2006 CFN All-America Team

Georgia Tech WR Calvin Johnson leads the 2006 CollegeFootballNews.com All-America Offense to go along with obvious stars like Troy Smith and Darren McFadden, but there's plenty of room for debate on the defense in a loaded year.

2006 CFN All-America Defense | 2006 CFN All-America Special Teams

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 Quarterbacks

Honorable Mention
4. Brady Quinn, Sr. Notre Dame
5. John Beck, Sr. BYU
6. Brian Brohm, Jr. Louisville 
7. Colt McCoy, Fr. Texas
8. JaMarcus Russell, Jr. LSU
9. Kevin Kolb, Sr. Houston
10. QB Andre Woodson, Jr. Kentucky

Troy Smith, Sr. Ohio State
199 of 297 (67%) for  2,507 yards and 30 TDs, 4 INTs, 233 rushing yards, one TD
Smith came into the year expected to lead the Buckeyes to big things, and he passed every test with a near-flawless season. Not only was he consistent, he was spectacular in the biggest games in wins over Texas and Michigan. Not only did he spread the ball around well to all his weapons, he always made the right decisions maturing as an even better passer after a big 2005.

Second Team Colt Brennan, Jr. Hawaii
373-517 (72%) for 4,990 yards and 53 TDs, 11 INT, 351 rushing yards, 5 TDs

Third Team Pat White, Soph. WVU
109-164 (66%) for 1,524 yards and 11 TDs, 7 INT, 1,074 rushing yards, 17 TDs

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 Running Backs

Second Team
3. Steve Slaton, Soph. WVU 
4. Ray Rice, Soph. Rutgers   
Third Team
5. P.J. Hill, RFr. Wisconsin
6. Garrett Wolfe, Sr. NIU
Honorable Mention
7. Marshawn Lynch, Jr. Cal
8. Ian Johnson, Soph. Boise St  
9. Jon Cornish, Sr. Kansas
10. Kalvin McRae, Jr. Ohio
11. Ahmad Bradshaw, Jr. Marshall
12. Antonio Pittman, Jr. OSU 

Mike Hart, Jr. Michigan 
301 carries for 1,515 yards and 14 TDs. 15 catches for 127 yards
Mere numbers don't do Hart's season justice. As the workhorse of the Michigan offense, he helped the team be one of the best in the nation in time of possession giving the defense a rest and allowing for plenty of single coverage on Mario Manningham and the receivers. The stats aren't all that bad rushing for 91 yards or more in every game finishing up with a sensational 142-yard, three touchdown performance when the pressure was on against Ohio State.

Darren McFadden, Soph. Arkansas
265 carries for 1,558 yards and 14 TDs. 11 catches for 149 yards, 1 TD. 6-8 passing for 72 yards and three touchdowns with an interception, eight kickoff returns for 226 yards and a touchdown
Talk about a bolt of lightning, McFadden was like a bigger version of Reggie Bush, but did more as a workhorse runner. He changed the landscape of the SEC race with his 145-yard performance in the win over Auburn, and showed his versatility throughout the season as a kick returner and occasional quarterback. He ripped off 219 yards and two scores on South Carolina, ran for 181 yards and two touchdowns against Tennessee, and 182 yards and two scores against LSU.

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 Wide Receivers

Second Team
3. Sammie Stroughter, Jr. Oregon St  
4. Jarett Dillard, Soph. Rice
Third Team
5. Dwayne Jarrett, Jr. USC
6. Jeff Samardzija, Sr. Notre Dame
Honorable Mention
7. Jaison Williams, Soph. Oregon
8. Steve Smith, Sr. USC
9. Chris Williams, Soph. NMSU
10. John. Lee Higgins, Sr. UTEP 
11. Davone Bess, Soph. Hawaii
12. Keenan Burton, Jr. Kentucky

Calvin Johnson, Jr. Georgia Tech
67 catches for 1,016 yards and 13 touchdowns
Can you imagine the numbers Johnson would've put up if he had a consistent quarterback getting him the ball? The NFL scouts can as there's talk of C.J. being the first receivers taken number one overall in the draft since Keyshawn Johnson. With the focus of every defense solely on him game in and game out, he still produced tremendous overall numbers, even if he didn't get the ball his way enough in several key games.

Robert Meachem, Jr. Tennessee
71 catches for 1,190 yards and 15 touchdowns
Was there anyone better at taking short timing patterns for monster gains? Meachem averaged 16.7 yards per catch making the Tennessee quarterbacks look fantastic. Only held under 75 yards twice, he still caught a touchdown pass one of those times in the loss to Arkansas. He produced when Erik Ainge was on fire, he produced when Ainge was out with an ankle injury, he produced all season long.

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 Tight Ends

Honorable Mention
4. Chase Coffman, Soph. Missouri
5. Travis Beckum, Soph. Wisc.
6. John Carlson, Jr. Notre Dame
7. Zach Miller, Jr. Arizona St
8. Clark Harris, Sr. Rutgers
9. Greg Olsen, Jr. Miami
10. Chris Hopkins, Sr. Toledo

Jonny Harline, Sr. BYU
49 catches for 754 yards and 11 touchdowns
There's more to being a great tight end than just catching passes, but sometimes, one becomes such a big-time target that he's too hard to ignore. Harline wasn't just a safety valve for John Beck, he became a deep-threat and a clutch playmaker finishing off with a three score day, including the game-winner at the last second, in the win over Utah.

Second Team Matt Spaeth, Sr. Minnesota
Third Team Martin Rucker, Jr. Missouri

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 Offensive Linemen regardless of position

Second Team
6. OT Jake Long, Jr. Michigan
7. OT Sam Baker, Sr. USC
8. OT Tony Ugoh, Sr. Arkansas
9. OT Ryan Clady, Soph. Boise St
10. OT Jake Kuresa, Sr. BYU
Third Team
11. OG George Batiste, Sr. So. Miss
12. OG Josh Beekman, Sr. BC
13. OT Doug Free, Sr. NIU
14. C Ryan Kalil, Sr. USC
15. C Doug Datish, Sr. Ohio State 

OT Justin Blalock, Sr. Texas 
One of the most versatile linemen in the country, Blalock is a two-time CFN First Team All-American for being the anchor of the Texas line helping keep Colt McCoy clean for most of the season and giving him time to operate. Blalock can play either guard or tackle at the next level.

C Dan Mozes, Sr. West Virginia
There's a reason Steve Slaton and Pat White get those slivers of daylight to rumble through. Mozes was the steady quarterback of the great Mountaineer line for the last few seasons and was the best center in the nation. He could do it all for the running game with good quickness and mobility, and power when he needed it.

OT Arron Sears, Sr. Tennessee 
The Tennessee line had a tough season struggling to consistently get the running game going, but that wasn't Sears' fault. A dominant presence, Sears won the Jacobs Award as the best lineman in the SEC finishing his career one of the nation's most consistent, versatile and dependable blockers.

OT Joe Thomas, Sr. Wisconsin
It took Thomas roughly a game and a half to get back to form after coming off major knee surgery, and then the quick feet returned and he looked like the mauling technician he was before the injury suffered in last year's Capital One Bowl. Almost certain to be a top five pick in the 2007 Draft, he's considered a near-perfect pro prospect.

OT Steve Vallos, Sr. Wake Forest  
Wake Forest lost its starting quarterback and had injury problems with the running backs, but the offense and the running game were effective thanks to the play of the offensive line. Yes, the Demon Deacons won the ACC title mostly due to fantastic defense and a tight kicking game, but Vallos and the front five turned out to be the rocks that helped make mediocre skill players produce.