USC’s Williams, Alabama’s Anderson lead AP All-America team

all america team
Kiyoshi Mio/USA TODAY Sports
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Offensive lineman Andrew Vorhees and defensive end Tuli Tuipulotu joined their quarterback to give USC more players on the first team than any other school. The AP All-America team is presented by Regions Bank.

Williams, named last week the AP player of the year, became the eighth USC player to win the Heisman over the weekend after accounting for 47 touchdowns this season and leadking USC to the Pac-12 title game.

The Trojans also had center Brett Neilon and cornerback Mekhi Blackmon selected to the third team.

Alabama edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. was selected to the first team for the second straight season, along with Kansas State running back Deuce Vaughn, who made it as an all-purpose player for the second year in a row.

Joining Williams in the All-America first-team backfield is Texas running back Bijan Robinson and Michigan’s Blake Corum.

Michigan also had center Olusegun Oluwatimi and kicker Jake Moody picked for the second team.

The second-ranked Wolverines face No. 3 TCU in the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Fiesta Bowl on Dec. 31. The Horned Frogs’ lone first-team All-American was defensive back Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson. TCU quarterback Max Duggan and guard Steve Avila made the second team.

Top-ranked Georgia placed two players on the first-team defense with tackle Jalen Carter and safety Christopher Smith. Tight end Brock Bowers and linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson were second-team selections.

The Bulldogs face No. 4 Ohio State in the CFP’s Peach Bowl semifinal on New Year’s Eve. Wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. was Ohio State’s only first-team All-American, but the Buckeyes added four players on the second team: Offensive tackles Paris Johnson Jr. and Dawand Jones, linebacker Tommy Eichenberg and safety Ronnie Hickman.

First team breakdown/team

USC – 3

Georgia – 2

Notre Dame – 2

Texas, Northwestern, Florida, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio State, Tennessee, Iowa State, Kansas State, North Carolina State, Alabama, Pitt, Cincinnati, Iowa, Arkansas, Utah, Illinois, Miami, TCU, Michigan State – 1

First team breakdown/conference

Big Ten – 7

SEC – 6

Big 12 – 4

Pac-12 – 4

ACC – 3

Independents – 2

American Athletic – 1.

FIRST TEAM

Offense

Quarterback – Caleb Williams, second-year, Southern California.

Running backs – Bijan Robinson, third-year, Texas; Blake Corum, third-year, Michigan.

Tackles – Peter Skoronski, third-year, Northwestern; Joe Alt, second-year, Notre Dame.

Guard – O'Cyrus Torrence, fourth-year, Florida; Andrew Vorhees, sixth-year, Southern California.

Center – John Michael Schmitz, sixth-year, Minnesota.

Tight end – Michael Mayer, third-year, Notre Dame.

Wide receivers – Marvin Harrison Jr., second-year, Ohio State; Jalin Hyatt, third-year, Tennessee; Xavier Hutchinson, third-year, Iowa State.

All-purpose player – Deuce Vaughn, third-year, Kansas State.

Kicker – Christopher Dunn, fifth-year, North Carolina State.

Defense

Edge rushers – Will Anderson Jr., third-year, Alabama; Tuli Tuipulotu, third-year, Southern California.

Tackles – Jalen Carter, third-year, Georgia; Calijah Kancey, fourth-year, Pittsburgh.

Linebackers – Ivan Pace Jr., fourth-year, Cincinnati; Jack Campbell, fourth-year, Iowa; Drew Sanders, third-year, Arkansas.

Cornerbacks – Clark Phillips III, third-year, Utah; Devon Witherspoon, fourth-year, Illinois.

Safeties – Kamren Kinchen, second-year, Miami; Christopher Smith, fifth-year, Georgia.

Defensive back – Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson, fourth-year, TCU.

Punter – Bryce Baringer, sixth-year, Michigan State.

SECOND TEAM

Offense

Quarterback – Max Duggan, fourth-year, TCU.

Running backs – Chase Brown, fifth-year, Illinois; Mohamed Ibrahim, sixth-year, Minnesota.

Tackles – Paris Johnson Jr., third-year, Ohio State; Dawand Jones, fourth-year, Ohio State.

