LSU’S JAYDEN DANIELS AND NOTRE DAME’S XAVIER WATTS HEADLINE THE 2023 AFCA FBS COACHES’ ALL-AMERICA TEAMS
December 14, 2023
LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels and Notre Dame defensive back Xavier Watts headline the 2023 AFCA FBS Coaches’ All-America Teams announced today by the American Football Coaches Association.
The AFCA has selected an All-America team since 1945 and currently selects teams in all five of its divisions. What makes these teams so special is that they are the only ones chosen exclusively by the men who know the players the best — the coaches themselves.
The 2023 Heisman Trophy winner, Daniels led the nation in total yards of offense per game (412.2), passing touchdowns (40), total touchdowns (50) and his 208.01 passer rating is the highest in FBS history. He also won the Davey O’Brien Award, Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award and was the Walter Camp and AP Player of the Year.
Watts won the Bronko Nagurski Award as the nation’s best defensive player by leading FBS in interceptions with seven. He was fifth on the team with 47 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, four passes broken up, one fumble recovery and one forced fumble.
First Team-Offense
Pos Name Ht. Wt. Cl. School Coach Hometown (High School)
WR *Marvin Harrison Jr. 6-4 205 Jr. Ohio State Ryan Day Philadelphia, Pa. (St. Joseph’s Prep)
WR Malik Nabers 6-0 200 Jr. LSU Brian Kelly Youngsville, La. (Southside)
TE *Brock Bowers 6-4 240 Jr. Georgia Kirby Smart Napa, Calif. (Napa)
OL *Joe Alt 6-8 322 Jr. Notre Dame Marcus Freeman North Oaks, Minn. (Totino-Grace)
OL Cooper Beebe 6-4 335 Sr. Kansas State Chris Klieman Kansas City, Kan. (Piper)
C Jackson Powers-Johnson 6-3 320 Jr. Oregon Dan Lanning Draper, Utah (Corner Canyon)
OL Zak Zinter 6-6 322 Sr. Michigan Jim Harbaugh North Andover, Mass. (Browne & Nichols School)
OL Olumuyiwa Fashanu 6-6 317 Jr. Penn State James Franklin Waldorf, Md. (Gonzaga College HS)
QB Jayden Daniels 6-4 210 Sr. LSU Brian Kelly San Bernardino, Calif. (Cajon)
RB *Blake Corum 5-8 213 Sr. Michigan Jim Harbaugh Marshall, Va. (St. Frances Academy)
RB Ollie Gordon II 6-1 211 So. Oklahoma State Mike Gundy Fort Worth, Tex. (Euless Trinity)
First Team-Defense
Pos Name Ht. Wt. Cl. School Coach Hometown (High School)
DL Jared Verse 6-4 260 R-Jr. Florida State Mike Norvell Dayton, Ohio (Central Columbia)
DL T’Vondre Sweat 6-4 362 Sr. Texas Steve Sarkisian Huntsville, Tex. (Huntsville)
DL Laiatu Latu 6-5 265 Sr. UCLA Chip Kelly Sacramento, Calif. (Jesuit)
DL Jer’Zhan Newton 6-2 295 Jr. Illinois Bret Bielema St. Petersburg, Fla. (Clearwater Central Catholic)
LB Dallas Turner 6-4 252 Jr. Alabama Nick Saban Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (St. Thomas Aquinas)
LB Payton Wilson 6-4 238 Gr. NC State Dave Doeren Hillsborough, N.C. (Orange)
LB Edgerrin Cooper 6-3 230 Jr. Texas A&M Elijah Robinson Covington, La. (Covington)
DB Cooper DeJean 6-1 207 Jr. Iowa Kirk Ferentz Odebolt, Iowa (OA-BCIG)
DB Trey Taylor 6-0 210 Sr. Air Force Troy Calhoun Frisco, Tex. (Lone Star)
DB Xavier Watts 5-11 204 Jr. Notre Dame Marcus Freeman Omaha, Neb. (Burke)
DB Malaki Starks 6-1 205 So. Georgia Kirby Smart Jefferson, Ga. (Jefferson)
First Team-Special Teams
Pos Name Ht. Wt. Cl. School Coach Hometown (High School)
P Tory Taylor 6-4 232 Sr. Iowa Kirk Ferentz Melbourne, Australia (Haileybury College)
