Julian Love, three other Notre Dame players named to All-America teams
Notre Dame cornerback Julian Love fell short of college football’s Jim Thorpe Award, but he just came one step closer to unanimous All-American status.
The Associated Press and Football Writers Association of America named him first team All-America on Monday. The Walter Camp Football Foundation named Love to its first team All-America list last Thursday.
ND defensive tackle Jerry Tillery (second team) and linebacker Te’von Coney (third team) also garnered AP All-America honors. Center Sam Mustipher made the FWAA’s second team All-America list.
Now 3-for-3, Love can claim unanimous All-American status by being named to the first team by all five recognized lists. The American Football Coaches Association and the Sporting News are the other two lists. Because he has already secured majority recognition, Love will at least be a consensus All-American.
Georgia cornerback and Thorpe Award winner Deandre Baker made two of the three first team lists. FWAA named him to its second team. Love recorded 61 tackles, three tackles for loss, one interception, 15 pass breakups, three fumble recoveries and a touchdown across 12 regular season games.
Former Irish offensive guard Quenton Nelson was a unanimous All-American in 2017. He marked the first ND player to garner such status since Manti Te’o in 2012.
Tillery leads the Irish with eight sacks and also registered 30 tackles, 10.5 TFLs and three forced fumbles. Coney is ND’s leading tackler with 107 and also has nine TFLs, 3.5 sacks, one interception and a forced fumble.
Irish head coach Brian Kelly was named as one of six finalists for the George Munger Collegiate Coach of the Year Award on Monday. Syracuse’s Dino Babers, UAB’s Bill Clark, Washington State’s Mike Leach, Army’s Jeff Monken and Alabama’s Nick Saban are also finalists. The winner will be announced on Dec. 28.
Last week, Kelly took home Home Depot Coach of the Year honors for a third time. He’s also a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award and the Dodd Trophy.
The SN and AFCA lists will be announced on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively.
The 2018 AP All-America team:
FIRST TEAM
OFFENSE
Quarterback — Kyler Murray, junior, Oklahoma
Running backs — Jonathan Taylor, sophomore, Wisconsin; Darrell Henderson, junior, Memphis
Tackles — Jonah Williams, junior, Alabama; Mitch Hyatt, senior, Clemson
Guards — Beau Benzschawel, senior, Wisconsin; Bunchy Stallings, senior, Kentucky
Center — Garrett Bradbury, senior, North Carolina State
Tight end — Jace Sternberger, junior, Texas A&M
Wide receivers — Jerry Jeudy, sophomore, Alabama; Marquise Brown, junior, Oklahoma
All-purpose player — Rondale Moore, freshman, Purdue
Kicker — Andre Szmyt, freshman, Syracuse
DEFENSE
Ends — Clelin Ferrell, junior, Clemson; Sutton Smith, junior, Northern Illinois
Tackles — Quinnen Williams, junior, Alabama; Christian Wilkins, senior, Clemson
Linebackers — Josh Allen, senior, Kentucky; Devin White, junior, LSU; Ben Burr-Kirven, senior, Washington
Cornerbacks — Deandre Baker, senior, Georgia; Julian Love, junior, Notre Dame
Safeties — Grant Delpit, sophomore, LSU; Deionte Thompson, junior, Alabama
Punter — Braden Mann, junior, Texas A&M
SECOND TEAM
OFFENSE
Quarterback — Tua Tagovailoa, sophomore, Alabama
Running backs — Travis Etienne, sophomore, Clemson; Trayveon Williams, junior, Texas A&M
Tackles — Dalton Risner, senior, Kansas State; Andrew Thomas, sophomore, Georgia
Guards — Dru Samia, senior, Oklahoma; Michael Dieter, senior, Wisconsin
Center — Ross Pierschbacher, senior, Alabama
Tight end — T.J. Hockenson, sophomore, Iowa
Wide receivers — Tylan Wallace, sophomore, Oklahoma State; Andy Isabella, senior, Massachusetts
All-purpose player — Greg Dortch, sophomore, Wake Forest
Kicker — Cole Tracy, senior, LSU
DEFENSE
Ends — Montez Sweat, senior, Mississippi State; Jachai Polite, junior, Florida
Tackles — Jerry Tillery, senior, Notre Dame; Gerald Willis III, senior, Miami
Linebackers — Devin Bush, junior, Michigan; David Long Jr., junior, West Virginia; Joe Dineen, senior, Kansas
Cornerbacks — Greedy Williams, sophomore, LSU; Byron Murphy, sophomore, Washington
Safeties — Taylor Rapp, junior, Washington; Amani Hooker, junior, Iowa
Punter — Mitch Wishnowsky, senior, Utah
THIRD TEAM
OFFENSE
Quarterbacks — Dwayne Haskins, sophomore, Ohio State
Running backs — Benny Snell, junior, Kentucky; Eno Benjamin, sophomore, Arizona State
Tackles — Andre Dillard, senior, Washington State; Cody Ford, junior, Oklahoma
Guards — Terrone Prescod, senior, North Carolina State; Chris Lindstrom, senior, Boston College
Center — Michael Jordan, junior, Ohio State
Tight end — Noah Fant, junior, Iowa
Wide Receivers — A.J. Brown, junior, Mississippi; David Sills V, senior, West Virginia
All-purpose player — J.J. Taylor, sophomore, Arizona
Kicker — Matt Gay, senior, Utah
DEFENSE
Ends — Chase Winovich, senior, Michigan; Jaylon Ferguson, senior, Louisiana Tech
Tackles — Jeffery Simmons, junior, Mississippi State; Ed Oliver, junior, Houston
Linebackers — Paddy Fisher, sophomore, Northwestern; David Woodward, sophomore, Utah State; Te’Von Coney, senior, Notre Dame
Cornerbacks — Hamp Cheevers, junior, Boston College; Lavert Hill, junior, Michigan
Safeties — Andre Cisco, freshman, Syracuse; Jonathan Abram, senior, Mississippi State
Punter — James Smith, sophomore, Cincinnati
Selection panel: Rob Asmussen, Champaign (Ill.) News-Gazette; Matt Baker, Tampa Bay (Fla.) Times; Michael Barber, Richmond (Va.) Times-Dispatch; Matt Brown, The Athletic; Robert Cessna, Bryan-College Station (Texas) Eagle; Rece Davis, ESPN; Pat Dooley, Gainesville (Fla.) Sun; Scott Hamilton, WECT-TV (Wilmington, N.C.); Eric Hansen, The South Bend (Ind.) Tribune; Brian Howell, Buffzone.com, Boulder (Colo.) Daily Camera; Rob Long, WJZ FM 105.7 The Fan Baltimore; Sean Manning, The Dominion Post (Morgantown, W.Va.); Conor O’Neill, Winston-Salem (N.C.) Journal; Soren Petro, 810 WHB Kansas City, Mo.; Keith Sargeant, NJ.Com/Star-Ledger; Jon Wilner, San Jose (Calif.) Mercury News.
