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2015 Freshman All-America Team: They’re college football’s best and brightest new stars. They’re the ones who provided a jolt into their teams with big first years.

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E-mail Rich Cirminiello | Follow me … @RichCirminiello  

2015 Freshman All-America Offense

Offensive Freshman of the Year: WR Christian Kirk, Texas A&M

First Team Offense

QB Josh Rosen, UCLA
While there were occasional rookie moments along the way, Rosen consistently showed why he was the most ballyhooed true freshman on Signing Day 2015. He beat out Jerry Neuheisel with his poise and arm talent, and then operated like he’s been at this for years. Setting the stage for what will be a celebrated career in Westwood, Rosen has completed 266-of-447 passes for 3,349 yards, 20 touchdowns and nine interceptions.

RB Joe Mixon, Oklahoma
While Samaje Perine justifiably makes plenty of headlines, Mixon has also played an essential role in the success of this year’s Sooner attack. Despite playing substantially fewer downs than Perine, Mixon has still rushed for 749 yards and seven touchdowns on only 110 carries. Plus, he infuses and element of flash and diversity to the backfield, also ranking fourth on the team with 25 receptions for 345 yards and four more scores.

RB Mike Warren, Iowa State
Warren was one of the few bright spots in an otherwise dismal season in Ames. In his second year on campus, he rewrote the Cyclone single-game and single-season freshman rushing marks, going for 1,339 yards and five scores on 227 carries. The 6-0, 200-pound Warren peaked on Oct. 10 by exploding all over the Texas Tech D for 245 yards on just 23 touches. He’ll be the focal point of new coach Matt Campbell’s attack for the next three years.

WR Christian Kirk, Texas A&M
How good was Kirk in his first year in College Station? He’s joined the SEC’s deepest receiving corps, yet almost instantly became its most dynamic weapon. Explosive after the catch—and on special teams—he’s caught a team-high 70 balls for 925 yards and six touchdowns, while returning two punts for six. Kirk leads freshmen in all-purpose yards, and has the work ethic to quickly bloom into one of the game’s brightest all-around playmakers.

WR Calvin Ridley, Alabama
While it would be unfair to compare anyone to Amari Cooper, especially at this stage of a career, Ridley sure did pick up a lot of the slack left by Cooper’s NFL departure. Ridley has made an almost seamless transition from high school, catching a team-best 75 passes for 893 yards and five touchdowns. He’s the total package of ball skills, speed and open-field quickness in a receiver. Ridley, like Cooper, has a future first-round ceiling, though he’ll spend at least the next two years in Tuscaloosa.

TE Mark Andrews, Oklahoma
Remember Jace Amaro at Texas Tech? Andrews is bucking to become a version of Amaro in the offense that was installed this year by former Red Raider assistant Lincoln Riley. Sooner QB Baker Mayfield knows what a big insider receiver, what other programs refer to as a traditional tight end, can mean to a passing game after he played with Amaro in Lubbock in 2013. And Mayfield has opportunistically used the athletic 6-6, 245-pound Andrews, who’s caught 17 balls for 286 yards and six touchdowns.

OT Orlando Brown, Oklahoma
Brown has been a huge reason for the Sooners’ second-half surge … literally. At 6-8 and 342 pounds, he envelops opposing linemen with his long arms and power. Brown is raw, sure. And he was one of the blockers who struggled in the Texas loss. But he improved as the season unfolded, holding his own against Baylor’s Shawn Oakman and Oklahoma State Emmanuel Ogbah. OU has had a ton of success running Samaje Perine directly behind Brown on the left side.

OG Will Clapp, LSU
Among rookie guards this season, no one in the country has been better than Clapp who has more than held his own as a redshirt freshman. In fact, many of Leonard Fournette’s runs this fall were designed to go directly behind No. 64, an enormous complement for such a young player. At 6-5 and 303 pounds, Clapp is already built for the SEC battles, with the toughness and the love of contact to develop into a star run blocker.

