Jeremiah Smith's poetry in motion. (Photo by Ohio State Athletics)
I’ve always believed that the individual awards in college football are the most prestigious individual awards in sports. I’ve also always believed, and it’s true now more than ever, that those awards should be handed out at the end of the season. With the 12-team College Football Playoff getting the top two teams to 16 games and them playing on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
While I can’t do anything to make that change that would make the season better, I can do my own awards. Another beautiful thing about college football is that many organizations do their own awards. Awards that they name after players and coaches that they love and have enjoyed over the course of their lives in college football. I’ve done the same here. And if there is any year for my Ohio State bias to be okay, it’s in a year they’ve won the national championship. So here is the last look at the elite players of 2024.
Tyler Allgeier Walk-On Player of the Year – Shaun Dolac, Buffalo, Linebacker, Senior.
Dolac led the FBS in tackles with 168 for the Buffalo Bulls. He also totaled 19 tackles for a loss, 6.5 sacks, and five interceptions that he returned for a total of 177 yards and a touchdown. This why he is also the Matt Wilhelm Linebacker of the Year.
John Beck Senior of the Year – Jack Sawyer, Ohio State, Defensive End, Senior.
Sawyer didn’t blow up the stat sheet but was more than solid. He had 59 tackles, nine tackles for a loss, nine sacks, an interception, seven pass deflections, three fumble recoveries, and three fumbles forced. He had the play that won the Cotton Bowl and sent Ohio State to Atlanta. Sawyer’s biggest contribution was leadership and making big plays when he was needed the most. He was a pillar of Ohio State’s national championship that the Buckeyes couldn’t have done without.
Lamar Jackson Dual Threat of the Year – Travis Hunter, Colorado, Cornerback/Wide Receiver, Junior.
Travis Hunter was deserving of his Heisman Trophy, no question about it. He wasn’t the best corner or receiver, but he was an all-American at both positions. How much he played alone was noteworthy, but when you add in the level he played at there’s no reason to lowball his accomplishments. It’s why he also got the Curtis Brown Most Versatile Player of the Year. He had 96 catches for 1,258 yards and 16 total touchdowns. Defensively, he had 36 tackles, one tackle for a loss, one fumble forced, 11 pass deflections, and four interceptions.
Dwayne Haskins Quarterback of the Year – Will Howard, Ohio State, Quarterback, Senior.
Will Howard was a big reason Ohio State won the first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff. Howard was a sharpshooter with his accuracy, and that was his strength for Ohio State. Howard leading the Buckeyes to the title also gets him the Joe Burrow Transfer Portal Player of the Year. He had 309 completions on 423 attempts for 4,010 yards and 42 total touchdowns.
Devin Smith Wide Receiver of the Year – Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State, Wide Receiver, Freshman.
Smith could make a good case for Player of the Year. He was that much of a difference maker in this season as he took the college football world by storm and led Ohio State to winning the national title. He’s also the Maurice Clarett Newcomer of the Year. He would end the season with 76 catches for 1,315 yards and 16 total touchdowns.
Dennis Pitta Tight End of the Year –Tyler Warren, Penn State, Tight End, Senior.
Tyler Warren did a little bit of everything for Penn State this year and was instrumental in getting them to the final four. He had 130 touches (104 catches, 26 rushes) for 1,451 yards (1,233 receiving, 218 rushing) and 12 total touchdowns (8 receiving, 4 rushing). As a Buckeye, I am so glad this guy is going to the NFL.
Orlando Pace Offensive Lineman of the Year – Donovan Jackson, Ohio State, Offensive Lineman, Senior.
This man was a warrior for the Buckeyes. If he doesn’t come back for his senior season, they don’t win the national championship. Jackson had to move from guard, the position he’d played almost all of his career at, to tackle midway through the season. There was concern from the Buckeye faithful of how this move would affect the offensive line. Jackson dug deep and played the best football of his career. He did so well he improved his draft status and could be a blindside protector in the NFL.
