Texas adds five players to 2024 AP All American Team

While the No. 5 Texas Longhorns await Clemson on Saturday, they had five players named to the 2024 AP All American team on Monday.

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Jahdae Barron, Kelvin Banks, Anthony Hill Jr, Alfred Collins, and Michael Taaffe were all selected for the All-American team. Barron and Banks made the first team, while Hill Jr., Collins, and Taaffe made the second team.

AP All-Americans 🤘 pic.twitter.com/AFVvH7BZe0

— Texas Football (@TexasFootball) December 16, 2024

Banks, winner of the Outland Trophy and Lombardi Award, is a third-year offensive lineman who has played in and started in 39 games on the Forty Acres. The Humble, Texas, product received multiple national honors this season, including the Outland Trophy’s National Player of the Week on Oct. 15, and SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week on Sept. 30 and Oct. 14. Prior to the season, Banks was named preseason first-team All-America by the Associated Press, CBS Sports, ESPN, Sporting News and The Athletic in addition to being honored on the preseason first-team All-SEC by the media and league’s coaches. He was also on to the Outland Trophy and Lombardi Award preseason watch lists. With Banks’ veteran leadership in the trenches, UT’s offense ranks No. 13 in the FBS in passing offense (281 ypg), 15th in team passing efficiency (154.92), 16th in completion percentage (66.3 percent), 18th in total offense (445.4 ypg) and 25th in scoring offense (33.6 ppg). The Texas offense has rushed for over 100 yards in 10 of 12 games and three different Longhorn running backs have each registered at least one 100-yard effort.

Barron, who won the Jim Thorpe Award and was selected as a finalist for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, has proven to be one of the nation’s’ elite defensive players this season. A fifth-year defensive back, Barron has played in 54 career games with 36 starts. Following Texas’ 20-10 road win at Arkansas on Nov. 16, Barron was recognized as the Thorpe Award’s National Player of the Week, the SEC’s Co-Defensive Player of the Week and the Reese’s Senior Bowl’s Defensive Player of the Week. Prior to the 2024 season, he was named preseason second-team All-SEC on defense and selected to the preseason watch lists for the Bronko Nagurksi Trophy and Bednarik Award. Barron is one of the most versatile defensive backs in the nation, consistently playing multiple positions in the Texas defensive backfield, while providing leadership as a fifth-year veteran. Through 13 games, the Austin, Texas, native leads the Longhorns in interceptions (5) and pass break-ups (9) to go along with 47 total tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack, one quarterback hurry and one forced fumble. Barron paces the SEC and ranks third in the FBS in total interceptions this season while guiding a UT defense that leads the nation in turnovers gained (28) and passing yards allowed (143.1 ypg). In addition, Texas ranks No. 2 in the FBS in scoring defense (12.5 pp) and team passing efficiency defense (95.19) while sitting third in passes intercepted (19) and total defense (249.5). The Horns also rank fifth nationally in first down defense (196), sixth in third-down conversion percentage defense (30.6 percent), seventh in red zone defense (71.4 percent), 12th in team tackles for loss (7.3) and 15th in rushing defense (106.4).

Hill, a second-year linebacker from Denton, Texas, earned spots on semifinalist lists for the Bednarik and Butkus awards this season. In 13 starts, Hill is Texas’ leading tackler (90) and paces the team in tackles for loss (16) and forced fumbles (4). Hill has combined for a team-leading three double-digit tackle games this season. He also has tallied the second-most sacks on the team with 7.5 and third-most quarterback hurries with four. Additionally, Hill has compiled an interception, a pass break-up and a fumble recovery. Hill set career single-game highs of two sacks and four tackles for loss as part of 11 total tackles in addition to forcing a fumble as he led Texas to a 31-14 win over Kentucky on Nov. 23, picking up Co-SEC Defensive Player of the Week honors for the second time this season. In the 27-24 win at No. 25/25 Vanderbilt on Oct. 26, Hill posted eight tackles (five solo), two quarterback hurries and a pass break-up. Against No. 5/4 Georgia on Oct. 19, Hill had eight tackles (four solo), 1.5 tackles for a loss of four yards, including a sack for a loss of two yards. Hill earned national praise following his standout performance in Texas’ 34-3 win over No. 18/16 Oklahoma in the Allstate Red River Rivalry on Oct. 12. He garnered Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week (Oct. 15), Lott IMPACT Trophy Player of the Week (Oct. 16) and SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Week accolades (Oct. 14). Against the Sooners, Hill compiled 11 tackles (seven solo), two sacks, 3.5 tackles for loss, one forced fumble and one pressure in Texas’ win. Notching his second double-digit tackling effort of his career and season, Hill had his second career forced fumble while matching his career highs in tackles with 11 and sacks with two while tallying a career high 3.5 tackles for loss. It was Hill’s fourth-straight game with a sack.

Collins, a fifth-year defensive lineman who has played in 53 games with 17 starts, was an honorable mention All-Big 12 selection in 2023. He earned Academic All-Big 12 First Team honors in 2021, and made his debut in the 2020 season opener versus UTEP. Collins, from Bastrop (Texas), was an All-American, all-state and three-time all-district honoree in high school, twice named his district’s Defensive Lineman of the Year. He participated in the 2020 All-American Bowl, and was a member of the 2020-21 Academic All-Big 12 Rookie Team honoree, and three-time member of the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll (fall 2020, spring 2021, spring 2023).

Taaffe, a former walk-on from Westlake, grew up in Austin (Texas) dreaming of being a Longhorn. Now in his fourth season, Taaffe has 135 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, five interceptions, 15 pass break-ups, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and one blocked punt in 40 career appearances. He earned the East-West Shrine Bowl’s “Texas Star of the Week” following his standout effort in the Longhorns’ 17-7 win at No. 20/19/20 Texas A&M on November 30th, recording three total tackles (two solo), a tackle for a loss of one yard and an interception in the victory over the Aggies, which also clinched an SEC title game berth for the Longhorns. 

Texas will be making its second College Football Playoff appearance in as many years after earning a No. 3 ranking in the CFP poll and the No. 5 overall seed. The Horns will host No. 13/13/16 Clemson at 3 p.m. CT Saturday, Dec. 21, inside Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in the CFP first round. The game will broadcast on TNT with Dave Pasch (play-by-play), Dusty Dvoracek (color analyst), Taylor McGregor (reporter) and Laura Rutledge (reporter) on the call. The first round winner will advance to the CFP Quarterfinal at the 57th Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl and face the Big 12 Champion and No. 4 seed Arizona State at Noon C.T. on Jan. 1, 2025, in Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The game will air on an ABC/ESPN platform.