TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Six members of the Alabama football team earned first team All-America honors from the Sporting News on Tuesday.
Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, wide receiver Jerry Jeudy and offensive linemen Ross Pierschbacher and Jonah Williams were named on offense, while defensive back Deionte Thompson and defensive lineman Quinnen Williams were named on defense.
Jonah Williams has earned consensus All-America honors by virtue of his first-team accolades from the Sporting News, Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), The Associated Press (AP), and Walter Camp. The Athletic and Sports Illustrated also have recognized him as a first-teamer.
The junior anchors an Alabama offensive front that has cleared the way for an offense that leads the Southeastern Conference and is second nationally in scoring at 47.9 points per game.
Quinnen Williams also has earned consensus first-team honors from the Sporting News, FWAA, The AP, and Walter Camp. He also has been recognized by The Athletic and Sports Illustrated as a first team All-American.
The redshirt sophomore took home the Outland Trophy on Dec. 6, in recognition of his breakout season in his first year as a starter. Williams leads all Tide defensive linemen with 66 tackles and paces the team in tackles for loss with 18.
Jeudy, who was honored with the Biletnikoff Award as the nation’s top receiver last week, has earned first-team All-America honors from the Sporting News, The AP, Walter Camp, Sports Illustrated, and The Athletic.
The sophomore also was a first-team All-SEC selection by The AP and the league coaches. He has caught 59 passes for a team-leading 1,103 yards and 12 touchdowns this season.
Pierschbacher was a Rimington Trophy finalist and has earned first-team All-America honors from the Sporting News and second-team nods from The AP and Sports Illustrated. The redshirt senior made 42 career starts at left guard in his first three years at Alabama before transitioning to center and starting all 13 games in 2018. He captains an offensive line that is a finalist for the Joe Moore Award for the third time in his career.
The Cedar Falls, Iowa, native was also a first team All-SEC honoree this season.
Tagovailoa led Alabama to its 27th SEC championship and fifth-straight College Football Playoff appearance in his first season as the team’s starting quarterback. His list of honors includes the Maxwell, Walter Camp, and Sporting News Player of the Year awards.
The sophomore also received SEC Offensive Player of the Year honors and first team All-America recognition from Sporting News and Walter Camp, as well as second-team honors from the FWAA, AP, The Athletic and Sports Illustrated.
Thompson has received first-team honors from the Sporting News, The AP, and Sports Illustrated and second-team recognition from Walter Camp and the FWAA. He leads all Tide defensive backs and is second on team in tackles with 71 stops. He has also forced a team-high four fumbles and contributed three-and-a-half tackles for loss, two interceptions, five pass breakups, and a fumble recovery. He was a first-team All-SEC selection by the conference coaches and a second-team pick by The AP.
Ole Miss offensive lineman Greg Little joined the Alabama players on the team thanks to his second-team All-America honor. It is the third All-America honor of the postseason for the Allen, Texas, native.
Little, a junior, appeared in every game at left tackle for the last three seasons. Heralded as one of the top NFL draft prospects for 2019, Little has garnered second-team All-America honors from the FWAA and the Walter Camp Foundation. He also was a first-team All-SEC selection by The AP and the league coaches.
Little is one of six finalists for the 2018 Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award. He is the first offensive lineman to be named a finalist for the Texas-specific award.
Little was part of an offensive line that helped protect one of the nation’s top offenses. Ole Miss ranks ninth in the country in total offense and fifth in passing yards. Little was a key anchor on the left side of the line.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 41 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.