Boise State wide receiver Matt Miller has been named to the Freshman All-America Second Team by Rivals.com. He should be on the first team. With so much talent around him, he didn't accumulate the statistics of others in the country but when you produce a list such as this, you have to be able to recognize ability.
| FIRST TEAM OFFENSE | |
| QB | Teddy Bridgewater, Louisville; 6-3/195; Miami Northwestern Bridgewater's first start was a loss to Marshall. But he improved as the season went along, and Louisville went 5-2 and captured a share of the Big East title with him at quarterback. Bridgewater completed 67.1 percent of his passes for 1,341 yards and eight touchdowns in seven Big East games. Rivals.com rating as recruit:  |
| RB | Gio Bernard*, North Carolina; 5-10/205; Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas North Carolina once went 12 consecutive seasons (1973-84) with a 1,000-yard rusher. But after a long drought, Bernard brought the four-digit rusher back to Chapel Hill, becoming the first to hit that milestone for the Tar Heels since 1997. Bernard has rushed for 1,222 yards and is second in the ACC with 13 rushing touchdowns. Rivals.com rating as recruit: |
| RB | Isaiah Crowell, Georgia; 5-11/215; Columbus (Ga.) Carver Off-field issues cost him two games late this season and injuries were an issue, too, as Crowell had only 36 carries in his last five games. His talent, though, is apparent. Crowell rushed for 837 yards and had 100-yard efforts against South Carolina, Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Auburn. Rivals.com rating as recruit:  |
| WR | Marqise Lee, USC; 6-0/190; Gardena (Calif.) Serra With Lee and former high school teammate Robert Woods, USC had perhaps the most productive receiver duo in the nation at the end of the season – and both will be back in 2012. Lee caught 73 passes for 1,142 yards with 11 touchdowns, and he also returned a kickoff 88 yards for a touchdown against Washington. In USC's final two games, Lee caught 21 passes for 411 yards and three touchdowns. He caught at least seven passes in each of the final five games. Rivals.com rating as recruit: |
| WR | De'Anthony Thomas, Oregon; 5-9/173; Los Angeles Crenshaw Thomas' season started poorly, as he lost two fumbles against LSU. But he more than made up for it, and was a big-play threat every time he touched the ball. He has caught 42 passes for 571 yards and nine touchdowns, and rushed for 440 yards and five scores. Rivals.com rating as recruit: |
| WR | Sammy Watkins, Clemson; 6-1/200; South Fort Myers (Fla.) High Injuries were about the only thing that could slow Watkins. He has caught 77 passes for 1,153 yards and 11 touchdowns, and capped the regular season with 80 reception yards and a touchdown in the ACC championship game as Clemson won its first league title since 1991. Rivals.com rating as recruit: |
| T | Josh Cochran, Texas; 6-6/285; Hallsville (Texas) High Cochran became the starter at left tackle midway through the season for the Longhorns, beating out fifth-year senior Trae Allen. Cochran, who admits to a fondness for Taylor Swift's music, also played basketball and threw the shot put in high school. Rivals.com rating as recruit: |
| T | Cameron Fleming*, Stanford; 6-6/307; Houston Cypress Creek Fleming beat out fifth-year senior Tyler Mabry for the starting job at right tackle. He is a physical run blocker but also has done a nice job holding the edge for the Cardinal offense. Rivals.com rating as recruit:  |
| G | Greg Mancz*, Toledo; 6-5/280; Cincinnati Anderson Mancz entered fall drills atop the depth chart at center, but slid over to play guard and has started every game this season for the high-powered Rockets. Toledo leads the MAC and is eighth nationally in total offense, and 14th nationally in rush offense. Rivals.com rating as recruit: |
| G | David Yankey*, Stanford; 6-5/300; Roswell (Ga.) Centennial Yankey arrived at Stanford as a tackle, but moved inside this summer and started every game at left guard. While he has benefited from playing next to All-America T Jonathan Martin, Yankey's physical nature has helped Stanford's rushing attack. Rivals.com rating as recruit: |
| C | B.J. Finney*, Kansas State; 6-4/297; Andale (Kan.) High Finney, a pre-med major, became the starter in the second game of the season for the Wildcats, who have one of the most effective rushing offenses in the Big 12. He is a former walk-on from a town of fewer than 1,000 people near Wichita. Rivals.com rating as recruit:  |
