The college football season is halfway home and our first ever College Football Midseason All-Americans honor the top players through seven weeks of action.
Debuting with our recent news of College Football Network coming soon, the CFN midseason All-Americans showcase just how awesome the 2022 college football season has been so far.
The CFB analysts at CFN all got together to narrow the list of thousands of athletes to three teams on offense, three on defense, and deserving honorable mentions.
College Football Network’s 2022 Midseason All-Americans
1st-Team Offense
QB: C.J. Stroud, Ohio State
RB: Chase Brown, Illinois
RB: Blake Corum, Michigan
WR: Jalin Hyatt, Tennessee
WR: Marvin Harrison Jr., Ohio State
WR: Charlie Jones, Purdue
TE: Dalton Kincaid, Utah
FLEX: Oronde Gadsden II, Syracuse
OT: Paris Johnson Jr., Ohio State
G: Steve Avila, TCU
C: Olusegun Oluwatimi, Michigan
G: Zak Zinter, Michigan
OT: Olumuyiwa Fashanu, Penn State
As stacked as it gets on an offense, C.J. Stroud leads the way. His touchdown-to-interception ratio only pales in comparison to his yards per attempt. He’s the leader in the Heisman Trophy race and is leading the charge with flawless execution of the nation’s top offense.
Chase Brown is the first — and only — running back to topple the 1,000-yard mark this season. He’s carried Illinois’ offense with his efforts, bringing back old-school football in the process. Blake Corum is second in the nation in yards, having done so with ample blocking in front of him but creating more than his fair share of yards on his own.
The receivers across the nation have been incredibly impressive all season long. Marvin Harrison Jr. has three three-touchdown performances over his last seven games, including two this year. After his five-touchdown performance against Alabama, Jalin Hyatt now leads the country with a whopping 10 touchdowns through the air. He’s been lights out all season long and played his best game on the biggest of stages.
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Charlie Jones has sizzled the competition, ranking second in receptions and receiving touchdowns this year. He’s been unguardable by any defensive back in his way.
The tight ends get a lot of love here, as Dalton Kincaid is fresh off a 16-catch night against USC and Oronde Gadsden II has proven to be a mismatch for any defense. Kincaid leads all tight ends with 38 receptions, 541 yards, and six scores. Gadsden lines up as a receiver at times and earns the first-team Midseason All-American nod at the offensive Flex position due to his dominance.
On the offensive line, the reigning Joe Moore Award-winning unit spots two as the Michigan Wolverines have two of the top interior linemen in the country. Olusegun Oluwatimi is hands down the best center in the country, and his only competition has been Big Ten counterpart John Michael Schmitz of Minnesota. Zak Zinter helps Oluwatimi carve huge rushing lanes and keep clean pockets for J.J. McCarthy to deal from.
The tackles also reside in the Big Ten as Paris Johnson Jr. has looked every bit like a top tackle in his first season at LT in Columbus. Olumuyiwa Fashanu has come out of relative obscurity to present one of the biggest mismatches in the trenches.
Finally, the only non-Big Ten member on the first-team Midseason All-American list on the offensive line: Steve Avila from unbeaten TCU. Avila has been tremendous in every game this season for the Horned Frogs, whether it’s been clearing lanes in the run game or keeping Max Duggan clean from pressure.
1st-Team Defense
EDGE: Will Anderson Jr., Alabama
EDGE: Laiatu Latu, UCLA
DT: Michael Hall Jr., Ohio State
DT: Jer’Zhan Newton, Illinois
LB: Daiyan Henley, Washington State
LB: Drew Sanders, Arkansas
LB: Ivan Pace Jr., Cincinnati
CB: Clark Phillips III, Utah
CB: Emmanuel Forbes, Mississippi State
CB: Quinyon Mitchell, Toledo
S: Bentlee Sanders, Nevada
S: Kendall Smith, Illinois
FLEX: Tuli Tuipulotu, USC
A dominant defensive unit as a whole, the first-team defenders on our Midseason All-American list are headlined by some historic DB play. Both Emmanuel Forbes and Clark Phillips III have recorded five interceptions and returned two of them for touchdowns. Phillips has locked down one side of the field for Utah while Forbes has done the same for Mississippi State.
Quinyon Mitchell earns his spot after his miraculous four-interception performance just two weeks ago. Mitchell returned two of his four interceptions for touchdowns against Central Michigan and has been the Group of Five’s top lockdown cornerback this year.
Bentlee Sanders leads the nation’s safeties with five interceptions himself while Kendall Smith has done an immaculate job of bringing the lumber with his hits and playing centerfield well for Illinois’ top-rated defense. Smith has four interceptions himself, including one against Minnesota in Week 7.