PK Graham Nicholson 6-0 185 Jr. Miami (Ohio) Chuck Martin Cincinnati, Ohio (Summit Country Day)
AP Travis Hunter 6-1 185 So. Colorado Deion Sanders Suwanee, Ga. (Collins Hill)
LS James Rosenberry Jr. 6-0 230 R-Sr. Florida State Mike Norvell Delaware, Ohio (Olentangy)
Second Team-Offense
Pos Name Ht. Wt. Cl. School Coach Hometown (High School)
WR Malik Washington 5-8 194 Gr. Virginia Tony Elliott Lawrenceville, Ga. (Parkview)
WR Rome Odunze 6-3 215 Jr. Washington Kalen DeBoer Las Vegas, Nev. (Bishop Gorman)
TE Dallin Holker 6-4 235 Jr. Colorado State Jay Norvell Lehi, Utah (Lehi)
OL Graham Barton 6-5 314 Sr. Duke Mike Elko Brentwood, Tenn. (Ravenwood)
OL Taliese Fuaga 6-6 334 Jr. Oregon State Jonathan Smith Tacoma, Wash. (Mount Tahoma)
C Sedrick Van Pran 6-4 310 Jr. Georgia Kirby Smart New Orleans, La. (Warren Easton)
OL Troy Fautanu 6-4 317 Jr. Washington Kalen DeBoer Henderson, Nev. (Liberty)
OL Kelvin Banks Jr. 6-4 324 So. Texas Steve Sarkisian Humble, Tex. (Summer Creek)
QB Michael Penix Jr. 6-3 213 Sr. Washington Kalen DeBoer Tampa, Fla. (Tampa Bay Tech)
RB Cody Schrader 5-9 214 Gr. Missouri Eliah Drinkwitz St. Louis, Mo. (Lutheran South)
RB Omarion Hampton 6-0 220 So. North Carolina Mack Brown Clayton, N.C. (Cleveland)
Second Team-Defense
Pos Name Ht. Wt. Cl. School Coach Hometown (High School)
DL Jalen Green 6-1 245 Sr. James Madison Curt Cignetti Baltimore, Md. (Good Counsel)
DL Kris Jenkins 6-3 305 Sr. Michigan Jim Harbaugh Olney, Md. (Our Lady Good Counsel)
DL JT Tuimoloau 6-4 270 Jr. Ohio State Ryan Day Edgewood, Wash. (Eastside Catholic)
DL Jonah Elliss 6-2 246 Jr. Utah Kyle Whittingham Moscow, Idaho (Moscow Senior)
LB Jeremiah Trotter Jr. 6-0 230 Jr. Clemson Dabo Swinney Hainesport, N.J. (St. Joseph’s (Pa.) Preparatory)
LB Jay Higgins 6-2 233 Sr. Iowa Kirk Ferentz Indianapolis, Ind. (Brebeuf Jesuit Prep)
LB Trey Moore 6-3 235 R-So. UTSA Jeff Traylor San Antonio, Tex. (Smithson Valley)
DB Terrion Arnold 6-0 196 R-So. Alabama Nick Saban Tallahassee, Fla. (John Paul II Catholic)
DB Quinyon Mitchell 6-0 196 Jr. Toledo Jason Candle Williston, Fla. (Williston)
DB *Kool-Aid McKinstry 6-1 195 Jr. Alabama Nick Saban Birmingham, Ala. (Pinson Valley)
DB Beanie Bishop Jr. 5-10 184 R-Sr. West Virginia Neal Brown Louisville, Ky. (Pleasure Ridge Park)
Second Team-Special Teams
Pos Name Ht. Wt. Cl. School Coach Hometown (High School)
P James Ferguson-Reynolds 6-2 183 So. Boise State Spencer Danielson Geelong, Australia (SEDA College)
PK Jose Pizano 5-9 220 Sr. UNLV Barry Odom Lehi, Utah (Lehi)
AP Xavier Worthy 6-1 172 Jr. Texas Steve Sarkisian Fresno, Calif. (Central East)
LS *Joe Shimko 6-0 230 Gr. NC State Dave Doeren Belmar, N.J. (Wall Township)
*–2022 AFCA All-American
Team Background: The teams now chosen for each of the AFCA’s five divisions evolved from a single 11-player squad in 1945. From 1945 until 1967, only one team was chosen. From 1967 through 1971, two teams, University Division and College Division, were selected. In 1972, the College Division was split into College I and College II. In 1979, the University Division was split into two teams — Division I-A and Division I-AA. In 1996, the College I and College II teams were renamed Division II and Division III, respectively. In 2006, the Division I-A and Division I-AA teams were renamed Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), respectively. The AFCA started selecting an NAIA All-America Team in 2006. In 2016, the AFCA added a second team All-America.