Jacoby Boren Center of the Year – Seth McLaughlin and Carson Hinzman
Speaking of Buckeye linemen, Seth McLaughlin came in and won the national center of the year (the Rimington Trophy) in only nine games. Injury cut his season short, and Carson Hinzman took over without missing a beat. Hinzman was the starter at center throughout the 2023 season for Ohio State. When McLaughlin came in and overtook him, Hinzman didn’t transfer, he stayed and contributed and filled at guard until McLaughlin went out. His selflessness helped the Buckeyes win it all.
J.T. Barrett Career Player of the Year – Dillon Gabriel, Oregon, Quarterback, Senior.
Dillon Gabriel completed his historic career by owning the FBS record books at quarterback. His 155 passing touchdowns and 189 touchdowns responsible for are both FBS records. His 18,722 career passing yards and his 19,931 total yards are second in FBS history. Gabriel led Oregon to an undefeated regular season, a Big Ten Championship in the Ducks’ first season in the conference, and a #1 seed in the College Football Playoff. A great finish to a historic career!
Bosa Brothers Defensive Lineman of the Year – JT Tuimoloau, Ohio State, Defensive End, Senior.
He had 61 tackles this season, and 22 of them were for a loss. 12.5 of them were sacks, and he forced two fumbles. He was an integral part of Ohio State’s elite defense, both in rushing the passer and defending the run. Tuimoloau was the biggest producer on the Ohio State defense this year, and that speaks volumes, considering how good that defense was this season. A third of his tackles were behind the line of scrimmage. Unreal!
Mike Doss Defensive Back of the Year – Caleb Downs, Ohio State, Safety, Sophomore.
Caleb Downs had a solid year statistically with 82 tackles, eight of them for a loss, two interceptions, and a punt returned for a touchdown. His impact, though, goes way beyond the stat sheet. Downs was a leader and a difference maker on the Buckeyes’ elite defense that was #1 in the nation in yards and points allowed as they their national championship. He didn’t allow a single touchdown all season.
Mike Nugent Kicker of the Year – Will Ferrin, BYU, Kicker, Junior.
Ferrin was a key cog in BYU’s elite special teams unit that was consistently a difference maker for them as they went 11-2 after going 5-7 in 2023. Ferrin was a perfect 41 of 41 on extra points and was 24 of 27 on field goals. Among the other top kickers in college football this season, none had a better record as a team than Ferrin’s BYU Cougars.
Cam Johnston Punter of the Year – Palmer Williams, Baylor, Punter, Sophomore.
Williams was a weapon for the Baylor Bears. He led all of college football in yards per punt with an average of 49.3. Flipping the field was critical for Baylor’s defense and will be again for the Bears in 2025.
Ted Ginn Jr. Returner of the Year – Keelon Marion, BYU, Wide Receiver, Senior.
Marion was a solid contributor for the BYU offense. He had 45 touches for 442 yards and three touchdowns. He really made his presence felt through returning kicks for the Cougars. Marion only returned a total of 18 of them but took of them to the house, including a big one in the Holy War against Utah that was critical to their victory and their 11-2 season.
Chase Young Defensive Player of the Year – Xavier Watts, Notre Dame, Safety, Senior.
The most impressive thing to me about Xavier Watts is his consistency. Watts had a phenomenal junior season in 2023. In 2023, he had 52 tackles, three tackles for a loss, seven interceptions, a fumble recovery, and a fumble forced. Often a player has trouble replicating great seasons back-to-back if for no other reason than teams avoid him. Watts didn’t have that problem in 2024. He had 82 tackles, four for a loss, six interceptions, a fumble recovery, and a fumble forced. Easily a unanimous all-American and the defensive player of the year.
Barry Sanders Offensive Player of the Year – Bryson Daily, Army, Quarterback, Senior.
Daily led college football and set the record for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback with 32 this year. Add in his nine touchdown passes, and he had 41 in 2024 for a 12-2 Army team. His 32 rushing touchdowns are the third most in a season ever, behind only Barry Sanders (37) and Montee Ball (33).
Mike Leach Dynamic Coach of the Year – Curt Cignetti, Indiana, Year One.
