The American Football Coaches Association announced its All-American teams on Tuesday and Ohio State was well-represented. Nine Buckeyes earned All-American honors from the AFCA, with five players being named to the first team and four players being named to the second team.
Junior safety Caleb Downs, senior center Carson Hinzman, junior defensive tackle Kayden McDonald, sophomore linebacker Arvell Reese and sophomore receiver Jeremiah Smith were all named first-team All-Americans. On the second team were senior defensive end Caden Curry, junior receiver Carnell Tate, junior offensive guard Luke Montgomery and redshirt freshman quarterback Julian Sayin.
After earning first team honors from the AFCA, Downs, McDonald, Reese and Smith all officially became Consensus All-Americans, as each player was also recognized as first-team All-Americans by the Associated Press and Walter Camp.
Downs, who was recognized as the best defensive back in the country on Dec. 12 when he won the Thorpe Award, had an impressive season this year for Ohio State. Downs has totaled 60 tackles, including 5.0 for loss. Downs’ 60 tackles are the third-most on the team.
McDonald is having a career-best year for the Buckeyes this season. The defensive tackle has logged 57 total tackles, including 8 for loss and also three sacks.
Reese also made a habit of stuffing the stat sheet. Through 13 games, Reese has 62 total tackles, including 10 for loss. Reese’s 6.5 sacks are tied for the second-most on the team.
Smith has followed up a record-breaking freshman season very well this year. Heading into the College Football Playoffs, Smith has 80 catches for 1,086 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Hinzman’s inclusion on the AFCA’s first-team comes as somewhat of a surprise, considering he was named to the All-Big Ten third-team and wasn’t named as a finalist for the Rimington trophy, given to the best center in the country. Still, Hinzman has helped Ohio State give up just .85 sacks per game so far this season, the seventh-best mark in the country.