C Dalton Risner, Kansas State
Tasked with the unenviable job of filling B.J. Finney’s shoes at the pivot, Risner exceeded expectations in his first season. The heir was rock-solid from wire-to-wire, making the calls for the line and doing his best work in November. Risner is a heady grinder, doing his best work in a phone booth. And he’s poised to become the second straight all-league-caliber center in Manhattan to anchor the line for four consecutive years.

OG Ross Pierschbacher, Alabama
Pierschbacher has been one of the Crimson Tide’s most consistent blockers all year, creating huge holes for Derrick Henry to perforate. The fact that the redshirt freshman has been so successful just two years removed Cedar Knolls (IA) High School is testament to his smarts and his blend of strength and foot speed. Pierschbacher has not allowed a sack, and missed assignments have been extremely rare, the hallmarks of a banner career in Tuscaloosa.

OT Mitch Hyatt, Clemson
For a Clemson line that began the year with so many holes and question marks, Hyatt has been an unmitigated revelation. The heralded recruit has performed like a blue-chipper this season for the Tigers, earning a spot of the All-ACC Third Team. Hyatt was also named the league’s Offensive Lineman of the Week following the Florida State game, so it’s not as if his first resume has been built against the softest opponents on the schedule.

2015 Freshman All-America Defense

Defensive Freshman of the Year: S Jabrill Peppers, Michigan

DE Walter Brady, Missouri
D-Line Zou has its building blocks for the future in Brady and Terry Beckner Jr. on the outside and inside, respectively. Both players were immediate contributors, Brady tying Charles Harris for the team lead with seven sacks. Forced to sit out 2014 as an academic non-qualifier, he wisely used the time away from the field to bulk up to 255 pounds and sharpen his pass rushing skills. Much like his predecessor on the edge, Shane Ray, Brady has an insatiable appetite for the backfield.

DT Daylon Mack, Texas A&M
At 335 pounds, Mack is much more than a space-eater on the interior of the Aggie line. He’s an impact player, with uncommon burst and explosiveness for a lineman his size. If Mack doesn’t get constant attention, he’ll blow up plays in the opposition’s backfield. As a part-timer, he made 30 stops, 8.5 for minus yards, setting the stage for what could be an All-American career in College Station.

DT Christian Wilkins, Clemson
Wilkins has lived up to the hype in his first season out of high school, playing a prominent role in the Tiger D-line rotation. Lining up next to a bunch of seasoned Clemson veterans, it was never evident who was the rookie of the unit. Wilkins is ideally agile for a 6-4, 315-pounder, the kind of linemen who excels on the inside but could play D-end in a 3-4 set, if needed.

DE Arden Key, LSU
Few rookie edge rushers made a bolder statement this fall than Key. The Tiger staff loved the defender during the recruiting process, and he didn’t disappoint in his debut. At 6-6 and 231 pounds, with No. 49 on his chest, Key has the length and the quick-twitch athleticism to look like the second-coming of Barkevious Mingo in Baton Rouge. Key has started eight games, making 38 stops, 6.5 tackles for loss, five sacks and a team-high nine hurries.

LB T.J. Edwards, Wisconsin
Few programs do a consistently better job of coaching up overlooked high school talent than the Badgers, with Edwards being the latest shining example. A little over a year ago he was a quarterback and part-time safety, earning offers from MAC schools. Now, Edwards is one of the quarterbacks of the defense, leading the team with 80 tackles, 5.5 of which were for minus yards. He possesses the athleticism, instincts and drive to be one of the defensive leaders for the next three seasons.

LB Malik Jefferson, Texas
If Charlie Strong is going to turn things around in Austin, it’ll be on the backs of players like Jefferson. The rookie is exactly the kind of player the staff will look to build around in the coming years. Not only does he possess all of the physical tools for stardom, but he has the intangibles as well, such as leadership, smarts and passion to be the best. A regular from Day 1 in the middle, Jefferson is second on the team with 61 tackles, including seven for loss.

LB Cameron Smith, USC
Smith was contending for national Defensive Freshman of the Year before tearing his ACL on Nov. 13. He started nine of 10 games, leading the Trojans with 78 tackles and three interceptions at the time of the injury. All three of his picks, including one that went for six, came in a breakthrough performance in Troy’s Oct. 24 win over Utah. Named Pac-12 Defensive Freshman of the Year, Smith is the type of emotional middle linebacker that defensive units are constructed upon.