From 1965-81, a 22-player (11 offensive, 11 defensive) team was chosen. In 1982, a punter and placekicker were added to the team. In 1997, a return specialist was added, giving us the current 25-player team. The return specialist position was replaced by an all-purpose player in 2006.
The Award: Members of the AFCA Coaches’ All-America First Team will receive a plaque commemorating their selection to the team, while members of the Second Team will receive a certificate.
For more information about the AFCA, visit www.AFCA.com. For more interesting articles, check out The Insider and subscribe to our weekly email.
If you are interested in more in-depth articles and videos, please become an AFCA member. You can find out more information about membership and specific member benefits on the AFCA Membership Overview page. If you are ready to join, please fill out the AFCA Membership Application.
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LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels and Notre Dame defensive back Xavier Watts headline the 2023 AFCA FBS Coaches’ All-America Teams announced today by the American Football Coaches Association.
The AFCA has selected an All-America team since 1945 and currently selects teams in all five of its divisions. What makes these teams so special is that they are the only ones chosen exclusively by the men who know the players the best — the coaches themselves.
The 2023 Heisman Trophy winner, Daniels led the nation in total yards of offense per game (412.2), passing touchdowns (40), total touchdowns (50) and his 208.01 passer rating is the highest in FBS history. He also won the Davey O’Brien Award, Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award and was the Walter Camp and AP Player of the Year.
Watts won the Bronko Nagurski Award as the nation’s best defensive player by leading FBS in interceptions with seven. He was fifth on the team with 47 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, four passes broken up, one fumble recovery and one forced fumble.
| First Team-Offense | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Cl. | School | Coach | Hometown (High School) |
| WR | *Marvin Harrison Jr. | 6-4 | 205 | Jr. | Ohio State | Ryan Day | Philadelphia, Pa. (St. Joseph’s Prep) |
| WR | Malik Nabers | 6-0 | 200 | Jr. | LSU | Brian Kelly | Youngsville, La. (Southside) |
| TE | *Brock Bowers | 6-4 | 240 | Jr. | Georgia | Kirby Smart | Napa, Calif. (Napa) |
| OL | *Joe Alt | 6-8 | 322 | Jr. | Notre Dame | Marcus Freeman | North Oaks, Minn. (Totino-Grace) |
| OL | Cooper Beebe | 6-4 | 335 | Sr. | Kansas State | Chris Klieman | Kansas City, Kan. (Piper) |
| C | Jackson Powers-Johnson | 6-3 | 320 | Jr. | Oregon | Dan Lanning | Draper, Utah (Corner Canyon) |
| OL | Zak Zinter | 6-6 | 322 | Sr. | Michigan | Jim Harbaugh | North Andover, Mass. (Browne & Nichols School) |
| OL | Olumuyiwa Fashanu | 6-6 | 317 | Jr. | Penn State | James Franklin | Waldorf, Md. (Gonzaga College HS) |
| QB | Jayden Daniels | 6-4 | 210 | Sr. | LSU | Brian Kelly | San Bernardino, Calif. (Cajon) |
| RB | *Blake Corum | 5-8 | 213 | Sr. | Michigan | Jim Harbaugh | Marshall, Va. (St. Frances Academy) |
| RB | Ollie Gordon II | 6-1 | 211 | So. | Oklahoma State | Mike Gundy | Fort Worth, Tex. (Euless Trinity) |