| FIRST TEAM DEFENSE | |
| E | Jadeveon Clowney, South Carolina; 6-6/254; Rock Hill (S.C.) South Pointe The No. 1 overall prospect in the 2011 recruiting class, Clowney lived up to the hype. He has made 32 tackles and ranks ninth in the SEC with six sacks. He is the only freshman to rank in the top 20 in that category. Clowney also has forced five fumbles. He had two sacks each in victories over Georgia and Vanderbilt. Rivals.com rating as recruit: |
| T | Tim Jernigan, Florida State; 6-3/297; Lake City (Fla.) Columbia Although he isn't a starter, Jernigan emerged as a vital part of a deep line rotation that has helped Florida State rank second nationally in run defense and fifth in tackles for loss. Jernigan has 28 tackles – six for loss – and 2.5 sacks. He had two tackles for loss and a fumble recovery in a shutout of North Carolina State. Rivals.com rating as recruit: |
| E | Scott Crichton*, Oregon State; 6-3/258; Tacoma (Wash.) Henry Foss Crichton started at end all season and set a school single-season record with five forced fumbles. He also had 14.5 tackles for loss, a figure that ranked second in the Pac-12. Crichton finished with 74 overall tackles – an unusually high number for a lineman – and a team-leading six sacks. Rivals.com rating as recruit: |
| LB | Dion Bailey*, USC; 6-0/200; Lakewood (Calif.) High Bailey arrived at USC as a touted safety, but moved to linebacker this spring and emerged as a playmaker. While his lack of bulk can be a hindrance, he has excellent speed for the position and can hit, as well. He tied for the team lead with 81 tackles. Rivals.com rating as recruit: (as a safety) |
| LB | A.J. Johnson, Tennessee; 6-3/245; Gainesville (Ga.) High Johnson started 10 games for the Vols, who were in dire need of linebackers this season. He leads all SEC freshmen with 80 tackles and provided a physical presence at the position for Tennessee. He made 11 tackles against LSU, 12 against South Carolina and 13 against Alabama. Rivals.com rating as recruit: |
| LB | Denzel Perryman, Miami; 6-0/217; Coral Gables (Fla.) High Perryman's relative lack of size scared off some recruiters, but UM coaches looked at Perryman and saw some Jonathan Vilma in him. (Both attended Coral Gables High.) He was second on the team with 69 tackles, a figure that led all ACC freshmen. He had 14 tackles against Boston College. Rivals.com rating as recruit: |
| LB | Yawin Smallwood*, UConn; 6-2/229; Worcester (Mass.) Doherty UConn has produced a number of productive linebackers in recent seasons, and Smallwood is the latest off the Huskies' linebacker assembly line. UConn is fourth nationally in rush defense, and Smallwood's production – 94 tackles – is a big reason. He made at least seven tackles in 10 games, and his least-productive outing was a five-tackle performance in a win over USF. Rivals.com rating as recruit: |
| CB | Quandre Diggs, Texas; 5-10/200; Angleton (Texas) High Diggs is a key part of a promising young Texas secondary. He has 45 tackles, a team-high three interceptions and 11 pass breakups. Diggs picked off passes against BYU, Kansas and Texas A&M. He also has returned punts and kickoffs. Rivals.com rating as recruit: |
| CB | Merrill Noel*, Wake Forest; 5-10/180; Pahokee (Fla.) High Noel has 19 pass breakups this season and is tied for the FBS lead in passes defended with 1.67 per game. He had an interception and three pass breakups in Wake Forest's 35-30 upset of Florida State, thee school to which he originally committed. He broke up 13 passes in a four-game stretch against Boston College, FSU, Virginia Tech and Duke. Rivals.com rating as recruit: |
| S | Tevin McDonald*, UCLA; 6-0/195; Fresno (Calif.) Edison His older brother, T.J., plays for USC, and his father, Tim, starred for the Trojans as well, but this McDonald has made a name for himself across town. McDonald moved into the starting lineup in the first few weeks of the season and never left. He picked off three passes in a 31-14 victory over California. McDonald also has 52 tackles and seven pass breakups. Rivals.com rating as recruit: |
