Five Buckeyes earn AFCA first-team All-American honors

COLUMBUS — Another day, another All-American team release chock-full of Ohio State superstars.

This time, it’s the American Football Coaches Association that released its All-American honors. And five Buckeyes are on the first-team list, while four others made second-team honors.

It starts with defensive back Caleb Downs, who was a unanimous All-American selection last year and is now a consensus All-American safety again this fall. He’s joined on the first team by wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, widely known as the best player in college football, defensive tackle Kayden McDonald and linebacker Arvell Reese. All four are officially consensus All-Americans after earning first-team honors from On3 on Wednesday, CBS Sports on Thursday, the Walter Camp Football Foundation on Friday and the Associated Press on Monday.

They’re joined on the first-team group by center Carson Hinzman, his first All-American honor.

Ohio State wide receiver Carnell Tate, quarterback Julian Sayin, left guard Luke Montgomery and defensive end Caden Curry are second-team All-Americans by the AFCA.

Of course, the American Football Coaches Association is one of the five All-American teams that count toward consensus and unanimous status — and it’s the third of the five to be released; the Walter Camp Football Foundation list was released Friday and the Associated Press was released Monday.

Those designations come from five All-American selections: the Walter Camp Football Foundation, the Associated Press, the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), The Sporting News and the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA). Those All-American teams will be released across the next week.

Somehow, Smith was snubbed from the Biletnikoff Award that was revealed Friday night, while Downs did win the Thorpe Award, which is given annually to the country’s best defensive back.

Ohio State on All-American teams

So far, the All-American honors are as follows, with one of the five major selectors now public:

WR Jeremiah Smith: On3 (first team), CBS Sports (first team), ProFootball Focus (first team), The Athletic (first team), Walter Camp Football Foundation (first team), Associated Press (first team), AFCA (first team)
DT Kayden McDonald: On3 (first team), CBS Sports (first team), ProFootball Focus (first team), The Athletic (first team), Walter Camp Football Foundation (first team), Associated Press (first team), AFCA (first team)
LB Arvell Reese: On3 (first team), CBS Sports (first team), The Athletic (first team), Walter Camp Football Foundation (first team), Associated Press (first team), AFCA (first team)
SAF Caleb Downs: On3 (first team), CBS Sports (first team), The Athletic (first team), Walter Camp Football Foundation (first team), Associated Press (first team), AFCA (first team)
DE Caden Curry: On3 (first team), The Athletic (second team), Associated Press (third team), AFCA (second team)
LB Sonny Styles: On3 (second team), ProFootball Focus (first team), The Athletic (second team), Associated Press (second team)
WR Carnell Tate: On3 (second team), Associated Press (second team), AFCA (second team)
QB Julian Sayin: Walter Camp Football Foundation (second team), Associated Press (third team), AFCA (second team)
OL Carson Hinzman: AFCA (first team)
OL Luke Montgomery: AFCA (first team)