AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE 2020 ALL-LEAGUE SELECTIONS

 

 

 

The end of the college football season is a sad time, because it means that we are almost finished withfootball, and have a long cold winter (and spring) ahead of us.

But it's also a time for passing out hardware, in the form of all-league teams. 

Plenty of players had the spotlight shining on them, so it was admittedly tricky trying to find the best of the best in each league. But through careful research, and all night film sessions, our committee of three came up with what we thought were the best choices in each conference. 

These selections may not match the ones unveiled by the conferences, but that's because much of that is name recognition more than stellar play. Digging deep behind the numbers is what's needed, and that's precisely what we have done here. 

We lead off with the American Athletic Conference, the league most people feel is the closest to a Power 5 conference. The choice for offensive player of the year was especially tough, and in the end we selected the guy from the better team -- Cincinnati's Desmond Ridder winning narrowly over UCF's Marlon Williams. On defense there was no conundrum -- Zaven Collins was the man. SMU's superb runner Ulysses Bentley IV was the easy choice for freshman of the year, and while coach of the year wasn't a slam dunk, Tulsa's Philip Montgomery was the choice. A year after going 3-9, Montgomery led the Golden Hurricane to the league championship game.

1^ST TEAM OFFENSE                                                                              2^ND TEAM OFFENSE

QB Desmond Ridder/Cincinnati                                                       QB Dillon Gabriel/UCF

RB Ulysses Bentley IV/SMU                                                              RB Gerrid Doaks/Cincinnati

RB Cameron Carroll/Tulane                                                              RB Greg McCrae/UCF

WR Marlon Williams/UCF                                                                   WR Jaylon Robinson/UCF

WR Calvin Austin III/Memphis                                                          WR CJ Johnson/East Carolina

WR Duece Watts/Tulane                                                                     WR Keylon Stokes/Tulsa

TE Sean Dykes/Memphis                                                                  TE Kylen Granson/SMU

OT James Hudson/Cincinnati                                                           OT Darius Harper/Cincinnati

OT Jaylon Thomas/SMU                                                                     OT Tyler Smith/Tulsa

OG Cole Schneider/UCF                                                                    OG Cory Dublin/Tulane

OG Peter Nestrowitz/Navy                                                                OG Braylon Jones/Houston

 C Matthew Lee/UCF                                                                            C Sincere Haynesworth/Tulane                            

1^ST TEAM DEFENSE                                                                               2^ND TEAM DEFENSE

DE Cameron Sample/Tulane                                                             DE Payton Turner/Houston

DT Morris Joseph/Memphis                                                            DT Kenny Turnier/UCF

DT Jaxon Player/Tulsa                                                                        DT Elijah Chatman/SMU

DE Myjai Sanders/Cincinnati                                                             DE Elijah Ponder/Cincinnati

LB Zaven Collins/Tulsa                                                                      LB Dorian Williams/Tulane

LB Patrick Johnson/Tulane                                                               LB Delano Robinson/SMU

LB Diego Fagot/Navy                                                                          LB Jarell White/Cincinnati

LB Xavier Smith/East Carolina                                                          LB Grant Stuard/Houston

CB Ahmad Gardner/Cincinnati                                                         CB Coby Bryant/Cincinnati

CB Marcus Jones/Houston                                                               CB Ja’Quan McMIllan/East Carolina

 S James Wiggins/Cincinnati                                                             S Kendarin Ray/Tulsa

 S Richie Grant/UCF                                                                             S Quindell Johnson/Memphis

1^ST TEAM SPECIALISTS                                                                      2^ND TEAM SPECIALISTS

 K Riley Patterson/Memphis                                                             K Chris Naggar/SMU

 P Laine Wilkins/Houston                                                                    P James Smith/Cincinnati

RS Tyler Snead/East Carolina                                                            RS Marcus Jones/Houston

 

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Desmond Ridder/Cincinnati              

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Zaven Collins/Tulsa                           

FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Ulysses Bentley IV/SMU

COACH OF THE YEAR: Philip Montgomery/Tulsa

College Football 2018 Conference Previews -- AAC

AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE

OVERVIEW

UCF's Josh Heupel

The overriding storyline for the American Athletic Conference is just how long the wins can keep coming for UCF. The Knights went undefeated last season and staked their own claim to a national championship, and enter this season with the nation's longest current win streak. Quarterback McKenzie Milton is back to pilot the offense, but it won't be business as usual due to some pretty substantial losses.

