An All-American team is incomplete without giving recognition to the special teams. After all, it is one-third of the game
K: Gabe Brkic, Oklahoma
As a kicker in college football, you may or may not see a lot of action, and if you do, it is very rare to go 100 percent on the year on your kicks. Well, that is exactly what Gabe Brkic did as a freshman. Brkic went 17/17 in field goal attempts, including a career-long make of 50-yards. Brkic also connected on all 52 extra points, given him 103 points on the season.
P: Max Duffy, Kentucky
This pick is about as obvious as Lawrence at the quarterback spot. Max Duffey enters the 2020 season as the reigning Ray Guy Award Winner and once again the favorite to win it again. Duffy led the nation in yards per punt (48.1), with 22 punts going over 50 yards and finished 2019 with 49% of his kicks landing inside the 20-yard line.
KR: Damond Philyaw-Johnson, Duke
In football, one of the hardest ways to score a touchdown is as a kick returner. But don’t tell Damond Philyaw-Johnson that. Johnson finished the 2019 season with 549 yards and two touchdowns on kick returns, averaging over 32 yards per return. And here’s the kicker (pun intended), Johnson’s two touchdowns came during the same game, a game in which he also totaled over 250 return yards.
PR: Jaylen Waddle, Alabama
Jaylen Waddle is a big-play threat at wide receiver for the Alabama offense but he is also a big-play threat in the return game. Waddle returned 20 punts for 487 yards and one touchdown last season, averaging over 24 yards per punt return. Waddle was also an impact player in the kick return game where he scored one touchdown and averaged 35 yards a return on just five returns.
AP: Kenneth Gainwell, Memphis
Following a 12-win season, a conference championship and a spot in a New Year’s Six Bowl, the Memphis Tigers are coming off their best season in program history. One of the biggest reasons for 2019’s success was Kenneth Gainwell, who totaled just under 2,100 scrimmage yards and 16 touchdowns. Gainwell is a dual-threat back who can get it done in both the run game and the passing game. Another big year and Gainwell could see his name shoot up draft boards.
For more NCAA football news, analysis, opinion and unique coverage by FanSided, including Heisman Trophy and College Football Playoff rankings, be sure to bookmark these pages.