More preseason awards have arrived for Ohio State.
Two weeks after seven Buckeyes appeared in Phil Steele's preseason All-American teams, the Walter Camp Football Foundation named five Buckeyes to its preseason All-American teams on Monday. Those Ohio State players include Tyleik Williams and Emeka Egbuka on the first team and Quinshon Judkins, Caleb Downs and Denzel Burke on the second team.
THE most @WalterCampFF Preseason All-Americans in the country with 5 Buckeyes
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) July 2, 2024
@emeka_egbuka @tyleikk @DenzelBurke10 @caleb_downs2 @quinshon_ pic.twitter.com/Ek2Kdt7eLZ
Ohio State's five honorees were the most in college football. Alabama and Notre Dame tied for second with four selections each, while Georgia and Michigan tied for third with three.
Coming off a 2023 season in which Walter Camp named him a second-team All-American, Williams returns to Ohio State in 2024 as a crucial piece of the team's defensive line. Across three years in Columbus, the 6-foot-3, 327-pound tackle has appeared in 38 games and recorded 90 tackles, 19 tackles for loss, nine sacks, nine pass breakups, one fumble recovery and one touchdown.
A two-time All-Big Ten honoree, Egbuka enters the 2024 season in need of 78 receptions to break K.J. Hill's school record for career catches (201). He also needs 1,041 receiving yards to break Michael Jenkins' record for career receiving yards (2,898). His career numbers after three years and 36 appearances include 124 receptions for 1,857 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Judkins transferred to Ohio State in January after two seasons at Ole Miss. In 26 appearances for the Rebels, the 6-foot, 219-pound running back carried the ball 545 times for 2,725 yards and 31 touchdowns, becoming a two-time first-team All-SEC honoree. This season, Judkins will share the Buckeye backfield with Ohio State's three-year starter, TreVeyon Henderson, who has 446 carries, 2,745 yards and 31 scores in 31 collegiate appearances.
Downs transferred to Ohio State in January after one year at Alabama. The 2023 Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year collected 107 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, five pass breakups and two interceptions across 14 appearances for the Crimson Tide. He also received first-team All-SEC honors for his performance in the regular season.
Burke, a Walter Camp second-team All-American in 2023, needs 11 starts this season to surpass William White (46 starts between 1984-87) for the school record for starts by a cornerback. The two-time All-Big Ten honoree enters his senior season with 95 tackles, six tackles for loss, 26 pass breakups and two interceptions across 35 appearances for the Buckeyes.