UCF lost top receiver Tre'Quan Smith and tight end Jordan Akins, as well as top defenders Shaquem Griffin and Mike Hughes. As good as they were, the defense was barely mediocre in 2017, and it's hard to believe it will get better when your best players are gone. Pat Jasinski should be the defensive leader from his linebacker spot, and Milton's job will be made a bit easier by the presence of lightning-quick running back Adrian Killins Jr. The schedule includes a trips to Memphis and USF, plus a home date with Lane Kiffin's FAU Owls that should be marquee viewing. USF lost a generational player in quarterback Quinton Flowers, but could shift into more of a passing team with ex-Alabama/Arizona State quarterback Blake Barnett at the helm. Tall and blessed with a big arm, Barnett has a veteran receiving corps and one of the best tight ends in the league in Mitchell Wilcox. The Bulls defense was stout a year ago and returns five starters. Defense was a bit of an issue for Temple, which allowed nearly 26 points per game, its highest total since 2013. A solid linebacker corps and a standout safety in Delvon Randall should mean improvement for an aggressive group that was 13th nationally in tackles for loss. The offense is led by quarterback Frank Nutile, who has a solid group of weapons at his disposal, led by receiver Isaiah Wright.

Memphis lost the lethal pitch and catch duo of Riley Ferguson to Anthony Miller, but returns a great running game with Darrell Henderson and Patrick Taylor splitting carries and doing damage. Brady White comes in from Arizona State to play quarterback, and receiver/return man extraordinaire Tony Pollard is back to terrorize foes. The defense needs to get better, and may thanks to eight returning starters. A disappointing seven-win season was not what Houston expected last year, but the offense went south early and never recovered. With the job now his, D'Eriq King should be able to operate the offense smoothly. He has untested weapons around him, though Utah grad transfer Raelon Singleton is a good one. Defense is where the Cougars could be one of the best in the league, as manchild Ed Oliver is back for his junior -- and final -- season in H-Town. The secondary is experienced and gains the services of Ole Miss transfer Deontay Anderson, a former prep All-American. A week two showdown at home against Arizona should be very interesting. Navy won fewer than eight games for the first time since 2011, and a lot of that was due to injury. Quarterback was hit especially hard as three different starters took the field for the Middies. Malcolm Perry is the clear starter and averaged nearly nine yards per tote last year. Last year's starter Zach Abey moves to receiver. The defense improved a lot from 2016, and nose guard Jackson Pittman is one of the better interior players in the conference. If one team is going to make a move this year it could be Tulane, which has made steady progress under coach Willie Fritz. The Green Wave have gone from winning three games the season before his arrival to five last year, and two of the Wave's seven losses were decided by two (Navy) and one (Cincinnati) point. Quarterback Jonathan Banks is one of the better dual threats in the nation, but needs to get more accurate with his passing. Running back Corey Dauphine and wideout Terren Encalade could be ready to breakout, and the line returns four starters. The defense must get better, and true freshman Jeffery Johnson (once an Alabama commit) could help bring down a 5.4 yards against rushing average. Tulane last went to a bowl game in 2013, and hasn't won one since 2002.