CB Marlon Humphrey, Alabama
Humphrey is following in the footsteps of his father, Bobby, starring for the Tide. After redshirting in 2014, the younger Humphrey earned a starting job for the opener with Wisconsin, and has never looked back. Save for the Ole Miss game, he’s been tight in coverage all year for a team that ranks among the nation’s leaders in pass efficiency defense. Humphrey begins the postseason with 40 tackles, three picks, five breakups and two forced fumbles.

S Derwin James, Florida State
The Seminoles have their next Jalen Ramsey, who’s likely headed to the NFL. James, like Ramsey, is long and athletic, with the versatility to be a playmaker in a multitude of different ways. True, he’s a traditional safety, but also with the instincts and the closing speed to be a hellion on the blitz. James, named to the All-ACC Third Team, is second on the Noles with 77 tackles, to go along with 7.5 stops for loss, 3.5 sacks and two forced fumbles.

S Jabrill Peppers, Michigan
Peppers was ready to contribute as a true freshman in 2014, but a September ankle injury forced a medical redshirt year. He used the time wisely to get bigger, stronger and better acclimated to college life. Unleashed for the first time this fall, Peppers flashed his dynamic playmaking ability on both sides of the ball … and on special teams. The Big Ten Freshman of the Year has 45 tackles, 5.5 stops for loss and 10 pass breakups, while rushing for two scores and setting the stage for what’ll be a monster sophomore year.

S Jordan Whitehead, Pittsburgh
The Panther staff knew it had a special player when it landed Pennsylvania’s top-rated recruit. But Whitehead has exceeded even his coaches’ expectations. The true freshman was seemingly everywhere this fall for Pitt, even moonlighting on offense and scoring twice as a runner. However, he was most impactful on D, making a team-high 99 tackles, 5.5 stops for loss and seven passes defended to earn ACC Rookie of the Year.

2015 Freshman All-America Special Teams

PK Greg Huegel, Clemson
Huegel wasn’t even supposed to be the Tiger kicker in 2015. But an Ammon Lakip suspension opened the door for the redshirt freshman walk-on, who has gone on to provide stability for the special teams unit. Huegel has been razor-sharp all year, overcoming a couple of early misses to connect on 21-of-23 field goal tries, though he does need to become more consistent on extra points.

P Austin Seibert, Oklahoma
In his first season out of Belleville West (Ill.) High School, Seibert won the punting and placekicking jobs in Norman. And he’s performed both duties rather well. As the Sooner punter, he’s averaged 42.4 yards, with 20 attempts landing inside the opponent’s 20-yard line, to be named a Ray Guy Award semifinalist. And Oklahoma’s No. 7 national ranking in net punting is directly attributable to the efforts of Seibert.

Freshman All-America Second Team

Offense

QB Brent Stockstill, Middle Tennessee

RB Myles Gaskin, Washington

RB Ronald Jones II, USC

WR Richie James, Middle Tennessee
WR Courtland Sutton, SMU

TE David Njoku, Miami

OT Kolton Miller, UCLA

OG Keaton Sutherland, Texas A&M
C Michael Deiter, Wisconsin
OG Maea Teuhema, LSU
OT Connor Williams, Texas

Defense

DE Jaylon Ferguson, Louisiana Tech
DT Terry Beckner, Jr., Missouri
DT Trenton Thompson, Georgia
DE Hercules Mata’afa, Washington State

LB Dakota Allen, Texas Tech

LB Dre Greenlaw, Arkansas

LB Troy Reeder, Penn State

CB Carlton Davis, Auburn
S Adonis Alexander, Virginia Tech
CB Minkah Fitzpatrick , Alabama
CB Iman Marshall, USC