As far as pass rushers go, this is a group of defensive linemen that may catch folks by surprise. Certainly not Will Anderson Jr., who has been everything we’d thought he was this year. But the other players on the CFN Midseason All-American list may come as a surprise. Jer’Zhan Newton has done nothing but wreak havoc on the inside for Illinois and Michael Hall Jr. has cleaned up sack after sack with his pocket-pushing ability for Ohio State.
Laiatu Latu plays a unique role for UCLA’s defense, rushing the passer off the edge and stunting inside at times if he doesn’t back out in coverage of the flats. Latu has ripped through for six sacks of his own (6.5 total), leading the nation by averaging 1.08 sacks per game.
Tuli Tuipulotu does the majority of his damage off the edge despite playing as a rotational EDGE. His primary position is to clog the middle, but he’s been special playing off the tackle where he’s wound up with seven sacks this season, tying for the nation’s best.
Linebackers have been stellar across the country and nailing down just three of them was difficult. Daiyan Henley has transformed the Washington State defense this season, his first in Pullman. Henley has 33 solo tackles, most of which are at or around the line of scrimmage as his 11 tackles for loss as second among linebackers. He patrols incredibly well in coverage and made the Cougars’ defense a much better unit in 2022.
Ivan Pace Jr. has continued his terrific play in his first season at Cincinnati. After years of dominating the MAC, Pace is averaging over 10 tackles a game and leads the nation’s linebackers with 12.5 TFL. Drew Sanders rounds out the LB group, as he’s flown to the football for Arkansas. Sanders has six solo sacks as well as a handful of tackles for loss or no gain in coverage.
1st-Team Specialists
K: Christopher Dunn, NC State
P: Tory Taylor, Iowa
KR: Johnnie Lang, Arkansas State
PR: Eric Garror, Louisiana
The only kicker in the country with five or more attempts from at least 40 yards out and to have made every one of his kicks is NC State’s Christopher Dunn. Dunn is a perfect 20-for-20 on extra points and a perfect 11-for-11 on field goals. He’s nailed all seven attempts from 40 or more yards, including one from 50+.
Tory Taylor has single-handedly won games for the Iowa Hawkeyes this season, pinning opponents back inside the 20-yard line on 21 of his 52 kicks. Taylor averages nearly 46 yards per punt and hasn’t allowed more than 40 return yards on his kicks.
Johnnie Lang leads the country with 593 kick-return yards and has a 98-yard kick-return TD for Arkansas State this season. Eric Garror is the only player in the country with multiple return touchdowns, as he’s taken two punts to the house for Louisiana. He’s averaging a whopping 18.3 yards per punt return with 13 total returns for 238 yards.
2nd-Team Offense
QB: Hendon Hooker, Tennessee
RB: DeWayne McBride, UAB
RB: Israel Abanikanda, Pittsburgh
WR: Rashee Rice, SMU
WR: Rome Odunze, Washington
WR: Ali Jennings III, Old Dominion
TE: Michael Mayer, Notre Dame
FLEX: Jahmyr Gibbs, Alabama
OT: Christian Jones, Texas
G: Nick Broeker, Ole Miss
C: John Michael Schmitz, Minnesota
G: O’Cyrus Torrence, Florida
OT: Darnell Wright, Tennessee
2nd-Team Defense
EDGE: Lonnie Phelps, Kansas
EDGE: Felix Anudike-Uzomah, Kansas State
DT: Levi Bell, Texas State
DT: Akheem Mesidor, Miami (FL)
LB: Jacoby Windmon, Michigan State
LB: Chris Ojoh, New Mexico State
LB: Dee Winters, TCU
CB: Devon Witherspoon, Illinois
CB: Joey Porter Jr., Penn State
CB: Kahlef Hailassie, Western Kentucky
S: Calen Bullock, USC
S: Matthew Bailey, Illinois
FLEX: Mike Morris, Michigan
2nd-Team Specialists
K: Tanner Brown, Oklahoma State
P: Jack Browning, San Diego State
KR: Key’Shawn Smith, Miami (FL)