| First Team-Defense | |||||||
| Pos | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Cl. | School | Coach | Hometown (High School) |
| DL | Jared Verse | 6-4 | 260 | R-Jr. | Florida State | Mike Norvell | Dayton, Ohio (Central Columbia) |
| DL | T’Vondre Sweat | 6-4 | 362 | Sr. | Texas | Steve Sarkisian | Huntsville, Tex. (Huntsville) |
| DL | Laiatu Latu | 6-5 | 265 | Sr. | UCLA | Chip Kelly | Sacramento, Calif. (Jesuit) |
| DL | Jer’Zhan Newton | 6-2 | 295 | Jr. | Illinois | Bret Bielema | St. Petersburg, Fla. (Clearwater Central Catholic) |
| LB | Dallas Turner | 6-4 | 252 | Jr. | Alabama | Nick Saban | Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (St. Thomas Aquinas) |
| LB | Payton Wilson | 6-4 | 238 | Gr. | NC State | Dave Doeren | Hillsborough, N.C. (Orange) |
| LB | Edgerrin Cooper | 6-3 | 230 | Jr. | Texas A&M | Elijah Robinson | Covington, La. (Covington) |
| DB | Cooper DeJean | 6-1 | 207 | Jr. | Iowa | Kirk Ferentz | Odebolt, Iowa (OA-BCIG) |
| DB | Trey Taylor | 6-0 | 210 | Sr. | Air Force | Troy Calhoun | Frisco, Tex. (Lone Star) |
| DB | Xavier Watts | 5-11 | 204 | Jr. | Notre Dame | Marcus Freeman | Omaha, Neb. (Burke) |
| DB | Malaki Starks | 6-1 | 205 | So. | Georgia | Kirby Smart | Jefferson, Ga. (Jefferson) |
| First Team-Special Teams | |||||||
| Pos | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Cl. | School | Coach | Hometown (High School) |
| P | Tory Taylor | 6-4 | 232 | Sr. | Iowa | Kirk Ferentz | Melbourne, Australia (Haileybury College) |
| PK | Graham Nicholson | 6-0 | 185 | Jr. | Miami (Ohio) | Chuck Martin | Cincinnati, Ohio (Summit Country Day) |
| AP | Travis Hunter | 6-1 | 185 | So. | Colorado | Deion Sanders | Suwanee, Ga. (Collins Hill) |
| LS | James Rosenberry Jr. | 6-0 | 230 | R-Sr. | Florida State | Mike Norvell | Delaware, Ohio (Olentangy) |
| Second Team-Offense | |||||||
| Pos | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Cl. | School | Coach | Hometown (High School) |
| WR | Malik Washington | 5-8 | 194 | Gr. | Virginia | Tony Elliott | Lawrenceville, Ga. (Parkview) |
| WR | Rome Odunze | 6-3 | 215 | Jr. | Washington | Kalen DeBoer | Las Vegas, Nev. (Bishop Gorman) |
| TE | Dallin Holker | 6-4 | 235 | Jr. | Colorado State | Jay Norvell | Lehi, Utah (Lehi) |
| OL | Graham Barton | 6-5 | 314 | Sr. | Duke | Mike Elko | Brentwood, Tenn. (Ravenwood) |
| OL | Taliese Fuaga | 6-6 | 334 | Jr. | Oregon State | Jonathan Smith | Tacoma, Wash. (Mount Tahoma) |
| C | Sedrick Van Pran | 6-4 | 310 | Jr. | Georgia | Kirby Smart | New Orleans, La. (Warren Easton) |
| OL | Troy Fautanu | 6-4 | 317 | Jr. | Washington | Kalen DeBoer | Henderson, Nev. (Liberty) |
| OL | Kelvin Banks Jr. | 6-4 | 324 | So. | Texas | Steve Sarkisian | Humble, Tex. (Summer Creek) |
| QB | Michael Penix Jr. | 6-3 | 213 | Sr. | Washington | Kalen DeBoer | Tampa, Fla. (Tampa Bay Tech) |
| RB | Cody Schrader | 5-9 | 214 | Gr. | Missouri | Eliah Drinkwitz | St. Louis, Mo. (Lutheran South) |
| RB | Omarion Hampton | 6-0 | 220 | So. | North Carolina | Mack Brown | Clayton, N.C. (Cleveland) |
| Second Team-Defense | |||||||
| Pos | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Cl. | School | Coach | Hometown (High School) |
| DL | Jalen Green | 6-1 | 245 | Sr. | James Madison | Curt Cignetti | Baltimore, Md. (Good Counsel) |
