By Nathan Cooper and Jeff Dean

With the end of the College Football regular season, we’re proud to release our SIS All-America teams.

In addition to voting done by our Operations staff, we used our all-encompassing player value stat, Total Points, along with other metrics and our scouting work as leading references in putting together two teams of All-SIS selections for 2023, plus a few honorable mentions.

You can learn more about Total Points and the statistics referenced here.

These picks are meant to honor this season’s best-of-the-best in the sport.

First Team Offense

QB – Jayden Daniels, LSU

This year’s Heisman Trophy winner, Daniels was a force through the air and on the ground. His 40 passing touchdowns tied for the FBS lead and his overall IQR of 148.2 is 10 points higher than Bo Nix, who was second. 

Of his 211 Total Points, 67 of them have come on the ground. That number would rank 2nd among all RBs. Not only did he blow all other QBs out of the water with his rushing, his 1,134 rushing yards ranked 22nd among RBs and his 28 missed tackles forced tie for 4th-most among QBs and RBs.

RB – Omarion Hampton, North Carolina

Hampton leads all RBs in Total Points with 68, 13 better than second place. Of his 1,439 rushing yards, 1,020 came after contact, best in the FBS. Among RBs with at least 150 carries, his yards per attempt (6.1), 1st down rate (32.5%), and Stuff rate (11.1%) all rank Top 15.

RB – Audric Estime, Notre Dame

Estime was 2nd among RBs in Rushing Total Points with 51, and T-3rd in Total Points overall. The 41 EPA gained on his runs led the FBS, and his 6.4 Yards per Carry was the best of any player with over 200 attempts. 

WR – Malik Nabers, LSU

Nabers was a force all season on his way to leading the FBS with over 1,500 receiving yards. He led all FBS WRs with 52 Total Points and 69 first downs gained while finishing Top-10 in Yards After the Catch and Yards After Contact. 

WR – Marvin Harrison Jr., Ohio State

Harrison nearly repeated his incredible 2022 campaign in 2023 and topped it off with a Biletnikoff Award. Harrison’s 14 receiving touchdowns ranked tied for 2nd. His 48 Total Points rank 2nd among FBS receivers. 

Among WRs with at least 75 targets, Harrison ranked 7th in 1st Down rate (76.1%) and tied-4th in yards per route run (3.6), as well. He figures to be a Top 5 selection in the upcoming NFL Draft.

TE – Ben Sinnott, Kansas State

Sinnott led all FBS Tight Ends with 40 Total Points in 2023. His 673 receiving yards ranked 3rd and his 6 touchdowns tied for 5th among all TEs. Sinnott’s 26.2 Receiving Points Earned and 19.9 Points Above Average both far-and-away led the position.

OT – Josh Simmons, Ohio State

Simmons had a Blown Block Rate of just 1.1% on the year. He was 2nd among FBS tackles in Total Points Earned per Snap and Points Above Average per Snap. His balance was impressive as he was able to earn at least 18 Total Points as both a pass blocker and as a run blocker.

OT – Delmar Glaze, Maryland

Glaze’s 0.9% Blown Block rate on 767 snaps was tied for 5th-best among all FBS OTs with at least 500 snaps played. His 7 Blown Blocks were tied for 7th-fewest, with only two coming as a run blocker. However, his 22.6 Points Earned as a pass blocker was the best in the country.

OG – Cooper Beebe, Kansas State

Beebe has been regarded as one of the best guards in all of college football the past few seasons. Among his 37 Total Points, 23 came as a run blocker, which was 7th-best among FBS guards with at least 500 snaps. His 0.5% Blown Block rate as a pass blocker was Top 15.

OG – Kyle Hergel, Boston College

Hergel was an ironman, playing over 800 snaps on the season. His 0.9% Blown Block Rate was noteworthy, but he also led FBS guards in Points Above Average. Scroll down and you’ll see that Boston College had a guard make 2nd team as well.

OC – Jackson Powers-Johnson, Oregon

Powers-Johnson won a spot on the 1st Team with his very low 0.6% Blown Block Rate and ranked 2nd among FBS centers in Points Above Average. He was the only center to earn at least 17 Total Points as both a pass blocker and a run blocker..

First Team Defense

DT – T’Vondre Sweat, Texas

While not known as a pass rusher, Sweat did rank Top-25 among DTs in pressures with 22. His run defense was the main selling point as he led DTs in Total Points per Snap, Run Defense Total Points, and Run Defense Total Points per Snap to boot. A well-deserved place after a monster season.

DT – Jamree Kromah, James Madison

James Madison proved to be one of the best stories in college football this season, and Kromah’s play on defense was a big reason why. Among DTs, his 10 sacks tops the list and his 41 pressures ranked 2nd. Additionally, his Pass Rush Points Saved (21.1) rank 2nd and Points Above Average (4.6) rank 10th.

EDGE – Laiatu Latu, UCLA

Latu, a first round lock in the upcoming NFL Draft, was absolutely dominant as a pass rusher in 2023. His 35 pass rush Points Saved tops all FBS DE/LBs, his 21% Pressure rate ranked 2nd among all with at least 200 pass rushes, his 59 pressures ranked 2nd, and his 12 sacks ranked tied for 5th.

