Miami quarterback Darian Mensah was the overwhelming choice for first-team quarterback on The Associated Press midseason All-America team released Thursday. UCLA led all teams with three players on the top unit.
Eight players from the Southeastern Conference and seven each from the Atlantic Coast Conference and Big Ten are on the first team, as determined by a panel of media members who vote each week in the AP Top 25.
Nine players who were on the AP preseason All-America first team also were voted to the midseason first team. Four other preseason first-team picks are on the second team.
Mensah, who played at Duke last year and at Tulane in 2024, has averaged 10.8 yards per pass attempt and completed 84.2% while leading unbeaten Miami to a No. 3 ranking. That’s the best accuracy rate since at least 2000 among quarterbacks who had at least 130 passing attempts through a Week 6, according to Sportradar. Mensah has 15 touchdown passes and no interceptions.
Mensah’s teammate, Malachi Toney, is part of a star-studded cast of receivers. The others are Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith and Oregon State freshman Jesse Legree, who leads the nation with 155.3 yards per game and 12 touchdowns.
UCLA’s three first-team picks are all-purpose player Wayne Knight, linebacker Sammy Omosigho and defensive back Ta’Shawn James.
A total of 21 schools are represented on the first team.
First team — Offense
Quarterback — Darian Mensah, fourth year, Miami.
Running backs — Jamal Roberts, fourth year, Missouri; Nate Sheppard, second year, Duke.
Tackles — x-Trevor Goosby, fourth year, Texas; x-Carter Smith, fifth year, Indiana.
Guards — x-Kade Pieper, fourth year, Iowa; x-Shadre Hurst, fifth year, Houston.
Center — Anthony Boswell, third year, Houston.
Tight end — Luke Reynolds, third year, Virginia Tech.
Wide receivers — x-Jeremiah Smith, third year, Ohio State; x-Malachi Toney, second year, Miami; Jesse Legree, first year, Oregon State.
All-purpose player — x-Wayne Knight, fifth year, UCLA.
Kicker — Sam Keltner, third year, Oklahoma State.
First team — Defense
Edge rushers — x-Colin Simmons, third year, Texas; Princewill Umanmielen, fourth year, LSU.
Interior linemen — Xavier Gilliam, third year, Tennessee; Xavier Lewis, second year, North Carolina.
Linebackers — Sammy Omosigho, fourth year, UCLA; Chris Cole, third year, Georgia; Nicholas Rodriguez, third year, Missouri.
Cornerbacks — x-Leonard Moore, third year, Notre Dame; Ashton Hampton, third year, Clemson.
Safeties — Kingston Lopa, third year, California; Robert Fitzgerald, fifth year, Northwestern.
Defensive back — Ta’Shawn James, fourth year, UCLA.
Punter — Tyler White, fourth year, Texas A&M.
Second team — Offense
Quarterback — Gunner Stockton, fifth year, Georgia.
Running backs — Jadan Baugh, third year, Florida; Dylan Riley, third year, Boise State.
Tackles — Monroe Mills, seventh year, Virginia; Cayden Green, fourth year, Missouri.
Guards — Greg Johnson, fourth year, Minnesota; x-Evan Tengesdahl, fourth year, Cincinnati.
Center — Drew Bobo, fifth season, Georgia.
Tight end — Patrick Overmyer, fourth year, Houston.
Wide receivers — KJ Duff, third year, Rutgers; Carlos Hernandez, fourth year, Wake Forest; Anthony Evans III, fourth year, Mississippi State.
All-purpose player — Aiden Flora, third year, Iowa State.
Kicker — David Olano, fifth year, Texas A&M.
Second team — Defense
Edge rushers — Daeden Hopkins, second year, Missouri; Boubacar Traore, fourth year, Notre Dame.
Interior linemen — A.J. Holmes Jr., fifth year, Texas Tech; Will Echoles, third year, Mississippi.
Linebackers — x-Rasheem Biles, fourth year, Texas; Tony Rojas, fourth year, Penn State; EJ Smith, fourth year, Nevada.
Cornerbacks — Jett Jefferson, fourth year, Mississippi State; x-Ellis Robinson IV, third year, Georgia.
Safeties — CJ Heard, third year, Vanderbilt; x-KJ Bolden, third year, Georgia.
Defensive back — Ty Benefield, fourth year, LSU.
Punter — Will Karoll, fourth year, Texas Tech.
(x-denotes AP preseason All-America first-team pick)
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