| DL | Kris Jenkins | 6-3 | 305 | Sr. | Michigan | Jim Harbaugh | Olney, Md. (Our Lady Good Counsel) |
| DL | JT Tuimoloau | 6-4 | 270 | Jr. | Ohio State | Ryan Day | Edgewood, Wash. (Eastside Catholic) |
| DL | Jonah Elliss | 6-2 | 246 | Jr. | Utah | Kyle Whittingham | Moscow, Idaho (Moscow Senior) |
| LB | Jeremiah Trotter Jr. | 6-0 | 230 | Jr. | Clemson | Dabo Swinney | Hainesport, N.J. (St. Joseph’s (Pa.) Preparatory) |
| LB | Jay Higgins | 6-2 | 233 | Sr. | Iowa | Kirk Ferentz | Indianapolis, Ind. (Brebeuf Jesuit Prep) |
| LB | Trey Moore | 6-3 | 235 | R-So. | UTSA | Jeff Traylor | San Antonio, Tex. (Smithson Valley) |
| DB | Terrion Arnold | 6-0 | 196 | R-So. | Alabama | Nick Saban | Tallahassee, Fla. (John Paul II Catholic) |
| DB | Quinyon Mitchell | 6-0 | 196 | Jr. | Toledo | Jason Candle | Williston, Fla. (Williston) |
| DB | *Kool-Aid McKinstry | 6-1 | 195 | Jr. | Alabama | Nick Saban | Birmingham, Ala. (Pinson Valley) |
| DB | Beanie Bishop Jr. | 5-10 | 184 | R-Sr. | West Virginia | Neal Brown | Louisville, Ky. (Pleasure Ridge Park) |
| Second Team-Special Teams | |||||||
| Pos | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Cl. | School | Coach | Hometown (High School) |
| P | James Ferguson-Reynolds | 6-2 | 183 | So. | Boise State | Spencer Danielson | Geelong, Australia (SEDA College) |
| PK | Jose Pizano | 5-9 | 220 | Sr. | UNLV | Barry Odom | Lehi, Utah (Lehi) |
| AP | Xavier Worthy | 6-1 | 172 | Jr. | Texas | Steve Sarkisian | Fresno, Calif. (Central East) |
| LS | *Joe Shimko | 6-0 | 230 | Gr. | NC State | Dave Doeren | Belmar, N.J. (Wall Township) |
*–2022 AFCA All-American
Team Background: The teams now chosen for each of the AFCA’s five divisions evolved from a single 11-player squad in 1945. From 1945 until 1967, only one team was chosen. From 1967 through 1971, two teams, University Division and College Division, were selected. In 1972, the College Division was split into College I and College II. In 1979, the University Division was split into two teams — Division I-A and Division I-AA. In 1996, the College I and College II teams were renamed Division II and Division III, respectively. In 2006, the Division I-A and Division I-AA teams were renamed Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), respectively. The AFCA started selecting an NAIA All-America Team in 2006. In 2016, the AFCA added a second team All-America.
From 1965-81, a 22-player (11 offensive, 11 defensive) team was chosen. In 1982, a punter and placekicker were added to the team. In 1997, a return specialist was added, giving us the current 25-player team. The return specialist position was replaced by an all-purpose player in 2006.
The Award: Members of the AFCA Coaches’ All-America First Team will receive a plaque commemorating their selection to the team, while members of the Second Team will receive a certificate.
For more information about the AFCA, visit www.AFCA.com. For more interesting articles, check out The Insider and subscribe to our weekly email.
If you are interested in more in-depth articles and videos, please become an AFCA member. You can find out more information about membership and specific member benefits on the AFCA Membership Overview page. If you are ready to join, please fill out the AFCA Membership Application.