What Coach Cignetti did at Indiana is hard to quantify. 11-2, a College Football Playoff Berth as the #10 Seed in his first season there is ridiculous. Kalen DeBoer went 9-4 at Alabama, and while that’s not their standard, even that would have been wildly beyond their ceiling for Indiana. It’s like if the New York Jets made the Super Bowl, nothing like it had been for this team since the 1960s. Like him or not, Cignetti did a great job in 2024.
LaVell Edwards Coach of the Year: -Ryan Day, Ohio State, Year Six.
Ryan Day slayed his biggest demon. The notion that he couldn’t win the big game when it mattered the most had been haunting him, and on the last day of November, it looked like it would knock him down one more season. Day told his wife he had to fight his way out of it. He fought his way out and conquered it. It will be interesting to see how having that weight off his shoulders affects him and Ohio State going forward.
Archie Griffin Player of the Year – Ashton Jeanty, Boise State, Running Back, Junior.
I said Travis Hunter was deserving of and earned the Heisman. The same could be said of Ashton Jeanty if he’d won it. Jeanty would have gotten my vote for it if I had one. He rushed for 2,601 yards, 28 shy of breaking Barry Sanders’ single-season record, good enough for second all-time. His 29 touchdowns were good enough for fifth all-time. Performances like this are generational, and Jeanty’s shouldn’t be overlooked. His historic season is why he gets the Ezekiel Elliott Running Back of the Year and Jim Otis Power Back/Fullback of the Year to go along with overall Player of the Year. A season that shouldn’t be forgotten and won’t be by Boise State fans.
1st Team All-Americans
QB – Will Howard, Ohio State, Senior.
FB/RB – Ashton Jeanty, Boise State, Junior.
RB – Cam Skattebo, Arizona State, Senior.
TE – Tyler Warren, Penn State, Senior.
WR – Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State, Freshman.
WR – Nick Nash, San Jose State, Senior.
T – Kelvin Banks, Texas,
OL – Wyatt Millum, West Virginia
C – Seth McLaughlin, Ohio State, Senior
OL- Bill Katsigiannis, Army
T – Donovan Jackson, Ohio State
DE – Mike Green, Marshall, Junior.
DL – J.T. Tuimoloau, Ohio State, Senior.
DL – Walter Nolen, Ole Miss, Junior.
DE – Abdul Carter, Penn State, Junior.
LB – Shaun Dolac, Buffalo, Senior.
MLB – Cody Simon, Ohio State, Senior.
LB – Jackson Woodard, UNL, Senior.
S – Caleb Downs, Ohio State, Sophomore.
S – Xavier Watts, Notre Dame, Senior.
DB – Nohl Williams, Cal, Senior.
DB – Jahdae Barron, Texas, Senior.
K – Will Ferrin, BYU
P – Palmer Williams, Baylor
KR/PR – Keelon Marion, BYU, Senior.
2nd Team All-Americans
QB – Riley Leonard, Notre Dame, Senior.
RB – Dylan Sampson, Tennessee, Junior.
QB/RB/FB – Bryson Daily, Army, Senior.
TE – Harold Fannin Jr., Bowling Green, Junior.
WR – Ryan Williams, Alabama, Freshman.
WR – Travis Hunter, Colorado, Junior.
T Will Campbell, LSU, Junior.
G Addison West, Western Michigan, Senior.
C – Cooper Mays, Tennessee, Senior.
G – Kage Casey, Boise State, Junior.
T – Josh Cornerly Jr., Oregon, Senior.
DE – Donovan Ezeiruaku, Boston College, Senior.
DT – Tyleik Williams, Ohio State, Senior.
DT – Devonte O’Malley, Northern Illinois, Senior.
DE – Kyle Kennard, South Carolina, Senior.
LB – Khalil Murdock, Buffalo, Junior.
MLB – Carson Schwesinger, UCLA, Junior.
LB – Isaiah Glasker, BYU, Sophomore.
S – Koi Perich, Minnesota, Freshman.
S – Michael Taaffe, Texas, Junior.
DB – Travis Hunter, Colorado, Junior.
DB – Dashaun Peele, Navy, Junior.
K – Dom Dzioban, Miami (OH), Senior.
P – Alex Mastromanno, Florida State, Senior.
KR/PR – Parker Kingston, BYU, Sophomore.