Guards – Cooper Beebe, fourth-year, Kansas State; Steve Avila, fifth-year, TCU.

Center – Olusegun Oluwatimi, sixth-year, Michigan.

Tight end – Brock Bowers, second-year, Georgia.

Wide receivers – Charlie Jones, sixth-year, Purdue; Rashee Rice, fourth-year, SMU; Josh Downs, third-year, North Carolina.

All-purpose player – Zach Charbonnet, fourth-year, UCLA.

Kicker – Jake Moody, fifth-year, Michigan.

Defense

Edge rushers – Tyree Wilson, fifth-year, Texas Tech; Isaiah Foskey, fourth-year, Notre Dame.

Tackles – Jer’Zhan Newton, third-year, Illinois; Jonah Tavai, fifth-year, San Diego State.

Linebackers – Tommy Eichenberg, fourth-year, Ohio State; Jeremiah Trotter Jr., second-year, Clemson; Jamon Dumas-Johnson, second-year, Georgia.

Cornerbacks – Emmanuel Forbes, third-year, Mississippi State; Joey Porter Jr., fourth-year, Penn State.

Safeties – Kaevon Merriweather, fifth-year, Iowa; Ronnie Hickman, fourth-year, Ohio State.

Defensive back – Brian Branch, third-year, Alabama.

Punter – Tory Taylor, third-year, Iowa.

THIRD TEAM

Offense

Quarterback – Hendon Hooker, sixth-year, Tennessee.

Running backs – Dewayne McBride, third-year, UAB; Israel Abanikanda, third-year; Pittsburgh.

Tackles – Blake Freeland, fourth-year, BYU; Alex Palczewski, sixth-year, Illinois

Guards – Jaxson Kirkland, sixth-year, Washington; Christian Haynes, fourth-year, Connecticut.

Center – Brett Neilon, sixth-year, Southern California.

Tight end – Dalton Kincaid, fifth-year, Utah.

Wide receivers – Nathaniel Dell, fifth-year, Houston; Rome Odunze, third-year, Washington; Zay Flowers, fourth-year, Boston College.

All-purpose player – Jahmyr Gibbs, third-year, Alabama.

Kicker – Joshua Karty, third-year, Stanford.

Defense

Edge rushers – Felix Anudike-Uzomah, third-year, Kansas State; Jose Ramirez, fifth-year, Eastern Michigan.

Tackles – Dontay Corleone, second-year, Cincinnati; Mekhi Wingo, second-year, LSU.

Linebackers – Jason Henderson, two-year, Old Dominion; Nick Herbig, third-year, Wisconsin; Jaylan Ford, third-year, Texas.

Cornerbacks – Kool-Aid McKinstry, second-year, Alabama; Mekhi Blackmon, fifth-year, Southern California.

Safeties – Marcus Fuqua, fourth-year, Buffalo; Jordan Battle, fourth-year, Alabama.

Defensive back – Quinyon Mitchell, third-year, Toledo.

Punter – Mason Fletcher, second-year, Cincinnati.

Selection panel: Ryan Aber, The Oklahoman; Nathan Baird, Cleveland.com; Mike Berardino, South Bend Tribune; Ryan Thorburn, Casper Star-Tribune; Sam McKewon, Omaha World-Herald; Dave Reardon, Honolulu Star-Advertiser; Robert Cessna, Bryan-College Station Eagle; Bob Asmussen, The News Gazette (Ill.); Damien Sordelett, ; Garland Gillen, WVUE-TV (La.); Kayla Anderson, WKRN-TV (Tenn.); Kirk Bohls, Austin American-Statesman; Johnny McGonigal, PennLive.com; Matt Brown, The Athletic; Matt Baker, Tampa Bay Times; Adam Grosbar, Southern California News Group; Nate Mink, Syracuse Media Group; Josh Furlong, KSL.com (Utah).

Georgia extends contract for AD Josh Brooks, plans two new football practice fields

Joshua L. Jones / USA TODAY NETWORK
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ATHENS, Ga. – On the heels of a second straight national football championship, Georgia has rewarded athletic director Josh Brooks a contract extension that ties him to the Bulldogs through at least 2029.

The athletic association board, wrapping up its annual spring meeting Friday at a resort on Lake Oconee, also announced plans for a new track and field facility that will free up space for two more football practice fields.