Special Teams

PK Austin Seibert, Oklahoma
P Jake Hartbarger, Michigan State

2015 Honorable Mention Freshman All-Americans

QB: David Blough (Purdue), Jake Browning (Washington), Seth Collins (Oregon State), Eric Dungey (Syracuse), Lamar Jackson (Louisville), Chase Litton (Marshall), Tanner Mangum (BYU), Riley Neal (Ball State), Brett Rypien (Boise State), Garrett Smith (UL-Monroe), Jarrett Stidham (Baylor), Clayton Thorson (Northwestern)

RB: Josh Adams (Notre Dame), Saquon Barkley (Penn State), Jamauri Bogan (Western Michigan), Shannon Brooks (Minnesota), Wesley Fields (Georgia Southern), Jordan Fredericks (Syracuse), Taj Griffin (Oregon), Markell Jones (Purdue), Xavier Jones (SMU), Marcus Marshall (Georgia Tech), Travon McMillian (Virginia Tech), Qadree Ollison (Pittsburgh), LJ Scott (Michigan State), Ke’Shawn Vaughn (Illinois), Chris Warren III (Texas), Marquis Young (Massachusetts)

WR: Ventell Bryant (Temple), John Burt (Texas), Deon Cain (Clemson), Antonio Calloway (Florida), Britain Covey (Utah), Eddie Daugherty (Eastern Michigan), Jovon Durante (West Virginia), Penny Hart (Georgia State), T.J. Rahming (Duke), Tre’Quan Smith (UCF), KaVontae Turpin (TCU)

TE: Brandon Fritts (North Carolina), Ryan Izzo (Florida State), Alize’ Jones (Notre Dame)

OL: Geron Christian (Louisville), Jeremiah Culbreth (Georgia Southern), O’Shea Dugas (Louisiana Tech), Colton Freeman (Houston), Nick Gates (Nebraska), Chance Hall (Tennessee), Blake Hance (Northwestern), Martez Ivey (Florida), Wes Martin (Indiana), Sam McCollum (Miami U.), Will Noble (Houston), Brian O’Neill (Pittsburgh), Chad Pursley (SMU), Will Richardson (NC State), Dru Samia (Oklahoma), Max Scharping (Northern Illinois)

DL: Freedom Akinmoladun (Nebraska), Ben Banogu (UL-Monroe), Ryan Bee (Marshall), Cortez Broughton (Cincinnati), Jeremiah Clarke (North Carolina), Breiden Fehoko (Texas Tech), Greg Gaines (Washington), Noble Hall (San Diego State), Parker Hesse (Iowa), Sam Hubbard (Ohio State), Cece Jefferson (Florida), Kahlil McKenzie (Tennessee), Chris Slayton (Syracuse), Kevin Strong (UTSA), Josh Sweat (Florida State), Jerry Tillery (Notre Dame), JoJo Wicker (Arizona State), Daniel Wise (Kansas), Oshane Ximines (Old Dominion)

LB: Azeez Al-Shaair (Florida Atlantic), Tinashe Bere (Duke), Malik Fountain (Central Michigan), Rick Gamboa (Colorado), Porter Gustin (USC), Willie Harvey (Iowa State), Darrin Kirkland (Tennessee), Ty Summers (TCU), Montrel Wilson (TCU), Dedrick Young (Nebraska)

DB: Dameon Baber (Nevada), Brandon Bryant (Mississippi State), Jonathan Crawford (Indiana), Marcus Epps (Wyoming), Tyrell Gilbert (Cincinnati), Holton Hill (Texas), Brandon Jackson (Army), Jah’Shawn Johnson (Texas Tech), Quenton Meeks (Stanford), Tyrone Miller (Kansas), Darrien Molton (Washington State), Kareem Orr (Arizona State), Brian Peavy (Iowa State), Asauni Rufus (Nevada), Kevin Toliver (LSU), Chris Westry (Kentucky), Andrew Wingard (Wyoming), Jalen Young (Florida Atlantic)

PK: Morgan Hagee (Ball State), Clayton Hatfield (Texas Tech), Jameson Vest (Toledo), Justin Yoon (Notre Dame)

P: A.J. Cole (NC State), Steven Coutts (UL-Lafayette), Corey Fatony (Missouri)