RISING: Tulane
FALLING: SMU
BOWL TEAMS (7): UCF, USF, Temple, Memphis, Houston, Navy, Tulane

AAC PROJECTED STANDINGS
EAST
1 UCF (10-3, 7-1)
2 USF (8-4, 5-3)

3 Temple (7-5, 5-3)

4 Cincinnati (5-7, 4-4)

5 UConn (4-8, 2-6)

6 East Carolina (3-9, 1-7) 
WEST
1 Memphis (9-4, 6-2)

2 Houston (8-4, 5-3)

3 Navy (9-4, 4-4)

4 Tulane (6-6, 4-4)

5 SMU (5-7, 3-5)

6 Tulsa (4-8, 2-6) 
AAC CHAMPIONSHIP
UCF over Memphis

ALL-AAC TEAM

FIRST TEAM OFFENSE

QB McKenzie Milton/UCF

RB Darrell Henderson/Memphis

RB Adrian Killins/UCF

WR Trevon Brown/East Carolina

WR Dredrick Snelson/UCF

WR James Proche/SMU

TE Joey Magnifico/Memphis

OL Marcus Norman/USF

OL Wyatt Miller/UCF

OL Tyler Bowling/Tulsa

OL Chandler Miller/Tulsa

OL Jordan Johnson/UCF

FIRST TEAM DEFENSE

DL Ed Oliver/Houston

DL Cortez Broughton/Cincinnati

DL Greg Reaves/USF

DL Trysten Hill/UCF

LB Pat Jasinski/UCF

LB Shaun Bradley/Temple

LB Cooper Edmiston/Tulsa

LB Curtis Akins/Memphis

DB TJ Carter/Memphis

DB McKinley Whitfield/Tulsa

DB Delvon Randall/Temple

DB Kyle Gibson/UCF

FIRST TEAM SPECIALISTS

 K  Matthew Wright/UCF

 P   James Smith/Cincinnati

KR Tony Pollard/Memphis

PR Isaiah Wright/Temple

SECOND TEAM OFFENSE

QB Jonathan Banks/Tulane

RB Xavier Jones/SMU

RB Ryquell Armstead/Temple

WR Justin Hobbs/Tulsa

WR Tyre McCants/USF

WR Terren Encalade/Tulane

TE Mitchell Wilcox/USF

OL Trevon Tate/Memphis

OL Jon Spellacy/East Carolina

OL Andrew Wood/Navy

OL Drew Kyser/Memphis

OL Matt Hennessy/Temple

SECOND TEAM DEFENSE

DL O'Bryan Goodson/Memphis

DL Marquise Copeland/Cincinnati

DL Jeffery Johnson/Tulane

DL Jackson Pittman/Navy

LB Khalid McGee/USF

LB Emeke Egbule/Houston

LB Nico Sawtelle/USF

LB Aaron Ramseur/East Carolina

DB Ronnie Hoggins/USF

DB Mikial Onu/SMU

DB Sean Williams/Navy

DB Donnie Lewis/Tulane

SECOND TEAM SPECIALISTS

  K Caden Novikoff/Houston

  P  Thomas Bennett/Tulsa

KR Jordan Swann/UConn

PR John Williams/Memphis

 

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: McKenzie Milton/UCF

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Ed Oliver/Houston

COACH OF THE YEAR: Ken Niumatalolo/Navy

NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR: DL Jeffery Johnson/Tulane

Bullish On South Florida In The AAC

Charlie Strong

 When let go by the University of Texas, Charlie Strong wasn't sure what was in his immediate future. He thought he might have to start over, perhaps taking a coordinator position before wading again into the head coaching waters.

 But then a hurricane of sorts took place in Tampa, as Willie Taggart moved West to Oregon, leaving a vacancy in a program that many have labeled a "sleeping giant." The Bulls finished 11-2 last year (7-1 in league play) and had more talent on hand than at any time in history, but had no coach.

 Enter Strong.

 After surveying the landscape, Strong returned to the state where he took his first assistant coaching job, and immediately felt like he was "home."

 A team rife with experience and talent has Strong sitting in the catbird seat, as the choice to win the American Athletic Conference Eastern Divison, and, ultimately, the league title. That would be a reversal of fortune from last year, when the Bulls missed out on the league title game and instead watched Temple take the crown.

 "We didn't win the conference last year," Strong said. "We have something to shoot for, that carrot is dangling in front of us."