Brooks’ new contract will increase his salary to $1.025 million a year, with annual raises of $100,000.

The 42-year-old Brooks, who took over the athletic department in 2021 after Greg McGarity retired, called the Georgia job “a dream for me” and said he hopes to spend the rest of his career in Athens.

“I am extremely grateful,” Brooks said. “I got into this business 20-plus years ago as a student equipment manager. My first job at Louisiana-Monroe was making $20,000 a year in football operations.”

The Georgia board approved a fiscal 2024 budget of $175.2 million, a nearly 8% increase from the most recent budget of $162.2 million and the sign of a prosperous program that is flush with money after its success on the gridiron.

The school received approval to move forward with its preliminary plans for a new track and field facility, which will be built across the street from the complex hosting the soccer and and softball teams.

The current track stadium is located adjacent to the Butts-Mehre athletic facility, which hosts the practice fields and training facilities for the football program.

Georgia lost a chunk of its outdoor fields when it built a new indoor practice facility. After the new track and field stadium is completed, the current space will be converted to two full-length, grass football practice fields at the request of coach Kirby Smart.

“He wants to find efficient ways to practice, and there is a lot of truth to the issues we’ve had with our current practice fields,” Brooks said. “There is a lot of strain on our turf facilities staff to keep that field in great shape when half the day it is getting shade, so that has been a challenge as well. For our football program, it is better to practice on grass fields than (artificial) turf, so to be able to have two side-by-side grass fields is huge. It makes for a much more efficient practice.”

The new track and field complex, which will continue to be named Spec Towns Track, will also include an indoor facility, the first of its kind in the state of Georgia.

Iowa AD Gary Barta announces retirement after 17 years at Big Ten school

Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK
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IOWA CITY, Iowa – Iowa athletic director Gary Barta will retire on August 1 after 17 years at the university, the school announced Friday.

Barta, 59, is one of the longest-tenured athletic directors in a Power Five conference. He was hired by Iowa in 2006 after being the AD at Wyoming.

An interim director will be announced next week, Iowa said.

In September, Iowa hired former Ball State athletic director Beth Goetz to be deputy director of athletics and chief operating officer, putting her in position to possibly succeed Barta.

“It has been an absolute privilege and honor to serve in this role the past 17 years,” Barta said in a statement. “This decision didn’t come suddenly, nor did it come without significant thought, discussion, and prayer.”

“That said, I’m confident this is the right time for me and for my family.”

Iowa won four NCAA national team titles and 27 Big Ten team titles during Barta’s tenure. The women’s basketball team is coming off an appearance in the national championship game and the wrestling team is coming off a second-place finish at the NCAA championships.

Barta served as the chairman of the College Football Playoff committee in 2020 and 2021.

He faced heavy criticism over more than $11 million in settlements for lawsuits in recent years alleging racial and sexual discrimination within the athletic department.

Lawsuits filed by former field hockey coach Tracey Griesbaum and associate athletics director Jane Meyer led to a $6.5 million payout.

Iowa had to pay $400,000 as part of a Title IX lawsuit brought by athletes after it cut four sports in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. As part of the agreement, Iowa reinstated the women’s swimming and diving program and add another women’s sport.

Iowa added women’s wrestling, the first among Power Five schools to compete this year.

A lawsuit brought by former football players alleging racial discrimination within the program was settled for $4.2 million last March, which prompted state auditor Rob Sand to call for Barta’s ouster.

“Gary Barta’s departure is a long time coming given the four different lawsuits for discrimination that cost Iowa more than $11 million,” Sand posted on Twitter.

The university did not allow taxpayer money to be used for the settlement with the former players.

Barta led Iowa through $380 million of facility upgrades, including renovation of Kinnick Stadium, the construction of a new football facility, a basketball practice facility and a training center for the wrestling teams.

Under Barta, Iowa has had just one head football coach (Kirk Ferentz), women’s basketball coach (Lisa Bluder) and wrestling coach (Tom Brands). All were in place when he arrived.

Barta has also come under scrutiny for allowing Ferentz to employee his son, Brian Ferentz, as offensive coordinator. To comply with the university’s nepotism policy, Brian Ferentz reports to Barta.