Boise State RB Jeanty a unanimous AP midseason All-America pick, Colorado’s Hunter fills 2 positions

Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty was a unanimous selection and Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter occupies two first-team positions on The Associated Press midseason All-America team released Thursday.

Miami’s Cam Ward was the runaway winner for top quarterback, the SEC held down four of the five spots on the offensive line and 10 of the AP preseason All-America first-team picks were on the midseason first-team as well.

Nine players from the Southeastern Conference and six from the Big Ten are on the first team, as determined by a panel of media members who vote each week in the AP Top 25 college football poll.

Jeanty has run for more than 200 yards in three of his six games and is averaging a nation-leading 208 per game and 9.9 per carry. His 17 rushing touchdowns are most in the country.

Only 25 teams have more rushing yards this season than Jeanty’s 1,248, the highest six-game total by a player since Garrett Wolfe had 1,343 for Northern Illinois in 2006, according to Sportradar.

Penn State tight end Tyler Warren (44) celebrates after a touchdown against Illinois during the first quarter of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in State College, Pa. (AP Photo/Barry Reeger)

Hunter has appeared on offense, defense and special teams and played as many as 147 snaps in a game, according to Pro Football Focus. Hunter is Colorado’s leading receiver, with 46 catches for 587 yards and six touchdowns. As a cornerback, he has two interceptions and three pass breakups, and he forced a fumble in overtime to secure a win over Baylor.

Ward is the national passing leader, completing 69.8% of his passes for 369.8 yards per game with 20 touchdowns and five interceptions. His best performance came in a 39-38 win at California, where he threw for 437 yards and led the Hurricanes to four straight touchdowns to erase a 25-point deficit midway through the third quarter.

(x-denotes AP preseason All-America first-team pick)

First team — Offense

Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan (4) makes the one handed catch defended by Utah defensive end Logan Fano (0) during an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in Salt Lake City, Utah. (AP Photo/Tyler Tate)

Quarterback — Cam Ward, fifth-year, Miami.

Running backs — Ashton Jeanty, third-year, Boise State; Kaleb Johnson, third-year, Iowa.

Tackles — x-Kelvin Banks Jr., third-year, Texas; x-Will Campbell, third-year, LSU.

Guards — Dylan Fairchild, fourth-year, Georgia; Tyler Booker, third-year, Alabama.

Center — Seth McLaughlin, fifth-year, Ohio State.

Washington quarterback Will Rogers runs from Iowa linebacker Jay Higgins (34) during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in Iowa City, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Tight end — Tyler Warren, fifth-year, Penn State.

Wide receivers — Tre Harris, fifth-year, Mississippi; x-Tetairoa McMillan, third-year, Arizona; Nick Nash, sixth-year, San Jose State.

All-purpose player — x-Travis Hunter, third-year, Colorado.

Kicker — Alex Raynor, sixth-year, Kentucky.

First team — Defense

Texas running back Quintrevion Wisner (26) carries the ball as Oklahoma linebacker Danny Stutsman (28) moves in to make the stop in the first half of an NCAA college football game in Dallas, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Edge rushers — Trey White, third-year, San Diego State; Donovan Ezeiruaku, fourth-year, Boston College.

Interior linemen — x-Mason Graham, third-year Michigan; Walter Nolen, third-year, Mississippi.

Linebackers — x-Jay Higgins, fifth-year, Iowa; Danny Stutsman, fourth-year, Oklahoma; Shaun Dolac, fifth-year, Buffalo.

Cornerbacks — Nohl Williams, fifth-year, California; Travis Hunter, third-year, Colorado.

Safeties — x-Xavier Watts, fifth-year, Notre Dame; x-Malaki Starks, third-year, Georgia.

Buffalo linebacker Shaun Dolac returns his interception of a pass by Northern Illinois quarterback Ethan Hampton during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024, in DeKalb, Ill. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

Defensive back — x-Will Johnson, third-year, Michigan.

Punter — x-Alex Mastromanno, fifth-year, Florida State.

Second team — Offense

Quarterback — tie, Dillon Gabriel, sixth-year, Oregon; Kurtis Rourke, sixth-year, Indiana.

Running backs — Dylan Sampson, third-year, Tennessee; Omarion Hampton, third-year, North Carolina.

Michigan defensive back Will Johnson (2) reacts to being called for pass interference against Washington wide receiver Denzel Boston (12) during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Seattle. Washington won 27-17. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Tackles — Wyatt Milum, fourth-year, West Virginia; Josh Simmons, fourth-year, Ohio State.

Guards — Donovan Jackson, fourth-year, Ohio State; Willie Lampkin, fifth-year, North Carolina.

Center — Brady Small, second-year, Army.

Tight end — Harold Fannin Jr., third-year, Bowling Green.

Wide receivers — Ryan Williams, first-year, Alabama; Jack Bech, fourth-year, TCU; Tai Felton, fourth-year, Maryland.

All-purpose player — tie, Cam Skattebo, fifth-year, Arizona State; Desmond Reid, third-year, Pittsburgh.

Kicker — Ben Sauls, fifth-year, Pittsburgh.

Second team — Defense

Edge rushers — Kyle Kennard, fifth-year, South Carolina; Nic Scourton, third-year, Texas A&M.

Interior linemen — Derrick Harmon, third-year, Oregon; Ty Hamilton, fifth-year, Ohio State.

Linebackers — Jalon Walker, third-year, Georgia; Colin Ramos, fourth-year, Navy; Chris Paul Jr., fourth-year, Mississippi.

Cornerbacks — Jahdae Barron, fifth-year, Texas; Trey Amos, fifth-year, Mississippi.

Safeties — Caleb Downs, second-year, Ohio State; Jaylen Reed, fourth-year, Penn State.

Defensive back — tie, Lathan Ransom, fifth-year, Ohio State; Trey Rucker, fifth-year, Oklahoma State.

Punter — James Burnip, fourth-year, Alabama.

___

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

News from © The Associated Press, . All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Join the Conversation!

Want to share your thoughts, add context, or connect with others in your community? Create a free account to comment on stories, ask questions, and join meaningful discussions on our new site.

Leave a Reply

The Associated Press

The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. Founded in 1846, AP today remains the most trusted source of fast, accurate, unbiased news in all formats and the essential provider of the technology and services vital to the news business. More than half the world’s population sees AP journalism every day.