PR: A.J. Henning, Michigan
3rd-Team Offense
QB: Dorian Thompson-Robinson, UCLA
RB: Khalan Laborn, Marshall
RB: Sean Tucker, Syracuse
WR: Trey Palmer, Nebraska
WR: Keylon Stokes, Tulsa
WR: Jacob Cowing, Arizona
TE: Seydou Traore, Arkansas State
FLEX: Bijan Robinson, Texas
OT: Broderick Jones, Georgia
G: Emil Ekiyor Jr., Alabama
C: Alex Forsyth, Oregon
G: Jarrett Patterson, Notre Dame
OT: Asim Richards, North Carolina
3rd-Team Defense
EDGE: Seth Coleman, Illinois
EDGE: Nick Hampton, Appalachian State
DT: Dennis Osagiede, Liberty
DT: Calijah Kancey, Pittsburgh
LB: Dallas Gant, Toledo
LB: James Patterson, Buffalo
LB: SirVocea Dennis, Pittsburgh
CB: Kool-Aid McKinstry, Alabama
CB: Kordell Rodgers, Texas State
CB: Mike Sainristil, Michigan
S: Yam Banks, South Alabama
S: Robert Rahimi, Liberty
FLEX: Eric Gentry, USC
3rd-Team Specialists
K: Matthew Dapore, Air Force
P: Bryce Baringer, Michigan State
KR: Sean Tyler, Western Michigan
PR: Bryce Stephens, Arkansas
Honorable Mention Offense
QB: DJ Uiagalelei, Clemson
QB: Drake Maye, North Carolina
QB: Michael Penix Jr., Washington
RB: Quinshon Judkins, Ole Miss
RB: Kenny McIntosh, Georgia
RB: Zach Charbonnet, UCLA
RB: Brad Roberts, Air Force
RB: Cameron Davis, Washington
RB: Mohamed Ibrahim, Minnesota
WR: Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State
WR: De’Corian Clark, UTSA
WR: Zakhari Franklin, UTSA
WR: Jared Brown, Coastal Carolina
WR: Kris Thornton, James Madison
WR: C.J. Johnson, East Carolina
WR: Jyaire Shorter, North Texas
WR: Dante Cephas, Kent State
WR: Xavier Hutchinson, Iowa State
WR: Quentin Johnston, TCU
TE: Brock Bowers, Georgia
TE: Caden Prieskorn, Memphis
TE: Mason Fairchild, Kansas
FLEX: Evan Hull, Northwestern
FLEX: Roman Hemby, Maryland
FLEX: Ja’Tavion Sanders, Texas
OT: Christian Duffie, Kansas State
OT: Anton Harrison, Oklahoma
OT: Bryce Cabeldue, Kansas
G: Cooper Beebe, Kansas State
G: Clark Barrington, BYU
G: Trente Jones, Michigan
C: Alex Pihlstrom, Illinois
C: Ricky Stromberg, Arkansas
C: Preston Wilson, Oklahoma State
G: Jake Kradel, Pittsburgh
G: T.J. Bass, Oregon
G: Ryan Walk, Oregon
OT: Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu, Oregon
OT: Jaelyn Duncan, Maryland
OT: Tylan Grable, UCF
Honorable Mention Defense
EDGE: YaYa Diaby, Louisville
EDGE: David Perales, Fresno State
EDGE: Myles Murphy, Clemson
EDGE: Jose Ramirez, Eastern Michigan
EDGE: Byron Vaughns, Utah State
EDGE: Tavius Robinson, Ole Miss
DT: Colby Wooden, Auburn
DT: Dom Peterson, Nevada
DT: Judge Culpepper, Toledo
DT: DeWayne Carter, Duke
DT: Daymond Williams, Buffalo
DT: Jowon Briggs, Cincinnati
LB: Jackson Mitchell, UConn
LB: KD Davis, North Texas
LB: Jaylan Ford, Texas
LB: Danny Stutsman, Oklahoma
LB: Austin Ajiake, UNLV
LB: Carlton Martial, Troy
LB: Mason Cobb, Oklahoma State
LB: Anfernee Orji, Vanderbilt
LB: Jailin Walker, James Madison
CB: Cooper DeJean, Iowa
CB: Craig Young, Kansas
CB: Bralyn Lux, Fresno State
CB: Jarius Monroe, Tulane
CB: Anthony Johnson, Virginia
CB: Marcellas Dial, South Carolina
CB: Quavian White, Georgia State
CB: Decorian Patterson, Middle Tennessee
CB: Dwight McGlothern, Arkansas
S: Macon Clark, Tulane
S: Kamren Kinchens, Miami (FL)
S: Quindell Johnson, Memphis
S: Malaki Starks, Georgia
S: AJ Finley, Ole Miss
S: Kenny Logan Jr., Kansas
FLEX: Byron Young, Tennessee
FLEX: Hudson Clark, Arkansas
FLEX: Malik Mustapha, Wake Forest
Honorable Mention Specialists
K: Gavin Baechle, UTEP
K: B.T. Potter, Clemson
K: John Hoyland, Wyoming
P: Brad Robbins, Michigan
P: Mason Fletcher, Cincinnati
P: Kyle Ulbrich, Middle Tennessee
KR: Barion Brown, Kentucky
KR: Matthew McDoom, Coastal Carolina
KR: Kaylon Horton, North Texas
PR: Jordan Byrd, San Diego State
PR: Caullin Lacy, South Alabama
PR: Anthony Gould, Oregon State