Bulldogs also have the 2023 CBS Sports Preseason Player of the Year in quarterback Carson Beck. Alabama, Ohio State and LSU (two each) also have multiple players earning top honors. The Crimson Tide and Buckeyes lead the pack overall, each with five selections across the two teams, while UGA and Notre Dame are just behind them with four picks each.
Ohio State also enters the season with the 2024 CBS Sports Preseason Coach of the Year in Ryan Day and 2024 CBS Sports Preseason Freshman of the Year in WR Jeremiah Smith.
The SEC leads the way in first-team selections (12) with the Big Ten not far behind (seven). Combined, the two powerhouse conferences accounted for 37 of 54 total picks (68.5%). Ten SEC teams and six Big Ten programs are represented on the overall 2024 CBS Sports Preseason All-America team.
| Conference | First team | Total selections |
|---|---|---|
| SEC | 12 | 21 |
| Big Ten | 7 | 16 |
| Big 12 | 4 | 6 |
| ACC | 3 | 5 |
| Independent (Notre Dame) | 1 | 4 |
| Mountain West | 0 | 1 |
| Conference USA | 0 | 1 |
In an effort to modernize our All-America team and make it more representative of the current game, CBS Sports in 2022 adjusted the defensive roster positions, adding an additional defensive back slot. Furthermore, any EDGE rushers voted onto the team are positioned as listed on official team rosters.
2024 CBS Sports / 247Sports Preseason All-America
* unanimous selection | classes from official team rosters
First team
| Offense | | | |
|---|---|---|---|
QB | Carson Beck | Georgia | Senior |
RB | Ollie Gordon II * | Oklahoma State | Junior |
RB | Omarion Hampton | Junior | |
WR | Luther Burden III | Junior | |
WR | Tetairoa McMillan | Junior | |
TE | Colston Loveland | Michigan | Junior |
C | Parker Brailsford | Alabama | Redshirt sophomore |
OL | Will Campbell * | LSU | Junior |
OL | Kelvin Banks | Junior | |
OL | Donovan Jackson | Senior | |
OL | Tate Ratledge | Georgia | Senior |
| Defense | | | |
| DL | Mason Graham | Michigan | Junior |
| DL | James Pearce Jr. | Tennessee | Junior |
DL | Ashton Gillotte | Senior | |
LB | Jay Higgins | Redshirt senior | |
LB | Harold Perkins Jr. | LSU | Junior |
LB | Danny Stutsman | Senior | |
CB | Will Johnson * | Michigan | Junior |
CB | Travis Hunter | Colorado | Junior |
DB | Malaki Starks * | Georgia | Junior |
DB | Caleb Downs | Ohio State | Sophomore |
DB | Xavier Watts | Notre Dame | Senior |
| Special teams | | | |
K | Graham Nicholson | Alabama | Senior |
P | Alex Mastromanno | Redshirt senior | |
KR | Barion Brown | Junior | |
PR | Zachariah Branch | Sophomore | |
AP | Travis Hunter | Junior |
Second team
| Offense | | | |
|---|---|---|---|
QB | Dillon Gabriel | Senior | |
RB | Ashton Jeanty | Junior | |
| RB | Quinshon Judkins | Ohio State | Junior |
WR | Emeka Egbuka | Ohio State | Graduate |
| WR | Tez Johnson | Oregon | Senior |
TE | Mitchell Evans | Notre Dame | Senior |
C | Cooper Mays | Tennessee | Senior |
OL | Tyler Booker | Alabama | Junior |
OL | Dylan Fairchild | Georgia | Junior |
OL | Emery Jones | LSU | Junior |
OL | Clay Webb | Redshirt senior | |
| Defense | | | |
| DL | Abdul Carter | Penn State | Junior |
DL | Nic Scourton | Junior | |
DL | Deone Walker | Kentucky | Junior |
LB | Barrett Carter Jr. | Senior | |
LB | Deontae Lawson | Alabama | Redshirt junior |
LB | Nick Martin | Oklahoma State | Redshirt junior |
CB | Denzel Burke | Ohio State | Senior |
CB | Benjamin Morrison | Notre Dame | Junior |
DB | Dillon Thieneman | Sophomore | |
DB | Malachi Moore | Alabama | Graduate |
DB | Sebastian Castro | Iowa | Graduate |
| Special teams | | | |
K | Andres Borregales | Senior | |
P | Jeremy Crawshaw | Senior | |
KR | Jayden Harrison | Notre Dame | Graduate |
PR | LaJohntay Wester | Colorado | Senior |
AP | Zachariah Branch | USC | Sophomore |
