More midseason All-American awards have arrived for the Buckeyes.
After defensive tackle Tyleik Williams was the lone Buckeye to receive a midseason All-American honor from ESPN on Tuesday, three Buckeyes – Denzel Burke, Marvin Harrison Jr. and Williams – represented Ohio State in The Athletic's midseason All-American honors on Wednesday.
As one of college football's top defensive backs after seven weeks of the 2023 season, Burke received first-team honors with Georgia's Malaki Starks, Iowa's Cooper DeJean and Missouri's Kris Abrams-Draine.
Also considered two of the best players at their respective positions, Harrison and Williams appeared on The Athletic's second team, with Missouri's Luther Burden III and LSU's Malik Nabers listed as its first-team receivers, and James Madison's Jalen Green and Texas' T'Vondre Sweat listed as its first-team defensive tackles.
Burke has been stellar for Ohio State's defense in 2023. In six appearances this season, quarterbacks have targeted Burke 31 times for 15 receptions and 149 yards. That's good for a 48.9% completion percentage and 4.8 yards per attempt. Burke has recorded five tackles, one tackle for loss, one forced fumble, seven pass breakups and one interception – the first for an Ohio State cornerback since Cam Brown in 2021.
After a 2022 season in which he was named the Big Ten Receiver of the Year, a Biletnikoff Award finalist and a unanimous All-American, Harrison has continued to excel in 2023. Harrison has 31 receptions for 604 yards and five touchdowns in Ohio State's undefeated start to the season. His 58 targets lead the team and represent 35.8% of the target share for the Buckeyes' pass-catchers.
As mentioned above, Williams was Ohio State's lone representative on ESPN's midseason All-American team, making him the first Buckeye to receive multiple midseason All-American honors in 2023. The 6-foot-2, 290-pound defensive tackle ranks fifth on the team with 27 total tackles and leads the Buckeyes with six tackles for loss. He has also added one sack, four pass breakups, one fumble recovery and one defensive touchdown.
Williams has also recorded an impressive 282 snaps after six games – the most snaps of Ohio State's defensive tackles and the second-most snaps for an Ohio State defensive lineman behind JT Tuimoloau (305).
The Athletic's Midseason All-American Teams
First Team Offense
| Pos. | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| QB | Michael Penix Jr. | Washington |
| RB | Jonathon Brooks | Texas |
| RB | Ashton Jeanty | Boise State |
| WR | Luther Burden III | Missouri |
| WR | Malik Nabers | LSU |
| TE | Brock Bowers | Georgia |
| OT | Olu Fashanu | Penn State |
| OT | Patrick Paul | Houston |
| G | Zak Zinter | Michigan |
| G | Cooper Beebe | Kansas State |
| C | Jackson Powers-Johnson | Oregon |
First-Team Defense
| Pos. | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| DE | Jonah Elliss | Utah |
| DE | Jalen Green | James Madison |
| DT | T'Vondre Sweat | Texas |
| DT | Jer'Zhan Newton | Illinois |
| LB | Edgerrin Cooper | Texas A&M |
| LB | Dallas Turner | Alabama |
| LB | Danny Stutsman | Oklahoma |
| DB | Denzel Burke | Ohio State |
| DB | Malaki Starks | Georgia |
| DB | Cooper DeJean | Iowa |
| DB | Kris Abrams-Draine | Missouri |
Second Team
| Pos. | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| QB | Jayden Daniels | LSU |
| RB | Jawhar Jordan | Louisville |
| RB | Ray Davis | Kentucky |
| WR | Marvin Harrison Jr. | Ohio State |
| WR | Rome Odunze | Washington |
| WR | Troy Franklin | Oregon |
| OT | Taliese Fuaga | Oregon State |
| OT | Joe Alt | Notre Dame |
| G | Christian Haynes | Connecticut |
| G | Clay Webb | Jacksonville State |
| C | Matt Lee | Miami |
| DEFENSE | ||
| DE | Laiatu Latu | UCLA |
| DE | Ashton Gillotte | Louisville |
| DT | Tyleik Williams | Ohio State |
| DT | Howard Cross III | Notre Dame |
| LB | Jason Henderson | Old Dominion |
| LB | Cedric Gray | North Carolina |
| LB | Payton Wilson | NC State |
| DB | Tyler Nubin | Minnesota |
| DB | Xavier Watts | Notre Dame |
| DB | Jaylin Simpson | Auburn |
| DB | Kalen King | Penn State |
