Four Notre Dame football players make preseason Associated Press All-America teams
Notre Dame had four of its players make the 2024 Associated Press preseason All-America teams, two on the first team and two on the second team.
Defensive tackle Howard Cross III and safety Xavier Watts, both graduate students, appeared on the first team. Junior cornerback Benjamin Morrison and senior tight end Mitchell Evans got listed on the second team. Watts was a first-teamer at the end of the 2023 season while Cross made the second team.
Ohio State leads the way with four first team choices. Georgia and Michigan have three apiece. Notre Dame, Alabama and LSU are the only other schools with multiple first team selections with two each.
The only first team members on the roster of a 2024 Notre Dame opponent are Florida State punter Alex Mastromanno and Louisville edge rusher Ashton Gillotte. Second team honorees on the 2024 Irish schedule include all-purpose player Zachariah Branch of USC, edge rusher Nic Scourton of Texas A&M and Purdue safety Dillon Thieneman.
Here is a look at both teams.
Associated Press preseason All-America first team
OFFENSE
• Quarterback — Carson Beck (Georgia)
• Running backs — Ollie Gordon II (Oklahoma State), Omarion Hampton (North Carolina)
• Tackles — Will Campbell (LSU), Kelvin Banks Jr. (Texas)
• Guards — Donovan Jackson (Ohio State), Tate Ratledge (Georgia)
• Center — Parker Brailsford (Alabama)
• Tight end — Colston Loveland (Michigan)
• Wide receivers — Luther Burden III (Missouri), Tetairoa McMillan (Arizona), Emeka Egbuka (Ohio State)
• All-purpose player — Travis Hunter (Colorado)
• Kicker — Graham Nicholson (Alabama)
DEFENSE
• Edge — James Pearce Jr. (Tennessee), Ashton Gillotte (Louisville)
• Tackles — Mason Graham (Michigan), Howard Cross III (Notre Dame)
• Linebackers — Harold Perkins Jr. (LSU), Jay Higgins (Iowa), Barrett Carter (Clemson)
• Cornerbacks — Will Johnson (Michigan), Denzel Burke (Ohio State)
• Safeties — Malaki Starks (Georgia), Caleb Downs (Ohio State)
• Defensive back — Xavier Watts (Notre Dame)
• Punter — Alex Mastromanno (Florida State)
Associated Press preseason All-America second team
OFFENSE
• Quarterback — Dillon Gabriel (Oregon)
• Running backs — TreVeyon Henderson (Ohio State), Ashton Jeanty (Boise State)
• Tackles — Ajani Cornelius (Oregon), Aireontae Ersery (Minnesota)
• Guards — Tyler Booker (Alabama), Dylan Fairchild (Georgia)
• Center — Cooper Mays (Tennessee)
• Tight end — Mitchell Evans (Notre Dame)
• Wide receivers — Tez Johnson (Oregon), Tre Harris (Mississippi), Ricky White III (UNLV)
• All-purpose player — Zachariah Branch (Southern California)
• Kicker — Andres Borregales (Miami)
DEFENSE
• Edge — Nic Scourton (Texas A&M), Abdul Carter (Penn State)
• Tackles — Tyleik Williams (Ohio State), Deone Walker (Kentucky)
• Linebackers — Danny Stutsman (Oklahoma), Jason Henderson (Old Dominion), Nick Martin (Oklahoma State)
• Cornerbacks — Benjamin Morrison (Notre Dame), Sebastian Castro (Iowa)
• Safeties — Dillon Thieneman (Purdue), Billy Bowman (Oklahoma)
• Defensive back — Ricardo Hallman (Wisconsin)
• Punter — James Ferguson-Reynolds (Boise State)