EDGE – Adisa Isaac, Penn State

Isaac led FBS DEs in Total Points per Snap, was 1st in Pass Defense per Snap, 10th in Run Defense per Snap. While he may not be as heralded as his teammate, he was 3rd in Total Points per Pass Rush among FBS players with at least 25 pressures.

LB – Payton Wilson, NC State

Wilson is an athletic linebacker who makes plays all over the field, which is evidenced by his Total Points numbers. His 71 Total Points were tied for 7th-best among all FBS defenders in 2023. Among LBs, his 41 Total Points as a pass rusher/defender ranked 1st and his 29 Total Points ranked 2nd,  his 0.12 Total Points per Snap in run defense was best. He ranked Top 25 in sacks (6) and pressures (24) as well.

LB – Danny Stutsman, Oklahoma

Another player who can do it all. Stutsman was 4th among FBS LBs in Run Defense Total Points, 3rd in Pass Defense Total Points, and 2nd in overall Total Points. Stutsman was all over the field, earning at least 10 Total Points in coverage, against the run, and rushing the passer.

CB – Terrion Arnold, Alabama

Arnold sort of came out of nowhere for Alabama’s defense this season. Playing opposite of Kool-Aid McKinstry, Arnold allowed the 5th-lowest completion percentage among players with at least 50 targets defensed. Additionally, his 5 interceptions tied for 2nd, 12 passes defended tied for 12th, 54.7 Points Saved in coverage ranked 3rd, and his 37.7 Points Above Average ranked 5th.

CB – Tykee Smith, Georgia

Another in a line of productive Georgia defenders, Smith was 2nd among FBS CBs in Total Points per Snap. He gave up a lowly 0.2 Yards per Coverage Snap and just a 29.6 QB Rating when targeted. He allowed only 11 receptions on the year and snagged 4 interceptions for himself as well.

SAF – Dillon Thieneman, Purdue

An unbelievably impressive true freshman season for the Boilermaker that saw him lead FBS safeties in Total Points. His 45 Pass Defense Total Points are good for 4th and his 27 Run Defense Total Points are good for 6th, showing the ability to affect both aspects of the game. His 6 INTs were good for 2nd in the FBS and a clear warning to not throw his way.

SAF – Beau Freyler, Iowa State

For an Iowa State defense that lost some big-time playmakers after the 2022 season, Freyler stepped up in a big way in 2023. His 72 Total Points ranked 2nd among FBS safeties, as does his 50 Total Points against the pass. Among safeties who saw at least 25 targets, his 7.7% Boom rate ranked 2nd and 38.5% Bust rate ranked 4th. Additionally, his 21.9 Passer Rating Against is 3rd-best.

FLEX – Xavier Watts, Notre Dame

Watts was a major impact player for the Notre Dame defense all season. He led FBS safeties in Pass Defense Total Points with 55, and he led the FBS with 7 INTs. He had a QB Rating Against of 42.9 when targeted, and his game against USC was one of the most impressive player performances of the year.

First Team Specialists

K – Graham Nicholson, Miami (OH)

Nicholson was nearly automatic in 2023. He was 26-of-27 on field goals, with his only miss coming in the MAC Championship. Those 26 makes were tied for 2nd-most in the FBS. He also went 36-of-37 on extra points.

P – Tory Taylor, Iowa

Absolutely phenomenal all season, Taylor led all FBS punters with 29 Total Points. He led the FBS with 87 punts and had just 6 touchbacks (a few should’ve been prevented) with 30 landing inside the 20 and 11 inside the 10. If a punter gets a unanimous selection, as Taylor did, it was a dominant season.

Returner – Jayden Harrison, Marshall

Harrison was one of only five returners in 2023 to return two kicks for touchdowns. His total kick return yards were Top 5 in the FBS and his 30.9 average was 6th-best among returners with at least 10 kick returns.

Eleven players on our First Team list were unanimous selections among all 14 of our voters. 

They are: Jayden Daniels, Omarion Hampton, Malik Nabers, Marvin Harrison Jr., Cooper Beebe, T’Vondre Sweat, Laiatu Latu, Payton Wilson, Terrion Arnold, Xavier Watts, and Tory Taylor.

Second Team

Last year’s Heisman Trophy winner, Caleb Williams, gets the nod for Second Team. Additionally, the offense features the leading rusher (Ollie Gordon II), the second and third-leading receivers (Rome Odunze and Malik Washington), and our three highest Total Points getters along the offensive line (Adam Karas, X’Zauvea Gadlin, and Jordan White).

On defense, the players with the second-most sacks (Jalen Green) and second-most interceptions (Ricard Hallman) are featured.

Honorable Mentions

Jordan Travis, Brock Bowers, and Cooper DeJean make the Honorable Mention team due to their injuries. Without them sustaining injuries, we feel like there’s a significant chance they could’ve made it onto the First or Second Team lists. The rest of the players on the Honorable Mention list all received high marks from the full-time Ops staff, but just missed the cut on the first two teams.

All 11 conferences, which includes the Independents, are represented by our teams. Our scouts put in a lot of hard work and dedication this season charting games and scouting players for every FBS team. After a successful reveal of our second annual All-America teams last year, we feel this was another great season of college football as shown by these selections.

Total Points, stats, and ranks as of December 12, 2023