Wisconsin’s Jonathan Taylor & LSU’s Grant Delpit Headline 2019 AFCA FBS Coaches’ All-America Teams

Wisconsin running back Jonathan Taylor and LSU defensive back Grant Delpit headline the 2019 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.

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A two-time AFCA All-American, Taylor picked up his second straight Doak Walker Award in 2019 after rushing for 1,909 yards and 21 touchdowns. His rushing yards and rushing touchdowns are second in the nation behind fellow All-American Chuba Hubbard of Oklahoma State. If you include his receiving statistics, Taylor had 2,118 yards from scrimmage and 26 total touchdowns.

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The 2019 Thorpe Award winner, Delpit earned his second straight AFCA All-America honor by recording 56 tackles, three tackles for loss, one sack, two interceptions and eight passes defended from his safety position. He is a leader on an LSU defense that allowed only 37 points over the final three games of the season.

2019 AFCA FBS Coaches’ All-America Team – First Team

Offense

Defense

Specialists

*–2018 AFCA All-American

2019 AFCA FBS Coaches’ All-America Team – Second Team

Offense

Defense

Specialists

*–2018 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.

Top Team: With their six selections in 2019, Alabama has had the most players named to the AFCA FBS Coaches’ All-America Team. The Crimson Tide has been represented 88 times by 82 players on the AFCA team. They are followed by Oklahoma (72/63); Ohio State (72/56); Notre Dame (64/57); Michigan (61/55); USC (59/52); Nebraska (51/46); Texas (51/45); LSU (44/39); Georgia (42/36); Florida State (41/37); Auburn (36/34); Penn State (36/34); UCLA (36/34); Clemson (36/33); Miami (Fla.) (34/33) and Tennessee (32/30).

Top Conference: The Southeastern Conference boasts the most AFCA FBS Coaches’ All-America Team representatives among current conference members with 339. Following the SEC are the Big Ten (302), Big 12 (295), Atlantic Coast (218), Pac-12 (216), American Athletic (77), Mountain West (59), Conference USA (52), Sun Belt (40) and Mid-American (34) (Totals include school All-America selections in all divisions).

The 2019 conference-by-conference breakdown: SEC: 19; Big Ten: 14; Big 12: 5; Pac-12: 5; ACC: 3; AAC: 1; C-USA: 1; IND: 1; MWC: 1.

Repeat After Me: Ohio State has the most players who have been repeat selections (16 players). The Buckeyes are followed by Oklahoma (9); Notre Dame (7); USC (7); Alabama (6); Michigan (6); Texas (6); Arkansas (5); Georgia (5); LSU (5); Nebraska (5); Florida State (4) and Stanford (4).

Alabama wide receiver Jerry Jeudy, Wisconsin running back Jonathan Taylor, LSU defensive back Grant Delpit, Clemson running back Travis Etienne and Texas A&M punter Braden Mann earned AFCA FBS Coaches’ All-America honors for a second consecutive season in 2019.

Three-Timer: Clemson’s Christian Wilkins and Houston’s Ed Oliver join Georgia’s Herschel Walker as the only three-time AFCA FBS Coaches’ All-Americans in the 75-year history of the team. Walker earned his All-America honors from 1980 to 1982, while Wilkins and Oliver earned their picks from 2016 to 2018.

Four For Four: No player has earned AFCA FBS All-America honors four times, however Eastern Washington’s Cooper Kupp and Texas A&M-Kingsville’s Johnny Bailey are the only players to earn AFCA Coaches’ All-America honors in four consecutive years at any level. Bailey was a four-year pick at running back in Division II from 1986 to 1989 while Kupp earned his honors in FCS from 2013 to 2016.

Double Duos: Teammates have earned back-to-back Coaches’ All-America honors in the same season eight times. Alabama’s Minkah Fitzpatrick and JK Scott (2016 and 2017) join USC’s Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush (2004 and 2005); Army’s Glenn Davis and Doc Blanchard (1945 and 1946); Notre Dame’s George Connor and Johnny Lujack (1946 and 1947); Michigan State’s Bubba Smith and George Webster (1966 and 1967); Ohio State’s Jack Tatum and Jim Stillwagon (1969 and 1970); Notre Dame’s Ken MacAfee and Ross Browner (1976 and 1977) and Colorado’s Joe Garten and Alfred Will­iams (1989 and 1990).

 Two Players, Two Schools: Placekicker Cole Tracy joins punter Mark Bounds and placekicker Greg Zuerlein as the only players to earn AFCA Coaches’ All-America honors at two different schools. Tracy earned second team AFCA All-America honors in Division II at Assumption College in 2017, then transferred to LSU in 2018 and earned second team FBS All-America honors. Bounds was named to the AFCA College Division I team in 1990 while playing for West Texas A&M. He transferred to Texas Tech after West Texas dropped football and earned I-A All-America honors as a Red Raider in 1991. Zuerlein was named to the Division II Coaches’ All-America Team in 2009 while playing for Nebraska-Omaha. He transferred to Missouri Western State after Nebraska-Omaha dropped its football program and earned AFCA Division II honors in 2011 as a Griffon.

Consecutive Years: Notre Dame holds the record for consecutive years with at least one player on the AFCA Coaches’ All-America Team at 19 seasons (1963-1981). Neb­raska had at least one player 12 straight seasons (1978-1989), which places the Cornhuskers second. Michigan (1969-1979), Oklahoma (1971-1981), USC (1972-82) and Miami (Fla.) (1984-1994) are next with 11 straight seasons. Pitts­burgh placed one player on the AFCA team for 10 straight seasons from 1975-1984. Alabama has the longest current active streak at nine years (2011-19).

It’s Been A While: Defensive back Antoine Winfield Jr. earned AFCA Coaches’ All-America Team honors for Minnesota for the first time since 2005 when Greg Eslinger was named as a center.

Excellent Eight: Alabama’s eight selections (Jerry Jeudy, WR; Jonah Williams, OL; Tua Tagovailoa, QB; Quinnen Williams, DL; Deionte Thompson, DB; Irv Smith Jr., TE; Isaiah Buggs, DL; Mack Wilson, LB) in 2018 are the most players from any one school on a single AFCA FBS Coaches’ All-America Team.