| S | Ibraheim Campbell*, Northwestern; 5-11/205; Philadelphia Chestnut Hill Academy Campbell leads the Wildcats with 89 tackles. He had 13 tackles – one for loss – in Northwestern's 28-25 upset of Nebraska. Campbell also had two interceptions in a loss to Michigan. He made at least seven tackles in each of Northwestern's final five regular-season games. Rivals.com rating as recruit: |
| FIRST TEAM SPECIAL TEAMS | |
| K | Michael Hunnicutt*, Oklahoma; 5-9/169; Richardson (Texas) Pearce Hunnicutt stepped in for an injured Jimmy Stevens and arguably outperformed his predecessor. Hunnicutt was 20-of-23 on field-goal attempts, including 4-of-4 on attempts of longer than 40 yards. He became the first Oklahoma kicker to kick four field goals in a game twice in a season (Kansas, Iowa State). Rivals.com rating as recruit: |
| P | Brad Wing*, LSU; 6-3/184; Baton Rouge (La.) Parkview Baptist With Wing's leg and a ferocious defense, the Tigers almost always won the field-position battle. Wing averaged 44.1 yards per punt. Nearly half (23 of 50) of his punts landed inside the 20, and 18 went for at least 50 yards. Rivals.com rating as recruit: |
| KR | De'Anthony Thomas, Oregon; 5-9/173; Los Angeles Crenshaw In addition to his offensive production, Thomas led the Pac-12 in kickoff-return average at 27.7 yards per return. He returned kickoffs for touchdowns against Washington State and USC. Rivals.com rating as recruit: |
| PR | Ameer Abdullah, Nebraska; 5-9/180; Homewood (Ala.) High Abdullah was 10th nationally in kickoff returns, and he also had a modicum of success as a punt returner, averaging almost 8.0 yards per return. Rivals.com rating as recruit: |
| SECOND TEAM OFFENSE | |
| QB | Brett Smith, Wyoming; 6-3/195; Salem (Ore.) West Salem Rivals.com rating as recruit: |
| RB | Malcolm Brown, Texas; 6-0/213; Cibolo (Texas) High Rivals.com rating as recruit: |
| RB | Lyle McCombs*, Connecticut; 5-8/172; Staten Island (N.Y.) St. Joseph by the Sea Rivals.com rating as recruit: |
| WR | Matt Miller, Boise State; 6-3/213, redshirt freshman; Helena (Mont.) Capital Rivals.com rating as recruit: |
| WR | Jaxon Shipley, Texas; 6-1/190; Brownwood (Texas) High Rivals.com rating as recruit: |
| TE | Austin Seferian-Jenkins, Washington; 6-6/258; Gig Harbor (Wash.) High Rivals.com rating as recruit: |
| T | Quinterrius Eatmon*, USF; 6-6/304; Prichard (Ala.) Vigor Rivals.com rating as recruit: |
| T | Kaleb Johnson, Rutgers; 6-4/298; Jacksonville Ed White Rivals.com rating as recruit: |
| G | A.J. Cann*, South Carolina; 6-3/299; Bamberg (S.C.) Bamberg-Ehrhardt Rivals.com rating as recruit: |
| G | Cedric Ogbuehi*, Texas A&M; 6-5/292; Allen (Texas) High Rivals.com rating as recruit: |
| C | Dominic Espinosa*, Texas; 6-4/298; Cedar Park (Texas) High Rivals.com rating as recruit: |
| SECOND TEAM DEFENSE | |
| E | Marcus Rush*, Michigan State; 6-2/250; Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller Rivals.com rating as recruit: |
| T | Andre Monroe*, Maryland; 6-0/275; Washington (D.C.) St. John's College High Rivals.com rating as recruit: |
| T | David Johnson*, TCU; 6-2/270; Argyle (Texas) High Rivals.com rating as recruit: |
| E | Anthony Chickillo, Miami; 6-4/248; Tampa Alonso Rivals.com rating as recruit: |
| LB | Jeremy Grove*, ECU; 6-1/230; Frederick (Md.) Gov. Thomas Johnson Rivals.com rating as recruit: |
| LB | Jake Ryan*, Michigan; 6-3/230; Cleveland St. Ignatius Rivals.com rating as recruit: |
| LB | Hayes Pullard*, USC; 6-0/225; Los Angeles Crenshaw Rivals.com rating as recruit: |
| CB | Demetrious Nicholson, Virginia; 5-11/165; Virginia Beach (Va.) Bayside Rivals.com rating as recruit: |
| CB | Bradley Roby*, Ohio State; 5-11/185; Suwanee (Ga.) Peachtree Ridge Rivals.com rating as recruit: |
| S | Eric Rowe, Utah; 6-1/185; Spring (Texas) Klein Rivals.com rating as recruit: |
| S | Brian Randolph, Tennessee; 6-0/190; Marietta (Ga.) Kell Rivals.com rating as recruit: |
| SECOND TEAM SPECIAL TEAMS | |
| K | Andre Hedari, USC; 5-10/210; Bakersfield (Calif.) Stockdale Rivals.com rating as recruit: |
| P | Darragh O'Neill*, Colorado; 6-2/180; Boulder (Colo.) Fairview Rivals.com rating as recruit: Unranked; didn't play high school football |
| KR | Tyler Lockett, Kansas State; 5-11/170; Tulsa (Okla.) B.T. Washington Rivals.com rating as recruit: |
| PR | Scott Harding, Hawaii; 5-11/195, true freshman; Brisbane (Australia) Anglican Church Grammar School Rivals.com rating as recruit: Unranked; didn't play high school football |
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