         Quinton Flowers

 The Bulls have a leg up on the competition thanks in large part to quarterback Quinton Flowers, a versatile sort who passed for over 2,800 yards with 24 touchdown passes, and added another 1,530 yards and 18 scores on the ground. He should repeat as offensive player of the year and is a darkhorse in the Heisman Trophy race.

 "We’ve got to win today,” said Strong. “It’s important for the players to realize they haven’t won anything this year.

 “We’re a big-time program, so we have to carry ourselves like a big-time program. We’ve got to give them a product that they are happy with and pleased with.”

 USF is a prohibitive favorite in the East, but Temple (10-4, 7-1) and Central Florida (6-7, 4-4) will make it work for division supremacy. The Owls will once again be defense oriented, while the Knights should continuing ascending behind a veteran stop unit and an offense that has nowhere to go but up (113th nationally in 2016).

 In the West, Memphis gets the nod thanks to senior quarterback Riley Ferguson, who threw for 3,698 yards and a school-record 32 TDs. The Tigers (8-5, 5-3) have experience on offense, including wideout Anthony Miller, but will need to get better on defense if they want to challenge for the league title.

 Houston (9-4, 5-3), Tulsa (10-3, 6-2) and Navy (9-5, 7-1) will all be in the mix, and could each win the league with the right set of circumstances. Houston gets the services of former Texas A&M quarterback Kyle Allen, so losing Greg Ward Jr. shouldn't be such a blow. Tulsa has running back D'Angelo Brewer (1,435 yards), while Navy will rely on its typical option-based scheme, piloted by quarterback Zach Abey, who started the final two games of last season after starter Will Worth was injured.

 Being tabbed as a division favorite often puts a bullseye on a team, but it will keep Memphis focused on the big prize.

 “It’s a great compliment, but being the preseason favorite really doesn’t get you anything,” Tigers coach Mike Norvell said. “Our guys, the biggest focus that we’ve had is trying to maximize the opportunities that we have in our preparation so that when we get to the season we’re in the best position to be successful."

 The league had a ton of turnover from last year, with five first-year coaches, four in the East -- Strong, Geoff Collins at Temple, Luke Fickell at Cincinnati and Randy Edsall at UConn, who is beginning his second stint in Storrs, having led the program from 1999-2010. Houston bumped offensive coordinator Major Applewhite up to head coach after Tom Herman left to take over Texas.


 AAC PREDICTIONS
        EAST
 1. South Florida
 2. Temple
 3. UCF
 4. East Carolina
 5. Cincinnati
 6. Connecticut

            WEST
 1. Memphis
 2. Houston
 3. Tulsa
 4. Navy
 5. SMU
 6. Tulane 

ALL-AAC
OFFENSE
QB Quinton Flowers/South Florida
RB D'Angelo Brewer/Tulsa
RB Braeden West/SMU
WR Anthony Miller/Memphis
WR Jimmy Williams/East Carolina
WR Courtland Sutton/SMU
OT Evan Pigg/Tulsa
OT John Leglue/Tulane
OG Evan Martin/Navy
OG Tyler Bowling/Tulsa
  C  Chandler Miller/Tulsa

DEFENSE
DE Justin Lawler/SMU
DE Jamiyus Pittman/UCF
DT Ed Oliver/Houston
DT Cortez Broughton/Cincinnati
LB Genard Avery/Memphis
LB Micah Thomas/Navy
LB Shaquem Griffin/UCF
CB Parry Nickerson/Tulane
CB Jamar Summers/Connecticut
  S  Sean Chandler/Temple
  S  Garrett Davis/Houston

SPECIALISTS
  K Andrew Gantz/Cincinnati
  P Spencer Smith/Memphis
KR Sherman Badie/Tulane
PR D'Ernest Johnson/South Florida

CHAMPIONSHIP GAME South Florida over Memphis
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR -- Quinton Flowers
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR -- Ed Oliver
COACH OF THE YEAR -- Mike Norvell/Memphis
NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR -- RB Cordarrian Richardson/UCF