ATHENS — The defending national champion Georgia Bulldogs placed three players on the Walter Camp preseason All-American list released late Monday.
Tight end Brock Bowers, defensive tackle Jalen Carter and cornerback Kelee Ringo each received first-team All-American mention. The Bulldogs did not have any players on the second team.
The Walter Camp, named for the late Yale player and coach, is the nation’s oldest All-American award. The group has been selecting teams since 1889.
Bowers’ selection comes as no surprise. The 6-foot-4, 230-pound sophomore earned first-team All-American honors as a freshman last season from USA Today, ESPN and The Athletic. He established a Georgia record for scoring by a receiver with 14 touchdowns and finished with 56 catches (on 81 targets) for 882 yards while starting 13 games.
Ringo was the breakaway star from Georgia’s win over Alabama in the College Football Playoff Championship game in January. The 6-2, 205-pound cornerback capped the 33-18 victory with a 79-yard interception return for a touchdown in the final minute of the game. He finished the season with 34 tackles, eight pass breakups and two interceptions while starting 13 of 15 games.
Carter also made some significant plays in the title contest. The 6-3, 310-pound standout blocked a Crimson Tide field-goal attempt late in the third quarter. That set up a 67-yard run by James Cook, which led to the Bulldogs’ first touchdown of the game and Georgia’s first lead of the game at 13-9.
Alabama also placed three players on the first team: quarterback Bryce Young, defensive back Eli Ricks and linebacker Will Anderson. Florida had two players represented – including first-year transfer offensive lineman O’Cyrus Torrence – and South Carolina and Texas A&M each had one player represented.
Just as interesting as the Georgia players on the Walter Camp All-American team were those who did not get first- or second-team mention. Senior outside linebacker Nolan Smith, junior tackle Warren McClendon, sophomore center Sedrick Van Pran, sophomore wideout A.D. Mitchell and sixth-year senior quarterback Stetson Bennett are among the players expected to lead the Bulldogs on and off the field this year.
Georgia opens the season against Oregon in a Chick-fil-A Kickoff game Sept. 3 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
WALTER CAMP ALL-AMERICAN TEAM
First-Team Preseason Offense
WR: Jordan Addison (USC)*, Jaxon Smith-Njigba (Ohio State)
TE: Brock Bowers (Georgia)
OL: Peter Skoronski (Northwestern), Andrew Vorhees (USC), O’Cyrus Torrence (Florida), Caleb Chandler (Louisville)
C: Jarrett Patterson (Notre Dame)
QB: Bryce Young (Alabama)#
RB: Bijan Robinson (Texas), TreVeyon Henderson (Ohio State)
PK: Jake Moody (Michigan)*
First-Team Preseason Defense
DL: Bryan Bresee (Clemson), Jalen Carter (Georgia), Zion Tupuola-Fetui (Washington), Andre Carter (Army)
LB: Will Anderson (Alabama), Trenton Simpson (Clemson), Noah Sewell (Oregon)
DB: Cam Smith (South Carolina), Eli Ricks (Alabama), Kelee Ringo (Georgia), Antonio Johnson (Texas A&M)
P: Adam Korsak (Rutgers)#
KR: Brian Battie (South Florida)*
Second-Team Preseason Offense
WR: Xavier Worthy (Texas), Kayshon Boutte (LSU)
TE: Michael Mayer (Notre Dame)
OL: John Michael Schmitz (Minnesota), Dawand Jones (Ohio State), Jordan McFadden (Clemson), Zach Frazier (West Virginia)#
C: Olusegun Oluwatimi (Michigan)
QB: Caleb Williams (USC)
RB: Sean Tucker (Syracuse)#, Blake Corum (Michigan)
PK: Noah Ruggles (Ohio State) #
Second-Team Preseason Defense
DL: Calijah Kancey (Pittsburgh), Gervon Dexter (Florida), Jaxon Player (Baylor), Jacob Slade (Michigan State)
LB: Edefuan Ulofoshio (Washington), Ivan Pace Jr. (Cincinnati), Carlton Martial (Troy)
DB: Steven Jones (Appalachian State)#, Riley Moss (Iowa), Clark Phillips (Utah), Brandon Joseph (Notre Dame)%
P: Kyle Ostendorp (Arizona)
KR: Charlie Jones (Purdue)
* – 2021 Walter Camp First-Team All-American selection
# – 2021 Walter Camp Second-Team All-American selection
% – 2020 Walter Camp First-Team All-American selection
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